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last.updated 8.17.08

Introductions

Purpose

Today you will be introduced to the course and given the opportunity to start pondering and articulating your stance on the issues facing composition studies in the near future.

FreeWrite and Discussion I

What are your goals for your/a English Composition class (or its equivalant)? Why do you see these goals as important?

Introductions

• Introduce course
• Instructor Introduction
• Student Introduction
• Calendar
• Readings
• Resources
• Professional Writing for Instructors

Discussion II: Theory v. Practice v. Praxis

We will talk about the difference between theory, practice, and praxis.

If there is time, we will discuss the question, "Who Owns Writing?" after we watch Doug Hesse's Keynote address at the 2005 Convention on College Composition and Communication. Other questions we will address are...

• Should composition studies/rhetoric own writing? English? Some other institutional body?
• According to Hesse who is trying to stake claims to writing? And how might this change both the ownership, the theory, and practice of writing and writing pedagogy
• How does the changing nature of writing affect the work of composition instructors?