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last.updated 12.6.11
Geography & Composition
Purpose
Space,
and by extension geography, has been little considered in rhetoric and
composition. Yet, as various scholars argue, to ignore issues of geography
is to create blindspots in our understanding of the field. Geography provides
a useful heuristic for examining the material conditions of composition
practices, as well as a useful trope for conceptualizing the potential
and limitations of the composition classroom. We will also use this last
class to summarize what we have done throughout the course of the semester.
Before Class
- Read Soja "History: Geography: Modernity" [BB]
- Read Reynolds "Composition's Imagined Geographies" [College Composition and Communication, 50.1]
- Read Applegarth "Genre, Location, and Mary Austin's Ethos" [Rhetoric Soceity Quarterly, 41.1]
- Submit Article Manuscript on Friday, December 9, 2011 to the instructor as an email attachment by the end of the day.
Activity–So what do we do with all this rhetoric?
Over the semester we have looked at rhetorical issues that have been applied to the classroom. While some modernist approaches advocated for standards, other postmodern lens encouraged us to see plurality and diversity as an opportunity rather than obstacle. But how exactly do we design the composition classroom in light of these competing philosophies. In groups begin to outline a writing course that will allow you to turn these rhetorical theories into practice. Questions that will guide our design will be...
- What are the overall goals of the course?
- What will the assignment sequences look like?
- Choosing one of these assignments, what are the unit's goals? what will the unit look like?
- What daily activities leading up to this assignment will we design to acheive our goals?
| Group | Members |
| 1 | Jamie, Nathan, Mat, George |
| 2 | Wil, Catrina, Eric |
| 3 | Jennifer, Cheri, Sherie |
Discussion: Just as lost as I was at the beginning of the semester
- How questions, comments and/or concerns do you have about the readings for this week?
- Why is geography (and space) relevant to rhetoric, and by extension what we teach in the writing classroom?
- Now that these scholars have brought the issue of space to your attention, what are some of the material and metaphorical spatial issues in your own teaching/tutoring of writing?