Writing Program Administration

Susan H. Mcleod

Description

This reference guide provides a comprehensive review of the literature on all the issues, responsibilities, and opportunities that writing program administrators need to understand, manage, and enact, including budgets, personnel, curriculum, assessment, teacher training and supervision, and more. Writing Program Administration also provides the first comprehensive history of writing program administration in U.S. higher education. Writing Program Administration includes a helpful glossary of terms and an annotated bibliography for further reading.

Informations

• Publié par: Parlor Press, LLC
• Date de parution: 16 mars 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781602350090
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

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S uSan H. M c L eod

R G  R  C Series Editor, Carles Bazerman

R G  R  C Series Editor, Carles Bazerman

Te Series provides compact, compreensive and convenient surveys of wat as been learned troug researc and practice as composition as emerged as an academic discipline over te last alf century. Eac volume is devoted to a single topic tat as been of interest in retoric and composition in recent years, to syntesize and make available te sum and parts of wat as been learned on tat topic. Tese refer- ence guides are designed to elp deepen classroom practice by making available te collective wisdom of te field and will provide te basis for new researc. Te Series is intended to be of use to teacers at all levels of education, researcers and scolars of writing, graduate stu- dents learning about te field, and all wo ave interest in or responsi- bility for writing programs and te teacing of writing. Parlor Press and Te WAC Clearingouse are collaborating so tat tese books will be widely available troug low-cost print editions and free digital distribution. Te publisers and te Series editor are teacers and researcers of writing, committed to te principle tat knowledge sould freely circulate. We see te opportunities tat new tecnologies ave for furter democratizing knowledge. And we see tat to sare te power of writing is to sare te means for all to ar- ticulate teir needs, interest, and learning into te great experiment of literacy.

E B   S Invention in Retoric and Composition(2004, Lauer) Reference Guide to Writing across te Curriculum(2005, Bazerman, Little, Betel, Cavkin, Fouquette, and Garufis) Revision: History, Teory, and Practice(2006, Horning and Becker)

Writing Program Administration

Susan H. McLeod

Parlor Press West Lafayette, Indiana www.parlorpress.com

Te WAC Clearingouse ttp://wac.colostate.edu/

Parlor Press LLC, West Lafayette, Indiana 4906

© 200 by Parlor Press and Te WAC Clearingouse All rigts reserved. Printed in te United States of America

S A N: 2 5 4 - 8 8  9

 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Writing program administration / [edited by] Susan H. McLeod.  p. cm. -- (Reference guides to retoric and composition)  Includes bibliograpical references and index.  ISBN 98-1-60235-00-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 98-1-60235-008- 3 (alk. paper) -- ISBN 98-1-60235-009-0 (adobe ebook) 1. Englis language--Retoric--Study and teacing--United States. 2. Report writing--Study and teacing (Higer)--United States. 3. Writing centers--Administration. I. McLeod, Susan H.  PE1405.U6W5 200  808’.042011--dc22  200009454

Series logo designed by Karl Stolley. Tis book is printed on acid-free paper.

Parlor Press, LLC is an independent publiser of scolarly and trade titles in print and multimedia formats. his book is available in paperback, clot, and Adobe eBook formats from Parlor Press on te World Wide Web at ttp://www.parlorpress.com. For submission information or to find out about Parlor Press publications, write to Parlor Press, 816 Robinson St., West Lafay- ette, Indiana, 4906, or e-mail [e-mail].

he WAC Clearingouse supports teacers of writing across te disciplines. Hosted by Colorado State University’s Composition Program, it brings to- geter four journals, tree book series, and resources for teacers wo use writing in teir courses. his book will also be available free on te Internet at he WAC Clearingouse (ttp://wac.colostate.edu/).

Contents

Preface vii Carles Bazerman Acknowledgments ix 1 Introduction and Overview 3 Issues in Writing Program Administration 4 Organization and Scope of te Text 5 2 Distinctions and Definitions 7 Te WPA in te Institution 7 Te WPA as Unappreciated Wife 11 Te WPA as Scolar 14 Te WPA as Politician, Retor, Cange Agent, Manager 17 Te WPA as Leader 20 3 A History of Writing Program Administration 23 Te Beginnings 23 Englis Departments and Composition 24 Te History of Retoric and te New Empasis on Englis 27 Development of a Composition Underclass 31 Te Pedagogy and Curricula of Early Composition Courses 32 Te Tenacity of Current-Traditional Retoric 38 Te Pre-Professional Period: Writing Program Administration up to World War II 45 Te Period of Professionalization: Post World War II 58 Te First Professional Organization for WPAs: CCCC 63 Te Birt of te Council of Writing Program Administrators 67

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Te Development ofWPA: Te Journal of Writing Program Administration Writing Program Administration in te Twenty-First Century 4 Current Issues and Practical Guidelines Curriculum First-Year Composition Basic Writing ESL and Generation 1.5 Students Articulation Beyond First-Year Composition Pedagogy Assessment and Accountability Overviews Placement Proficiency Program Assessment Staffing, Staff Development, and Evaluation Administrative and Professional Issues 5 Glossary 6 Practical Resources for Writing Program Administrators: A Selected Bibliograpy Anne Witney General Resource Guides/Overviews Curriculum and Pedagogy Assessment and Accountability Staffing and Staff Development Administrative and Professional Issues Notes Works Cited Index

Contents

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78 80 81 81 85 87 88 88 89 92 92 94 95 96 98 100 105

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114 117 120 124 128 132 136 153

Preface

Te teacing of writing in iger education almost always occurs witin a writing program (or similar unit suc as a department largely devoted to te teacing of writing) under te supervision and coordina- tion of an administrator, often called a Writing Program Administrator (WPA). Furtermore, te field of teacing of writing as socially, eco- nomically, and istorically been organized around writing programs. Finally, most people embarking on a career in te teacing of writing will at some point be engaged in administering a writing program. Surprisingly ten, tis volume offers te first overall istory we ave ad of writing programs and teir administration as a central organiz- ing teme of te field. Understandably te field of teacing of writing as focused on te units of analysis all ave ad muc experience of: being a writer, being a learner of writing, supporting learning of writ- ing, and running a classroom devoted to te teacing and leaning of writing. Yet, just te next level up in te economic and institutional realities of administration, we gain a remarkable perspective on wat te field of college composition is and ow it as become tat way. Tis is a story of interest to every teacer of college writing, weter or not tey will be an administrator or are engaged in program policy issues. On a more practical level, tere as been a growing body of publi- cations reporting te experiences of WPAs, providing practical advice, and surveying te nature and conditions of programs nationally. Tis fourt volume of te reference guides to retoric and composition pro- vides an excellent introduction to tis useful literature, so tat anyone embarking on Writing Program Administration can explore te state of te art—and peraps even more importantly connect up wit te personal and publication networks WPA’s ave developed for mutual support. Noneteless, despite tere now being some collected wisdom based on te ard won experience of many dedicated and tougt- ful people, we still ave muc to learn about tis important role and

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Preface

te decisions facing administration. I ope tis overview of our cur- rent state of knowledge will inspire a new generation of researc and evidence to provide guidance and support for te writing programs of te future.

—Carles Bazerman

Acknowledgments

I ave tried to write te book I wis I’d ad wen I first started as a WPA. My debts are many. I would like to tank Cuck Bazerman for inviting me to take on tis project; David Russell, wo reviewed te capter on te istory of writing program administration and gave me excellent feedback; Sirley Rose, wo read te entire manuscript and also gave me good advice; UCSB librarian Serri Barnes, wo tire- lessly tracked down elusive sources; te istory graduate students in my Writing for Publication seminar, wo elped me understand ow difficult it is to write istory; my colleagues on te WPA listserv, wo gave me useful feedback on te glossary; Rebecca Mitcell, wo copy- edited an early version of te manuscript; Amy Ferdinandt Stolley, wo created te index; David Blakesley, wose patience and good u- mor are unsurpassed among editors; and as always, my usband Doug, wo supported and put up wit me trougout. I am also grateful to two WPA mentors: Joyce Steward, wo was my TA supervisor many years ago at te University of Wisconsin and wo modeled te beav- ior of respect towards students and novice teacers tat I ave strived to emulate as a WPA, and Maxine Hairston, wo led a WPA worksop tat I ad te great good fortune to attend in 1984 and wo served as a role model for me in more ways tan se knew.

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