Content in Writing Studies

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Lauer and Brumberger’s (2019) article, “Redefining Writing for the Responsive Workplace” has been a game changer for me across different parts of my job: teacher, researcher, administrator. Because of this article, I think I am closer to identifying what the goals of a writing major should be–which has informed some recent course design. Because of… Continue reading Content in Writing Studies

Practitioner Stories

I’ve always been a fan of Jim Ridolfo’s article on rhetorical delivery via the practitioner story of Maggie, a feminist activist who was working on a manifesto. In the production of that manifesto, she shopped it around for feedback before publication before it was eventually recomposed and recirculated after she distributed it. I think that… Continue reading Practitioner Stories

The Social Web During Hurricane Matthew

Now that everyone has stopped talking about Hurricane Matthew in Charleston, I feel like I can make this observation. But first, a little background: I’m from Arkansas, a land-locked state where tornadoes are the concern. Unlike hurricanes,  tornadoes are momentary. They last a few minutes, and everything is either okay or less than okay. My… Continue reading The Social Web During Hurricane Matthew

the role of computational literacy in computers and writing

Sample and Vee note the ways that code has made its way into our research and our classrooms, that programming has long looked like writing, and that in the culture, there are popular initiatives for people to learn code – initiative that carry much of the same impetus as the inclusion of digital technologies in… Continue reading the role of computational literacy in computers and writing

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“interface as exordium”

Carnegie argues that the interface is “a rhetorical means for ensuring that the audience becomes and remains susceptible to persuasion” In other words, the interface of a new media text functions as an introduction in a print text. Shares a definition of the interface with Wysocki and Jasken: “the interface is a place of interaction… Continue reading “interface as exordium”

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“rhetoric’s mechanics: retooling the equipment of writing production”

Rice traces to functions of *mechanical* in rhet/comp – the historical concept of techne as one and the association of mechanics with grammar. She adds that in a course/program/context where digital composing is commonplace, producing texts requires technical, mechanical knowledge of technology. She asks: Where exactly does the constructive rhetorical work of production begin or… Continue reading “rhetoric’s mechanics: retooling the equipment of writing production”

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“what counts as writing”

Noting that we frequently ask students to composing in web 2.0 platforms and applications, we lack an understanding of what counts as writing in a web 2.0 environment: “How do the vocabularies, functionalities, and organizing structures of Web 2.0 environments impact our understanding of what writing is in these spaces and how that writing is… Continue reading “what counts as writing”

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“the design of web 2.0: the rise of the template, the fall of design”

Arola notes an implication of web 2.0 – the tendency to render form “standardized and invisible” – essentially rendering composing practices like web standards and the hardcoded divide between form/content moot points She argues that althouth web authoring is different in web 2.0, the same kinds of considerations part of web 1.0 is important: the… Continue reading “the design of web 2.0: the rise of the template, the fall of design”

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“what should be an unforgettable face”

Wysocki and Jasken argue that the computer interface is simultaneously meant to be seen and forgetten. In other words, discourse about interface use and interface design attends to both what we see and what we don’t see. Interface: a boundary between systems and the means by which communication is achieved at that boundary: “Interfaces are… Continue reading “what should be an unforgettable face”

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