This summer, students in Adam R. Pope's online social media writing course (ENGL 3603: Topics in Rhetoric and Composition) had the chance to interview two professional content creators as part of their professionalization in social media workflows and professional social media practices for corporate and non-profit accounts.

The students put together questions for Blake Wyland, host of the Tone Mob podcast and partner in Stringjoy, a guitar, bass and mandolin string manufacturing company located in Nashville; and Richard Oliver, a website developer, designer and social media coordinator for Boutique Amps Distribution and a partner in Amplify Creative, a UK-based web development and design firm.

As Pope explains, "I was excited to take advantage of an opportunity to let students working on social media get to ask questions of and hear from folks that are doing the work we're studying on a daily basis. Both interviews went great, and the students were complemented on how insightful and challenging their questions were."

At the end of the day, Pope says that he hopes to continue bringing in professional voices into his courses in professional and technical writing, explaining that "the students really enjoyed the chance to hear from these professional writers and designers—it was a high point in the semester for almost all of us, I think."

Social Media Writing is a regular offering in the Department of English as part of the concentration in the English major, as well being part of the minor in rhetoric and writing. The program is available fully online as well as face-to-face on campus.