Kory Lawson Ching
Fun Fact: When he’s not doing scholarly work, Kory does watercolor paintings! He also plays ukulele, though that’s only for himself.
Kory Lawson Ching is an Associate Professor in the University Writing Program. He graduated with his PhD in English with a specialization in Writing Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his scholarly interest focuses mostly on writing technologies and composing processes. He has taught courses on UX research and qualitative research methodologies, and his work bridges scholarly writing, pedagogical writing, and administrative communication. His recent achievements include publishing an article this last year on hybrid writing courses in the College Composition and Communication journal that he co-authored with a former graduate student of his, and co-chairing the Computers and Writing Conference in 2023, which he is particularly proud of.
What do you find exciting about Professional Writing?
Writing is important because so much of our reality is made up of language, made up of words. And so much of our reality is actually now literally in writing; in social media and in other contexts like that. Developing some critical understandings of how language works, how to be effective in it, how to be persuasive, how to spot when you're being manipulated by language, or how to see when there are misunderstandings that maybe could be fixed—I think these aren’t just about marketable skills, they’re about building a better and just society. That sounds kind of grandiose for a major or a minor, but I think the ways in which attuning yourself to language in the way that completing the minor encourages honestly makes for better people.
If you were a student, why would you pursue the Professional Writing Minor?
I’ll go out on a limb and say that any kind of career anybody would want to have is going to involve some kind of writing. Whether that's working in academia or going into any professional context, being able to communicate effectively is always going to be beneficial. Employers are looking for people who already know how to communicate and can do it well.
I’m also hearing from some people who do internships that they get told to run everything they write through AI now to make it sound more professional. That’s a little disheartening, but that’s also why we're also developing courses for the Professional Writing Minor, and hopefully the major if it gets approved, that have to do with using AI both effectively and ethically. That's a thing that we’re thinking about on the faculty quite a bit. How do we not simply say, “Well, don’t ever use AI,” because clearly professional employers are asking (and in some cases requiring) people to use AI. The question is how to do it in an effective way, and also in a way where you might be a little critical of the outputs and be thinking about how you’re using it and whether you’re using it well.
I’m doing a research project right now where I’m talking to students, faculty, and graduate students about their use of AI and how they think about AI. Everyone sees the possibilities, but also have lots of concerns and anxieties about what's coming. Is it going to mean people stop learning? Is it going to mean we’re going to lose jobs? There’s a whole lot going on there, but I think it’s our job as educators in the Professional Writing Minor to help people develop critical literacies around this new technology.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to undergraduates looking to complete the minor?
I have the sense that it's really easy to get locked into your major, to follow that track to the end until you graduate. I think society has made it difficult to treat college as a place to explore, and so I think my main advice for people would be to explore. One way they could explore is by taking a minor like the Professional Writing Minor. It’s about getting a little bit outside of the normal routine. The Professional Writing Minor is a place to build some sense of community or identification with other people. Don’t just take the courses; get involved with the meetups and whatever is happening in and around the minor.
Also, I would approach the minor with real curiosity about how written communication works across different contexts and be intentional about connecting what you learn to your major and career goals. Don’t just complete assignments—actively reflect on the rhetorical choices you’re making and seek to understand the principles underlying effective communication. Seek out opportunities to work on projects that genuinely matter to you or involve real-world audiences, since you’ll learn most when you’re invested in the communication. And remember that becoming a skilled professional writer is an ongoing journey. The goal isn't to “master” writing, but to develop the rhetorical flexibility and confidence to continue learning and adapting throughout your career.