Mia Kleine
Writing Portfolio
About Me
Hello and welcome to my writing portfolio. This site is a place to showcase the writing I have done over the past three years and a student at the University of Denver. I am a current third-year at the University of Denver. I am working towards a BA in Sociology and a minor in Writing Practices. In the Fall of 2020 I will begin a duel degree at the Graduate School of Social Work at DU where I will be pursuing a Masters in Social Work with a concentration in Organizational Leadership and Policy Practice. ​
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This site holds many different pieces I have written over the years. Each piece has helped me improve and grow as a writer. I decided to pursue a minor in Writing Practices because of insecurity in my writing abilities, and now I am so happy to share all of my hard work. You can navigate the site using the menu dots on the right hand side, or the menu bar at the top of the site. If you would like to contact me directly, send me a message at the bottom of the page.
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Writing Practices Coursework
WRIT 2000 - Introduction to Theories of Writing - Fall 2018
This class was sort of the baseline for the writing minor. In it we explore many different faces of writing, the writing process, writing theories, and what studying writing is all about. I was able to explore different writing theorists and different genres and styles. I explore different writing activities such as blackout poetry, and wrote some important and defining papers that set me up for the rest of the classes in the writing minor. The two most notable piece were my history with writing and my theory of writing. My history with writing was a piece where I reflected on my past and how I learned how to write, and explore the ups and downs of learning and building the writing process. I also wrote my theory of writing which served as a starting point for all my writing. I wrote about why I think writing is so hard and how my process of writing may differ from others. In this class I explored my overall relationship with writing.
WRIT 2500 - Topics in Writing Theory and Research: Public Good, Personal Gain, and the Ethics of Persuasion - Winter 2019
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This class was all about the ethics of writing and persuasion. I began this journey by joining my classmates in learning about the Sophists of ancient Athens and some of the works of the original rhetoricians. We discussed the ethics of what we write and how we write it, and how and if persuasion can ever be ethical. We then used these strategies and reflections to compare these ideas to writing, specifically political writing, in current times. We look at not only what politicians say and write but also how writers write about it. In this class I was able to learn a lot about rhetoricians and the use of rhetorical strategies in writing. I was able to explore the nuances of persuasion in all aspects of writing, and put persuasion in practice myself. I wrote my own persuasion article about a heavy topic and interviewed another individual to learn how persuasion fits into different professions.
WRIT 2050 - Style and Rhetorical Grammar - Spring 2019
This course pushed me to examine style and grammar for the first time since grade school. Throughout the quarter we used grammar practice books to explore the nuances of grammar and in a way re-teach ourselves some grammar rules. I thought about my history with grammar and style and the flaws of that history. My classmates and I figured out the grammar rules we thought were unnecessary and also discussed the ones we thought were necessary. I wrote my own grammar manifesto, my relationship with writing, and even took an original piece of writing from another author and imitated their writing. I was encouraged to break rules, branch out, and think critically of grammar conventions.
WRIT 2701 - Topics in Applied Writing: Green Rhetoric - Winter 2020
This course specifically focused on nature writing in relation to issues like conservation, degradation, wilderness (and if that even exists) and personal experiences with nature. In this course I was able to think critically about a specific genre of writing, and to explore the different mediums that can be used to write about different topics. I was challenged to write a memoir, an op-ed, and social media posts for a larger audience using rhetorical strategies associated with green writing. I also explore a nature case study in Yosemite National Park and analyzed it.
WRIT 3500 - Capstone: Writing Design and Circulation - Spring 2020
The purpose of this course was, in a nutshell, to create this portfolio. I used many different avenues to reflect on my writing and understand my writing better. I learned about design and its importance in showcasing your work. In this course I explored and revisited my previous writing and reflected on my writing process and growth as a writer. I created this portfolio to showcase my writing and highlight the work I have done for this minor as I finish my last required course.
My Writing
Each of these buttons will take you to a page that holds different things I have written over the years and explains them. You will find pieces I wrote for the classes listed in my coursework descriptions, as well as from my major. You can also find these in the menu bar at the top of the webpage.