1/21 - Comp Studies Origins

Part I: Open Discussion

• Read the blog of the person following your name on the ENG 701 blog roll.
• Post a thoughtful response
• Read and respond to someone eles’s if you have time.
• Class discussion

Part II: Histories, Problems, and Methodologies

• Do a binary comparison the “old” American college to the “new” research university, including how writing instruction faired in both systems.
• Identify the main elements of the Harvard model of composition? (curriculum, philosophy, leaders…)
• What are some alternative models?
• What is the rationale for English A given by Hill?
• What is the significance of Hill’s piece to the history of composition studies?
• What is the "domain" of composition studies?
• What are the areas of research in the field of rhetoric and composition?
• What are the research methodologies used in composition studies?
• What larger intellectual movements influenced composition research?
• What is unique about composition studies?
• What is the relationship of composition to literature and English departments?