By Bri Brands 

As University of Iowa students begin their college careers, they are tasked with completing several general education courses across a wide range of subjects and disciplines.  

Among these required courses is “Rhetoric: Writing and Communication,”—a foundational course that enables students to read texts more effectively, write more clearly, enhance communication, and hone critical thinking skills.  

Associate Professor Cassandra Bausman said one of the key components of the class is showing students the value of intellectual curiosity.  

“Because of their perspectives, opinions, and life experiences, the arguments they make aren’t going to sound like anyone else's,” she said. “They rise to that challenge every time and produce really cool, individualistic projects, and it’s an amazing celebration of all of these people that we get to meet as individuals.” 

Every semester, Visiting Assistant Professor Elizabeth Crawford witnesses students in her course  expanding their way of thinking, which emphasizes the department’s mission to emphasize multiple perspectives.  

Citing a common course discussion on the discourse in America, Crawford works to teach her students how to think with more nuance. 

“They're looking for tools to understand [polarization] and engage with it and contextualize it for themselves,” she said. “So, to have those talks with them about how to be nuanced about a situation that our leaders are making polarized is very empowering.” 

Bausman said the small class sizes are innovative for a university the size of UI—many similar-sized schools are unable to offer individualized attention in general education rhetoric courses.  

“Our classes are small so we can get to know our students and the way they think, the way they construct arguments, and their strengths and weaknesses,” Bausman said. “In some ways, the course is individualized for each student.”  

Interim Departmental Executive Officer Cinda Coggins-Mosher recalled being a UI student in the Rhetoric classroom in 1987 and meeting one of her lifelong best friends. Now, as an instructor, she gets to watch students foster similar connections and gain exposure to different worldviews.  

“We're initiating students incrementally from where they are to where they need to be for college readiness, and that will carry them throughout the rest of their college career and beyond,” Coggins-Mosher said. “It's one of the most important classes that any student could take, because it teaches critical thinking skills that transcend academia.”  

Associate Professor Katlyn O’Shaughnessy said many Rhetoric students expect the class to be similar to high school English courses, but are often surprised by readings, subject matter, or class discussions. 

“We get a lot of evaluations that are like: ‘I thought this was going to be a follow-up to my other English classes, but I actually got to read and research and think about a lot of things that I really care about and develop stronger critical thinking skills in the process,’”  O’Shaughnessy said.  

When students step into the Rhetoric classroom, often fresh out of high school, they’re still used to being passive students, Bausman said. They are taught to receive knowledge and be sponges.  

“In Rhetoric, they can be empowered to produce their own knowledge and really understand and celebrate the fact that they have existing literacies that they're bringing into the classroom that can have some serious academic weight,” Bausman said.  

As the UI prepares to offer the undergraduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence in fall 2026, Rhetoric faculty are beginning to work on new innovations to incorporate into their own course curricula.  

Most recently, faculty elected to add an artificial intelligence literacy component to their overall media and information literacy unit. 

While the component is a work in progress, O’Shaughnessy said they are trying to keep up with the times and include discussions about AI ethics in coursework.  

“That’s an important part of what we do, in general, to prepare students for the real world—we’re constantly trying to innovate,” she said.  

Crawford said the component isn’t teaching students how to use AI; rather, it is about discussing its implications on cognitive development and the environment. 

“Students are hungry for that information and they’re concerned,” she said. “They’re worried about how it's affecting their learning and their critical thinking skills." 

Although the department continues to adjust to whatever comes their way, they plan to always maintain their core values. 

“A binding community value of our department is that we are able to engage in friendship and community around our shared love of teaching,” O’Shaughnessy said.