final project

One of the main thematic links between the articles we read for class is that good writing is contextual. What counts as “good” depends on a complex interplay between author, audience, intent, expectations, genre, and cultural background, to name just a few of the factors. As our peerless leader put it, the bumper sticker du jour in Comp and Rhetoric is “Writing is Socially Situated.” Numerous of the authors we read commented on this idea, in one form or another, including Barthlomae, Elbow, Delpit, Canagarajah, and Sirc. How the teacher of writing was supposed to respond to the socially-situated nature of writing varied depending on who was tackling the issue— Delpit had vastly different thoughts on the subject than Canagarajah, for instance— but all of these authors seemed to agree that what writing is, and what it is meant to accomplish, varied from one context to the next.

With that in mind, I have designed a mini-unit designed to allow students to reflect critically on their the varied writing discourses in which they participate. Geoffrey Chase in particular stressed the need for critical reflection on these discourses, stating in “Accommodation, Resistance, and the Politics of Writing” that students need “to problematize their existence and to place themselves in a social and historical context through which they can come to better understand themselves and the world around them” (21).

During the mini-unit, students will:
* Be introduced to the concept of socially-situated writing discourses.
* Reflect on the varied contexts in which they write.
* Consider the conventions, opportunities, limitation, and values of these discourses.
* Create a piece of writing that harnesses these different discourses towards a clear thematic and creative end.

This mini-unit was created to be used with a high school English class consisting of juniors and seniors.


Part One: Introduction to discourse
The unit will begin with an introduction to the concept of discourse. Students will begin by brainstorming all the ways in which they write. The instructor will work to allow the students to consider realms of writing that might not be readily apparent (i.e. emails, text messages, social networking websites, graffiti, etc.).

After students come up with a list of the varied ways they write, they will work with partners to develop lists of what constitutes “good” writing in these different contexts. For example, how is good poetry differ from good emailing? If time allows, the students could then attempt to write in one context while following the conventions of another: text message poetry, research paper love letters, etc.

These activities will lead to a discussion of discourse. Students will be presented with a definition/introduction to the idea of discourse, and will, as a class, reflect on what can be said about the discourses the students participate in.


Part Two: Privileged versus marginalized discourses
In this section of the mini-unit, students will begin to reflect on how some discourses are privileged depending on the writing situation. Reflective journal writing will help accomplish this, along with an introduction to some of the extant debates in Composition Studies. Student could be presented with excerpts from writings by Bartholomae & Elbow or Delpit & Canagarajah and asked to summarize/respond to the arguments being presented. Additionally, the class could read and analyze news coverage and editorial commentary surrounding the Oakland Unified School District’s 1996 decision to attempt to formally counter the marginalization of Black English.

Student will be asked to consider the political and social implications of the privileging of discourses. They will also reflect on where their own writing voices fit within this debate.


Part Three: Multigenre paper
As a summation of our study on socially-situated writing discourses, students will compose a multigenre paper that consists of many different types of writing, both privileged and marginalized.

For this paper we utilize a type of academic writing known as multigenre papers. This is a antidote to stale, forced, and formulaic “academic” essays that students are made to write in many educational contexts. Tom Romano, from Miami of Ohio University, has done a lot of research on this type of student academic writing; click here for Romano’s multigenre writing website. Briefly, a multigenre paper will explore a theme through numerous genres. To give an example, a student might write a paper on William Shakespeare, but rather than utilizing the typical academic genre of literary analysis or research paper, he or she may explore Shakespeare’s works and life through a combination of genres, both analytic and creative. When done well, this type of assignment allows for a very rich and authentic exploration of a theme.

The multigenre paper will fit very with the ongoing discussion of writing discourses. Student will choose a theme, and then explore this theme through a variety of the discourses in which they engage. This will provide academic sanction for typically marginalized discourses, allow for authentic inclusion of student voice, and prompt reflection on the benefits and limitations of different types of writing. As a conclusion to the multigenre paper, students will be asked to critically examine their use of genre and discourse with in the paper. They will be also be given the opportunity to perform parts of their paper to the class.