1 The Origins of a Department of Academic, Creative, and Professional Writing

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. CONTENTS v
3. Introduction: Cautionary Tales about Change 1
4. I LOCAL SCENES: STORIES OF INDEPENDENT WRITING PROGRAMS
5. 1 The Origins of a Department of Academic, Creative, and Professional Writing 21
6. 2 Internal Friction in a New Independent Department of Writing and What the External Conflict Resolution Consultants Recommended 38
7. 3 Writing Identity: The Independent Writing Department as a Disciplinary Center 50
8. 4 Small but Good: How a Specialized Writing Program Goes It Alone 62
9. 5 Independence Fostering Community: The Benefits of an Independent Writing Program at a Small Liberal Arts College 75
10. 6 No Longer Discourse Technicians: Redefining Place and Purpose in an Independent Canadian Writing Program 90
11. II BEYOND THE LOCAL: CONNECTIONS AMONG COMMUNITIES
12. 7 Learning as We G(r)o(w): Strategizing the Lessons of a Fledgling Rhetoric and Writing Department 107
13. 8 Creating Two Departments of Writing: One Past and One Future 130
14. 9 Who Wants Composition? Reflections on the Rise and Fall of an Independent Program 153
15. 10 Revising the Dream: Graduate Students, Independent Writing Programs, and the Future of English Studies 170
16. 11 Locating Writing Programs in Research Universities 186
17. 12 Wagering Tenure by Signing on with Independent Writing Programs 213
18. III THE BIG PICTURE: IMPLICATIONS FOR COMPOSITION, ENGLISH STUDIES AND LITERACY EDUCATION
19. 13 A Rose by Every Other Name: The Excellent Problem of Independent Writing Programs 233
20. 14 Keeping (in) Our Places, Keeping Our Two Faces 247
21. 15 Managing to Make a Difference 253
22. 16 Stasis and Change: The Role of Independent Composition Programs and the Dynamic Nature of Literacy 268
23. 17 Bigger than a Discipline? 278
24. Afterword: Countering the Naysayers: Independent Writing Programs as Successful Experiments in American Education 295
25. References 301
26. Notes on Contributors 312
27. Index 316