Hello Everyone!
Consider joining our week-long workshop/seminar called "Multimodal Rhetoric, Digital Writing" to be held during the second week of the Digital Humanities Summer Institute (DHSI), in Montreal, June 15-19, 2026.
The course (full description below) considers multimodal composition and writing pedagogy in digital and analog environments across disciplines–it will be hands-on and practice based. Faculty, grad students, instructional designers, librarians are all welcome.
Come join us in Montreal! Early bird registration for DHSI continues till March 1 and scholarship applications are open till February 15. Email us with any questions about the course at knk and dji6!
Thanks,
Kristine Kelly and Denna Iammarino
Multimodal Rhetoric, Digital Writing
Course Description
A longstanding relationship exists between the digital humanities and writing studies as evidenced by journals like Kairos and Computers and Composition Online; however, in practice, the multi-faceted and mutually influential relationship between digital technology, rhetorical theory, and interdisciplinary writing practices is often underestimated. By centrally orienting this relationship, our course will explore multimodal writing practices, theories, and pedagogy. We consider how rhetorical aims, digital platforms, and disciplinary conventions might work together to generate complex, unconventional ways of writing and opportunities for teaching. Participants will engage in multimodal composing across digital and analog environments, including open-access platforms like Twine and Audacity. We will also re-purpose everyday materials and software to reconsider rhetorical principles, such as invention and arrangement. Adopting an interdisciplinary writing studies lens, we will investigate questions like:
- How do we persuade and engage differently in digital and multimodal spaces?
- How do we understand what it means to be an author and a reader in different formats or media?
- How can we adopt co-creation and collaboration as frameworks for inclusive writing practices in digital spaces?
This course will help faculty, graduate students, librarians, and instructional technologists design assignments and activities for humanities and interdisciplinary courses that include writing. Participants will collaborate on making activities, crafting and scaffolding assignments, identifying methods for assessment, and discussing the relationship between digital making tools, rhetorical practices, and writing pedagogy. At the end of the week, participants will have a strong understanding of ways to incorporate digital writing approaches and tools into their teaching and scholarly communication.
This course includes hands-on experiences, seminar discussion, and lecture and has no prerequisites.
Kristine Kelly, PhD (she, her)
Lecturer in English
Writing Program
SAGES Writing Portfolio Coordinator
Bellflower Hall 206
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland OH 44106
e. knk