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Followers of this blog will know that we have been building toward a concentration in Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy Studies for the past year or so. We just got confirmation today that our third new course is on the books!
Here’s our three new courses:
ENG 260 – Issues in Composition and Rhetoric Studies
This course provides undergraduate students an introduction to the history, traditions, issues, problems, and debates of Composition and Rhetoric Studies. Despite its long history and growing influence in academia, many students of English are unfamiliar with the depth and breadth of the field of Composition and Rhetoric. It is the goal of this course to familiarize undergraduate students with the historical development of Composition and Rhetoric Studies and the shape of the filed today. This course will include inquiry into the major theoretical, professional and disciplinary issues and challenges of the field. The course also provides an introduction to research methods and resources in Composition and Rhetoric, as well as experience writing academically in and about Comp / Rhet Studies.
Prerequisites: English 023 or 025.
ENG 274 – Women, Writing and Rhetoric
While the spoken and written word have long been studied for their rhetorical intent and success, this study has been conducted primarily through a male lens. As such, women’s contributions to rhetoric throughout history, like so many other aspects of women’s experience, have yet to be fully explored. Women, Writing, and Rhetoric seeks to expand the study of rhetoric with a multi-layered consideration of how rhetoric has been informed by, and informs, a female consciousness. This is an elective course for English majors, Women’s Studies minors, and those seeking a concentration in Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy Studies.
Prerequisites: ENG 023, 025, or equivalent.
ENG 316 Rhetoric, Democracy, Advocacy
The connection between rhetoric and democracy is an old one dating back to the origins of both concepts in Western traditions. Simply put rhetoric—the skilled use of argument and persuasive discourse—and democracy were seen as ways to replace violence as the primary means of governing and resolving conflict. This course argues that the intimate connections between rhetoric and democracy are critical to retain and reclaim for the health of democratic society and culture. American democracy has been defined not only by its institutions and Constitutional frameworks, but also by vibrant traditions of citizenship advocacy that have relentlessly stretched the boundaries of democratic freedoms, identities, and protections. A healthy democracy requires citizen advocates who are skilled in the analysis of public discourse and the rhetoric of advocacy. This course will be a sustained study of the theory and practice of advocacy rhetoric, primarily in the American context. In addition, this course will raise practical questions about what citizenship advocacy means in a context of increasing globalization and new media. PREREQUSITE: ENG 023 or its equivalent.
While you’re at it, check our our growing number of courses here.
Well, actually, the fall semester wasn’t delayed at all. Only my post to this blog 
.
Welcome back everyone! I have to say that it was pretty incredible coming back this semester and having seven–SEVEN– comp/rhet faculty at our first meeting. We’ve come a long way in terms of faculty hiring and program development in a very short time. When I took over the Coordinator position, we had three comp/rhet faculty members.
There has also been a pretty rapid increase in student interest in upper-level composition courses. ENG 430 Rhetorical Traditions/Contemporary Renditions, went live in the Spring 2007 semester and this coming Spring, my new course ENG 316 Rhetoric, Democracy, Advocacy will be offered for the first time. Amy Lynch-Biniek authored a new course, ENG XXX Composition and Rhetoric Studies which is making its way through the curricular process and will be one of the key courses for our proposed concentration in Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy Studies. Linda Cullum will be submitting her new course, ENG XXX Women, Writing, Rhetoric to the curriculum committees this semester. In addition, our ENU 405 Teaching of Writing, continues to fill every semester with graduate and undergraduate students. Needless to say, we are excited about the direction our program is headed!
This semester I hope to get all our comp/rhet faculty up and running on this blog too. This way you can hear from all of us…of different approaches to teaching, latest scholarship, thoughts on writing and rhetoric, musings, and random contributions to this little space.
I am going to leave for now…but will return soon! Thanks for taking the time to check in.
There are just three days left in the semester and we’re wrapping things up. Like most of my colleagues, I am deep in grading mode. However, I thought I would take a few minutes this morning (before I head into campus and while my son is sleeping) to post.
This past academic year has been pretty incredible for our little composition program. We have one new class on the books, ENG 316 Rhetoric, Democracy, Advocacy, which will be offered in spring 2010 for the first time. We also have two classes heading for college and university curriculum committees after passing our department unanimously: Women, Writing, Rhetoric and Issues in Composition and Rhetoric Studies. A very productive year for course development and another step toward rounding out a solid concentration in Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy Studies at KU.
This past year we also completed two successful tenure-track faculty searches. In the fall, we will welcome Mysti Rudd from Lamar State College-Port Arthur (IUP PhD candidate) in Texas and Moe Folk from Michigan Tech. Over the summer I am going to ask Mysti and Moe to introduces themselves to you, but for now let me just say that both of these folks promise to contribute to our program in exciting ways. As I have suggested before on this blog, our program has at its core an ethic of “conversation.” That is, we are interested in a diversity of approaches at our composition table that can contibute to a lively conversation over the teaching of writing, literacy in the 21st Century, and all things composition and rhetoric. Many of us got into this field because of its lively discussion over the purpose and nature of writing, rhetoric, and literacy…so, it only makes sense that we would want to use that energy, that commitment to discussion as the model of our program. I am sure that Mysti and Moe will both expand and deepen our conversations.
This past spring saw another successful Composition Conference for student writers. This 5th annual conference was expanded to include student writers from all levels of composition courses, which exceeded our expectations. Despite a very miserable weather day, attendance at this year’s conference was the best yet. Our keynote speaker, Steve Parks from Syracuse University, gave an engaging talk entitled “Once I was a Washing Machine: Worker/Writer Alliances at the Edge of the Economic Abyss” (see the pics below). His talk was both well attended and sparked conversations that echoed through our conversations for weeks.
Over the course of this summer we will be planning for what promises to be an exciting new academic year. We will be hiring an additional tenure-track faculty member in Multicultural/Multiethnic Rhetorics; formally submitting our concentration for department approval; expanding our course offerings; deepening our use of new media; and continuing conversations in our weekly meetings and reading groups. Toward the end of this semester, we began some interesting and exciting conversations with our fellow rhetoricians in the Speech Department (soon to be Communications Studies). Frankly, the promise of reuniting rhetoric just gets me all happy (yes, I am a rhetoric geek). In short, I think we are in great shape…or, given that today is Obama’s 100th day in office, maybe I should say: “the state of our program is strong!” :-)
Yesterday was a great day at CCCCs. All four of the panels I went to were fantastic. I did make one change in my schedule. I didn’t go to “We Have Been Here Forever” as I initially planned. Instead, I went to the session, “Community Literacies and Deliberative Democracy In and Beyond the University,” with Eli Goldblatt, Juan Guerra, Michelle Kells, and Carlos Salinas. Our panel, “Labor Rhetoric and Academic Organizing,” went extremely well…we had a packed house, our papers worked incredibly well together, Eileen Schell posed several key questions in her response, and many audience members walked with us over to the Serrano Hotel for our Labor Caucus Interest Group meeting. More on all of this when I have a little time (right now I am sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for my ride to the airport).
I was really looking forward to being here this year…and my expectations were more than met. The non-panel discussions I had with people who I haven’t seen since the last CCCCs and colleagues I see on a more-or-less regular basis were invigorating…which is, after all, why we come to these conferences in the first place, right?
More to come!
After spending some time reading through all of the sessions running tomorrow, I think I have my schedule for tomorrow:
- 10:30: “From Textile Mills to the Entrepreneurial University: Confronting the Political Economics of Writing”
- 12:15: “We Have Been Here Forever: Towards a History of Composition(ist)s of Color Rewriting Rhetoric within and beyond NCTE/CCCC”
- 1:45: “‘Driving into the Wreck’: A Feminist Inquiry of the Dissertation in Composition”
- 3:00: (no choice on this one, this is my panel) “Labor Rhetorics and Academic Organizing: Possibilities and Predicaments”
- 5:00: CCCC Labor Caucus Interest Group
Rhetorical Review, The Electronic Review of Books on the History of Rhetoric, vol. 7, no. 1 (February 2009) is now available on the internet:
The Department of Writing & Rhetoric at Colgate University invites applications for an Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Public Speaking and a related field in Rhetoric, to begin Fall, 2009. We seek a colleague with teaching experience who has completed a PhD in Rhetoric or Communication Studies by the time of the appointment but no earlier than 2005, and who does not currently hold a tenure stream position. We are especially interested in candidates who plan a career in undergraduate teaching and research, and whose scholarly program is focused on public speaking/oratory with the goal of combining practical pedagogies with rhetorical theory and criticism. This is a two year fellowship, contingent on successful completion of the first year; the Fellow’s time will be divided between designing and teaching the equivalent of three courses, and conducting a personal research program in public speaking/oratory and/or related fields in Rhetoric. The Fellow will be invited to contribute fully to the life of the department. Compensation for 2009-10 is $42,000 plus benefits. Financial support for research and travel will be available, and mentoring will be offered by a senior member of the department.
Applicants should send a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching philosophy and a statement of research objectives to Prof M.F. Darby, Chair, Department of Writing & Rhetoric, Colgate University, 13 Oak Dr, Hamilton, NY 13346. Under separate cover, arrange for three confidential letters of recommendation to be sent to the same address.
Review of applications will begin February 2, 2009, and continue until the position is filled. Colgate University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer; women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply.
Developing and sustaining a diverse faculty, staff, and student body further the university’s educational mission.
Please let me know if you need any further information or if you have any questions regarding this position announcement.
With many thanks and my warmest regards,
Suzanne B. Spring
It’s hard to believe that we are already in the fourth week of the semester. Wow. I must say that we’re off to quite a start.
Earlier today the Composition Conference Committee met to begin planning our annual conference. Next April will be the fifth year of the conference. Last year’s conference was a grand success thanks in large part to Amy Lynch-Biniek’s tireless efforts as Chair of the Composition Conference Committee, the work of committee members, Keith Gilyard’s excellent Keynote Address, and the fabulous work presented by all of our student participants. While it’s still only mid-September, we’re already planning the conference theme, keynote speaker, and getting materials ready to distribute to faculty and students.
Last week the Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy Studies Reading Group met to decide what we would read this semester/year. We decided on the following texts:
Here’s a look at the other texts we will be checking out this year:
- Kathleen Blake Yancey, “Made Not Only in Words: Composition in a New Key.”
- Douglas Downs and Elizabeth Wardle, “Teaching about Writing, Righting Misconceptions: (Re)Envisioning ‘First-Year Composition’ as ‘Introduction to Writing Studies’.”
- Jonathan Alexander, “Transgender Rhetorics: (Re)Composing Narratives of the Gendered Body.”
- Nancy Welch, “Living Room: Teaching Public Writing in a Post-Publicity Era.”
- Min-Zhan Lu, “An Essay on the Work of Composition: Composing English against the Order of Fast Capitalism.”
- Donna LeCourt, “Performing Working-Class Identity in Composition: Toward a Pedagogy of Textual Practice.”
We’re starting out with Yancey’s article for our October 9th meeting and go from there! And you may have noticed that CRLS Reading Group has replaced the CRG group and blog. Since we are working on developing a concentration in Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy Studies, it seemed to make sense to link our curricular work with the reading group. As you may notice, many of the articles we chose for this year focus on different approaches to composition and rhetoric and curriculum development.
And of course, Composition Conversations are in their second week. As we get closer to the due dates for our first papers, we’ll be sharing ideas for responding to student texts, effective workshopping, designing assignments, generating class discussions, and a whole range of other things!
All in all, we’ve hit the ground running. If you want to know what’s going on and where, check out our new Composition Calendar!
Our ad for a tenure-track position in Composition and Rhetoric for fall 2009 is now posted on Kutztown University’s web site:
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Kutztown University of Pennsylvania enrolls approximately 10,000 students in graduate and undergraduate programs. The University is located in the borough of Kutztown in a charming rural setting, and is within 20 minutes driving time of the diverse metropolitan areas Allentown/Bethlehem and Reading, and within 60 minutes of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The University is very interested in hiring employees who have had extensive experience with diverse populations.
The English Department invites applications for a tenure-track position in Composition and Rhetoric beginning Fall 2009. Ph.D. in Composition and Rhetoric preferred, ABD accepted with completion of dissertation before second year of appointment. Demonstrated experience and research in one or more of the following areas a plus: History of Composition and Rhetoric, Classical Rhetorics, Multicultural Rhetorics, Visual Rhetorics, Writing Program Administration, Assessment of First-Year Writing, or WAC. Strong applicants will also be committed to a “stretch model” approach to introductory composition courses.
The 4/4 teaching load will include College Composition, Introduction to College Composition, Honors Composition, and Advanced Composition with opportunities to develop and teach upper-level and graduate courses in Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy Studies. Three (3) years of college-level teaching experience required with significant experience teaching Composition. Successful interview and demonstration of teaching abilities required.
Send a letter of application, vita, three current letters of reference, and all official college-level transcripts to Dr. Kevin Mahoney, Chair, Composition Faculty Search Committee, 241 Lytle Hall, English Department, Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA 19530. Only complete application packets will be considered. Review of applications will begin November 14, 2008 for MLA interviews and will continue until the position is filled. For more information on our program, visit our website at: http://kucomprhet.wordpress.com or contact the Committee Chair at Mahoney@kutztown.edu.
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and actively solicits applications from women and minority candidates. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is a member of the State System of Higher Education.
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