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last.updated 8.15.07

 

Conference Paper, Roundtable, & Article

Purpose

Throughout the semester I have talked about the conversations about rhetoric, composition, and the combination of the two. By reading scholarship about rhetoric and composition, you are listening to the conversation. This series of assignments gives you the opportunity to participate in the conversation in various ways–composing a conference paper, presenting a roundtable position statement, and developing the conference paper into an article.


Instructions–Epistemological Process

Choose a topic related to rhetoric and composition . In these submissions, you are required to address 1) rhetorical studies, and 2) the teaching of composition or professional writing (an acceptable alternative because scholars and instructors in this discipline often use a rhetorical foundation; other English Studies courses need to be approved by the instructor)

You may ask yourself...

  • what does rhetoric say about X issue experienced in the teaching of writing?
  • how does X rhetorical issue translate into a literacy practice or pedagogical strategy that facilitates writing?

You are encouraged to work on local and immediate issues that you are trying to work through in your professional contexts

Instructions–Writing

All students will compose an article and present a five-minute roundtable presentation; only PhD students will be required to write a conference paper. The parameters for these three submissions are as follows...

Conference Paper (PhD Students)

Most conferences give panel speakers twenty minutes to present their work. The rule of thumb is to compose an 8 page double-spaced paper. Due to the oral nature of this genre's delivery, you will want to reference scholarship more than you cite it, and you never read in-text citations. Therefore, use this referenced scholarship to demonstrate the research you have done for this paper. In this paper, you want to appear well informed about the topic's conversation, but not necessarily an authority, except on issues pertaining to your local context.

  • 8 pages double-spaced or 4 pages singled-spaced
  • due October 16, 2007 at the end of class as an email attachment to the instructor or a hard-copy.
  • 150 points

Roundtable Presentation

Another presentation format at conferences is the roundtable in which several participants (often four or more) give short position statements on a topic with the intention of leaving time for Q & A or an open forum on the topic. For this assignment, each of you will...

  • present a five-minute position statement based upon the work you are doing for the article and/or conference paper. Because of the brevity of this format, you will only have time to articulate your argument and support it with a few select claims and evidentiary examples. This will be two pages double-spaced; if you choose to use PowerPoint, you should develop no more than five slides (one minute per slide). You will be penalized for going over five minutes.
  • additionally compose a handout–no more than one-page double-sided–that provides your audience with a 250 word abstract of your presentation and a reference list (or works cited/referenced). You may also include any other information that you think your audience needs (e.g., definitions, quotes, diagrams) to better understand your point.

Post the handout to the Blackboard Discussion Board before class so that your peers can access it. Also submit a hard-copy version to the instructor after the presentation. Note that the handout is the only text the instructor is collecting for the Roundtable Presentation.

  • the presentation will be no more than five-minutes
  • the handout will be no more one page double-sided and comply to document design principles
  • due October 16, 2007
  • 50 points

Article Manuscript

Although a lot of scholars will select material from scholarship they have written for articles and chapters for conference presentations, other scholars work in opposite direction and use conference papers as the springboard for articles and chapters. By presenting scholarship you are working on, you give yourself the opportunity to test drive the work with audiences that represent a microcosm of the audience who will be reading the article or chapter.

For the purpose of this assignment, you will develop your conference paper into a 15-20 page article manuscript. Use the instructor's feedback on your Conference Paper, as well as your peers' feedback from the Roundtable to guide your revisions. You may also choose a specific journal you want to submit your work to; thus use the journal's submission guidelines when compose your text.


Criteria

Logistics:

  • See lengths, due dates, and point values above

In addition to the general evaluation criteria, the instructor will be looking for evidence of...

  • a sense of audience–do you understand the range of your audience–from novices to experts, from practitioners to theorists?
  • an informed understanding of rhetorical studies and composition studies. Does your inquiry demonstrate an understanding of the chosen issue and its relevance to these other two disciplines?
  • an argument that engages with these specific fields of study
  • an ability to engage in a meta-discourse about rhetorical theory and the teaching of writing
  • appropriate use of conventions, including MLA, APA, or an appropriate citation formatting