"Writing in electronic environments": A concept and a course for the writing and rhetoric major

Reflecting the digital turn in composition studies, multimedia writing courses have become commonplace in many writing programs. Yet these technology-rich courses take on new significance when located within a rhetorically based writing major, especially as a core course. This article explores a developing writing and rhetoric major through the lens of a core course (WRT 235) titled "Writing in Electronic Environments." Specifically, we see the course as an opportunity to make its practices and key concept, "writing environment, " more central to the major, and the writing program as a whole. Teaching writing in electronic environments also means encouraging our students to conceive of better spaces for the kinds of digital writing that they-and others-might eventually want to practice.