One Page Schedule

August 27, 2019

Topic: Introductions

Read for Class

Do for class:

  • answer the following questions and send to me prior to the beginning of class:
    • how would you define rhetoric? action?
    • what do you feel is the relationship of theory to practice/praxis?
    • when you hear the word knowledge what goes to mind?
    • describe yourself (at the moment) in terms of who you believe you are as a teacher/scholar/practitioner. If this has changed, please tell me why it has changed. (The goal of this is to get you thinking about your next steps, whatever they may be.)
    • tell me what requirement or curiosity this course fills.

In class:

  • discussion of Aristotle’s ethics in relation to your answers from “do for class”
  • overview of the course structure
  • introduction to institutions and administration and management (or our extended example for the term)

September 3, 2019

Topic: institutional critique

Read for Class:

  • Tierney, W. (1988). Organizational Culture in Higher Education: Defining the Essentials. The Journal of Higher Education, 59(1), 2-21. (skim only)
  • These three kind of go together so do a between skim and read them in this order
    • Porter, J. E., Sullivan, P., Blythe, S., Grabill, J. T., & Miles, L. (2000). Institutional critique: A rhetorical methodology for change. College Composition and Communication, 51(4), 610-642. 
    • Bousquet, M. (2002). Composition as Management Science: Toward a University without a WPA. JAC, 22(3), 493-526. 
    • Grabill, J. T., Porter, J. E., Blythe, S., & Miles, L. (2003). Institutional critique revisited. Work and Days, 41/42(1-2), 219-237. 

Do for class:

  • bring to class a couple of questions/comments about the readings. Questions or comments are those points that you had a question about or a question about how the readings fit into larger conversations or a comment on something you found interesting or disturbing or what have you.

In class:

  • discussion of the readings
    • explanation of the rationale for the readings and what we need to draw from them
    • institutional critique and the role of rhetoric and knowledge and action
  • preparing some questions for our guest next week

September 10, 2019

Topic: Institutional diversity

Read for Class:

  • Ahmed, S. (2012). On being included: Racism and diversity in institutional life. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. Chapters 3, 4, and the conclusion (This text is available as an e-text through the library.)

Do for class:

  • bring to class a couple of questions/comments about Ahmed’s excerpt. Questions or comments are those points that you had a question about or a question about how the readings fit into larger conversations or a comment on something you found interesting or disturbing or what have you.
  • also bring a short paragraph on how this reading relates to the ones from last week (or not)

In class:

  • guest visit Brent Smith
  • discussion of reading
    • exercise on reading institutional documents
  • answer questions about comprehend assignment
    • short practice exercise for assignment prep

September 17, 2019

Topic:Identities and borderlands

Read for Class:

Do for class:

  • bring to class a couple of questions/comments about Anzuldúa’s excerpt. Questions or comments are those points that you had a question about or a question about how the readings fit into larger conversations or a comment on something you found interesting or disturbing or what have you.
  • also bring in a piece from your field/area that deals with identity, bias, institutions or a combination of the three.

In class:

    • discuss the readings
      • place the readings in a broader context
      • exercise on identities and bias
    • due comprehend
      • what worked? what didn’t? what did you learn (or not)?
    • create questions for our guest next week

September 24, 2019

Topic: Theoretical Framework

Read for Class:

  • Agamben, G. (2009). What is apparatus and other essays (D. Kishik & S. Pedatella, Trans.). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.  Read what is an apparatus. Full text is attached.
  • Clifton, J., Loveridge, J., & Long, E. (2016). A Constructive Approach to Infrastructure: Infrastructure ‘Breakdowns’ and the Cultivation of Rhetorical Wisdom. Community Literacy Journal, 11(1), 22-32. 

Do for class:

  • be prepared to ask questions about the essay and the article
    • think through how you might use this idea of apparatus or infrastructure
  • bring in an article from your field/area that discusses a theory that could be potentially used to understand institutions and/or infrastructures

In class:

  • guest: Rob Kilgore
  • discussion of reading
    • discuss connection between Agamben and Foucault and what that means for knowledge in action
    • exercise on using apparatus or infrastructure
    • what connections can you see between Ahmed, Anzuldúa, and Agamben?
  • prepare questions for our guest next week

October 1, 2019

Topic: Practice

Read for Class

You can skim all of these and none of them are overly long.

Do for class:

  • bring to class a couple of questions/comments about these articles. Questions or comments are those points that you had a question about or a question about how the readings fit into larger conversations or a comment on something you found interesting or disturbing or what have you.
  • bring in an article from your field/area that describes a specific application in the world, that is, find a piece that tries to move theory into practice into someway remembering that your definition(s) or practice or application can definitely vary

In class:

  • guest visit from Laura Runge
  • discussion of the readings
    • exercise on connections between them; consider these in relation to the idea of apparatus
    • considerations of doing and making with these
  • prepare questions for our guest next week

October 8, 2019

Topic: Administrative Framing

Read for Class:

  • Inoue, Asao. (2017) C’s address. If you would rather listen to it, just do a google search and the video will pop up.

Do for class:

  • write a short response to the address in light of the context of institutional administration and consider ways to put into practice the ideas he is discussing
  • bring to class an article from your field/area with a brief summary that discusses the administrative or management framing from the perspective of the “other”

In class:

  • guest: Dr. Elliot
  • discussion of keynote and practical application
    • mini-overview of administration
  • Due: Apply project 
    • what worked? what didn’t?
  • prepare questions for our quest next week

October 15, 2019

Topic: WPA

Read for Class:

  • Craig, C. L. & Perryman-Clark, S. (2011). Troubling the boundaries: (de)constructing WPA identities at the intersections of race and gender. WPA: Writing Program Administration, 34(2), 37-58.
  • Garcia, R. and Baca, D. (2019). Rhetoric of elsewhere and otherwise: Contested modernities, decolonial visions. Urbana, IL: NCTE and CCCC. 41410SampleChapter
  • Isaacs, E. (2018). Writing at State U: Instruction and administration at 106 comprehensive
    • universities. Logan, UT: Utah State University Press (ebook from the library: skim Chapter 1 and 6)

    Do for class:

    • bring in an article from your area of being a teacher/scholar/practitioner that relates to knowledge in action and the idea of administration of FYC programs. Have a short paragraph summary of it written down. If you are working on a more practically applied project then focus your search on middle management and strategies for change management.
    • consider ways that the readings this week intersect and complement Inoue’s address from last week

    In class:

    • guest: Matt Dowell
    • discussion of the readings
      • share your readings highlights
      • share your own short paragraph summaries
    • prepare questions for guest speaker next week

October 22, 2019

Topic: PTC

Read for Class:

  • Brumberger, E., & Lauer, C. (2015). The Evolution of Technical Communication: An Analysis of Industry Job Postings. Technical Communication, 62(4), 224-243 Compare to Lauer, C., & Brumberger, E. (2019). Redefining writing for the responsive workplace.College Composition and Communication, 70(4), 634-663. (just skim these two but try to pick up on the audience differences between them)
  • Schreiber, J., Carrion, M., & Lauer, J. (2018). Revisiting the service course to map out the future of the field. Programmatic Perspectives, 10(1), 1-11. Find it online at cptsc.org
  • Henschel, S., & Melonçon, L. (2014). Of Horsemen and Layered Literacies: Assessment Instruments for Aligning Technical and Professional Communication Undergraduate Curricula with Professional Expectations. Programmatic Perspectives, 6(1), 3-26. Find it online at cptsc.org

Do for class:

  • write a short summary (like no more than a page single spaced) of how you see the big concept of rhetorical knowledge in action working in your specific area or in your interests within higher education or moving into the workplace
  • consider what your takeaway is about PTC admin and the field is from the readings above and be prepared to discuss them

In class:

  • discussion of the readings as it relates to PTC program administration
    • how these align or not with some of your own knowledge and readings about FYC program administration
  • social media in your working lives discussion
  • writing practice discussion (debrief of your apply assignment) and discussion of your analyze project

October 29, 2019

Topic: Mental health day.

  • Due Analyze Project 
    • what worked? what didn’t?
    • this project should help you to have you have a working topic for your final project, which should build from this assignment

November 5, 2019

Topic: WAC/WID

Read for Class:

    • Russell, D. R. (2007). Rethinking the Articulation Between Business and Technical Communication and Writing in the Disciplines: Useful Avenues for Teaching and Research. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 21(3), 248-277. Skim
    • Cox, M., Galin, J., & Melzer, D. (2016). Bilding sustainable WAC programs: A whole systems approach. WAC Journal, 29, 64-87. Skim
    • WID: https://wac.colostate.edu/resources/wac/intro/wid/ Look around here at a few things. Don’t spend a lot of time on it.
    • The Translingual Challenge: Boundary Work in Rhetoric & Composition, Second Language Writing, and WAC/WID Jonathan Hall, York College, The City University of New York Skim the intro

Do for class:

  • bring in an article from your area of being a teacher/scholar/practitioner that relates to how to manage improvement of programs within your specific area. So for example, if you’re a creative writing student, find something about teaching or managing in a CW program. If you are more practically oriented then find a piece that discusses some management theory or improvement model in the workplace.
  • bring an article from your area that talks about assessment of student writing (I recognize for the more practically oriented this one is decidedly academic centered, but since we’re all teaching here, assessment is also a common theme.)

In class:

  • guest: Kristen Gay
  • dscuss reading in context of administration and sustainability and institutional cultures
    • use GRAM to consider the programs we have here or that you are familiar with; use GRAM to consider a workplace that you may have experience with
    • consider how to make an argument for the use of GRAM or something similar to upper administration/management

November 12, 2019 (Lisa out of town)

Topic: Writing Work Week

Do for class:

  • you should be thinking and writing this week for your drafts/outlines of your synthesis projects.

November 19, 2019

Topic: Continuous Improvement Model

Skim for class:

  • Schreiber, J., & Melonçon, L. (2019). Creating a Continuous Improvement Model for Sustaining Programs in Technical and Professional Communication. Journal of Technical Writing & Communication, 49(3), 252-278.

In class:

  • guest: Joanna Schreiber
  • short writing exercise
  • discussion of your projects

November 26, 2019

Happy Thanksgiving,

You will be working at a location of your choice.

December 3, 2019

Topic: Wrapping things up

Do for class:

  • evaluations

In class

  • overview of some of the big themes
  • what you may be taking with you
  • Due Synthesis Project

We always convene at a local establishment to celebrate finishing the term. More details will be provided closer to the date, but I do hope you will join us for a celebration of your work and learning.