Courses Taught

First-year writing course which introduces students to rhetoric as well as academic composition practices via the lens of comedy broadly conceived. 

Curriculum designed by McRay emphasizes rhetorical context, primary research methods, and multimodality in the exploration of how distinct subcultures use comedy as a rhetorical tool. Focus placed upon analysis, reflection, and application of effective rhetorical practices across genres, mediums, and contexts.

Course includes ongoing instructor feedback.

First-year writing course serving as a continuation of students’ experience with rhetoric, academic research, and academic writing practices via the lens of comedy and humor.

Curriculum designed by McRay explores and analyzes how comedy has and continues to be utilized for specific rhetorical effect in U.S. public discourse. Emphasis placed on primary and secondary research methods, exploring academic genres, and rhetorical effectiveness across contexts, genres, and mediums.

Course includes ongoing instructor feedback.

Writing course designed to offer students the opportunity for continued development of writing as well as research skills via exploration of a specific topic.

Designed in its entirety by McRay, course explored rhetoric as well as the rhetorical work accomplished by comedic texts, focusing on how comedy can be used to educate and inform, critique cultural patterns or events, and raise awareness regarding issues affecting marginalized populations. 

Included individual conferences with instructor for each major project. 

First-year writing course which served as an introduction to the academic writing process, common academic genres, and both primary and secondary research methods. 

Course included ongoing instructor feedback and conferences.

First-year writing course which served as a continuation of students’ experience with academic writing practices. 

Curriculum emphasized in-depth research as a means to explore ongoing issues in public discourse that then informed effective, ethical argumentation on said issues.

Course included ongoing instructor feedback and conferences.

Technical writing course designed and offered for upper-level students with majors in the sciences, engineering, technology, and mathematics. 

Curriculum addressed common workplace genres, report and proposal writing, usability testing, and effective approaches to communicating STEM discipline specific information to non-expert and lay audiences.

 Professional education course for upper-level education majors. 

Curriculum connected course content to future pedagogical frameworks and practice via projects involving primary research in local public-school systems, secondary research in recent and relevant Education scholarship, and both critical and reflective writing.