Thursday, September 16

We began class by examining the master narratives Bouquet identified as influencing the perception and use of writing centers throughout their history. We started by taking a look at her classification of the stories and what they implied for writing center work - and then took a closer look at the defining stories associated with each time period.

Master narratives. We found that throughout their history, writing centers/labs have been defined by several sets of conflicting identity stories = one set of stories features the WC both as a place and as a method; a second set of stories casts WCs both as authoritative, storehouses of information that provide (deficient) students with answers about + examples of "correct" writing - and as places where collaborative support enables students to discover their own best writing practices and create their own best work; a third set of stories casts writing centers as either an agent of enforcing institutional standards for writing (dominant discourses) or a scene of counter-hegemonic activism (a place where students discover their own interests and identities and resist being homogenized by institutional pressures. Our discussion allowed that the stories may be either/or in terms of content - but in terms of how they played out in defining particular writing centers (at least our writing center) => they were often "both/and" in that WC practices move back and forth between the poles of the defining stories.

Connections between WC stories, the culture at large, and WC work. We found that these tensions + complicated movements between the story sets was reiterated in almost every period of writing center history - from its autonomous beginnings - to its post-open admissions present. We also noticed how how shifting theoretical assumptions within Composition Studies (writing) and political, economic, and other larger cultural movements shaped what happened at writing centers as we moved from period to period.

This discussion set the stage for your first writing assignment (see assignment sheet posted at the right): an essay on The Writing Center and Writing Culture. We talked through assignment requirements (if you have questions bring them up in class) and pointed out that the draft is not due until Tuseday, September 28, and that the final (graded) copy of the assignment will not be due until you turn in your porfolio at the end of the term.

For class Tuesday:

Blog 4: Rhetorical analysis of the assignment sheet for The Writing Center and Writing Culture. This might include an analysis of the audience, purpose, & form of the assignment. A list of ideas you might write about (along with some reality checking about how well each topic would meet the requirements of the assignment. A proposed focus. Listing (a speculative list) about references or information you might need to write on your proposed focus. Random freewriting or associations to develop points coupled with reflective writing about how well those points will meet the assignment. Etc.***

Read: Review the sections of McAndrew and Reigstad that cover how to coach writers who do not have drafts.

*** DO NOT WRITE A DRAFT FOR YOUR ESSAY - AND DON'T GET TOO INVESTED IN A PATICULAR APPROACH OR TOPIC. As you might have guessed from the implications of these assignments - in class on Tuesday you will coach one another on finding a focus, organizing ideas, and making sure the draft you eventually write will meet the requirements of the assignment.

Have a great weekend and see you on Tuesday.