This semester I have been exploring how different theories allow me to explore the writing center as an object of study. Different theories allowed me to look at different aspects of the writing center, helping to approach big picture issues or more narrow foci depending on the theory. All theories bring certain things into focus…
Writing Instructor & Scholar
Tag: ENGL 894
ENGL 894 Reading Notes: Ambient Rhetoric (Week 15)
After a brief hiatus, I am back with my final reading notes of the semester. Finishing the course with Rickert made a lot of sense. Ambient Rhetoric brought together a lot of the theories and concepts we have discussed from the semester and also connected well with the other course I’m taking this semester, Classical…
Case Study 3: Ecology of the Writing Center
My first case study examined the writing center broadly using Foucault’s archaeological method. My second case study examined my specific writing center in light of Spinuzzi’s activity theory and Latour’s actor-network theory. These theoretical frameworks allowed me to examine either the discursive writing center (Foucault) or my specific writing center (Spinuzzi and Latour) in interesting…
Castells 3D Network
One of the sub-networks from Castells that caught my attention was his discussion of the global network of research and the academy. He notes how 50% of PhD were foreign nationals, yet research still focuses on issues of interest to the West. He claimed, “Problems which are critical for developing countries, but offer little general,…
ENG 894 Reading Notes: Neurobiology (Week 12)
I really enjoyed this week’s text mostly just because it was so out of my element and I like learning new things. Though a lot of the specific science isn’t very helpful for me in terms of my scholarly interests, one salient concept for me was the implications of neurogenesis. In the video they mentioned…
ENGL 894 Reading Notes: Ecology (Week 11)
With our readings for this week I found myself thinking about connections to Spinuzzi and Latour, and ultimately my interest was in how humans were portrayed as part of ecosystems in the readings. I was really struck by an early passage from Spellman in which he provides a passage he believes helps explain ecology. He…
Case Study–Re-proposing My Oos
For my case study project, I have been examining the writing center as my object of study. Depending on the affordances of the various theories I have been seeking to apply, I have looked at the writing center broadly as a concept–a pedagogical principle of one-to-one writing instruction that focuses on helping students be better…
894 Reading Notes: Ecology of the Mind and Affordances (Week 10)
This week’s readings had me going “hmmm” and “yes!” The “hmmm” was my primary reaction to Gregory Bateson’s Steps to an Ecology of the Mind. Bateson’s text really challenged me, showing me the complexity of concepts that seem simple like “difference.” Ultimately what I took to be the most important concepts from his chapter was…
Case Study #2: Analyzing Action and Agency in the Writing Center with Spinuzzi and Latour
In my first case study which used Foucault’s archaeological method to analyze the writing center, I was able to focus on the discursive writing center, thinking about the ideal writing center versus actual local practices, therefore, examining the network of scholarship, ideas, and practices of writing centers. This method was very helpful for this big…
894 Reading Notes: Latour/ANT (Week 8)
I decided on a different approach for this week’s reading notes because I felt like terminology was so important for understanding Latour’s theory. Thus, I have decided to define what I see as major terms for this theory using quotes from Reassembling the Social. Intermediary: “what transports meaning or force without transformation: defining its inputs…
