Why should you write professionally? What is this man thinking? Who the hell is he? These are all questions that can only be answered by enrolling in the Professional Writing program here at Ball State University.
In simple terms the Professional Writing program is a dynamic academic curriculum that centers on making you, the student, a multifaceted individual capable of doing a great many things. Any person in any major could benefit from the things you will learn in this program. Speaking of things you will learn...
You will learn how to make things fucking beautiful and how to spot things substantially less fucking beautiful. You will learn about singularity and about telekinetic chickens—I'll let that sink for a minute, telekinetic effing chickens—and all the other ways in which technological advancement is changing our lives.
You will read all kinds of interesting stuff by people like Rushkoff, Spilka, Faber, Shirky and even Jaron Linier—pictured above in all of his contemplative glory. These are all theorists and designers seeking to define the ever-shifting world around us and discover new ways to create things that are beautiful and interesting in the digital age.
You'll drive yourself absolutely bananas knowing the difference between em dashes and en dashes—personally I'd like to smash a priceless vase every time I see one used incorrectly. You'll be driven further insane by knowing why different fonts work well together and realize perfect insanity when you learn (shudders) to tell what bad kerning is. You don't understand it yet, but re–visit this comic after taking this class and you'll understand it perfectly.
All of this seems like publicity, almost as though this minor is a secret plot by the amish to drive you to destroy all technology, but really it's one of the more practical things you will ever learn.
The world is changing, it's not enough now to be an expert in one area, you need to understand how to make yourself useful in every way possible. If you know how to use html or single–source documents or create a beautiful layout, then you are instantly more attractive to potential employers.
Creative writers—as much as we all know your next novel will cause Faulkner rise from the grave just to congratulate you with its sheer awesomeness, its probably not a bad idea to be trained to write professional documents in addition to your other literary training. Being a technical writer isn't anyone's life ambition but when you read this article in your professional writing studies, you realize writing professional documents is like any other kind of writing— it doesn't have to be dry and uninteresting, the more creative and dynamic you are, the better your writing will be.
Not into writing? Doesn't matter, this course gives the tools for research and programming that are useful in every corner of academia. Even if you're a business major, understanding how to perform collaborative work is essential to succeeding in a business environment. This is also something you will learn in the prrofessional writing program.
The bottom line is, you need to be prepared to make yourself an individual in this society and culture we have today. Part of establishing that self–projection is understanding the tools that are available for you to do so. Knowledge is no longer currency, skill is currency, and not just one skill, but many skills. Take this minor and you will learn many skills that will make you a useful individual—something that can mean all the difference in your academic career. Take this minor and you will suddenly not just use applications and programs, but understand them. Take this minor and the question will no longer be "what'ca thinkin?" It will be "how much can you think?"
For more information talk to your advisor or visit this page.
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