Social Reform and WAC/WID Part 2

So it has been some time, but here is the continuation of the last post. Just as a reminder, here are the three questions that I posed:

• How do we approach writing about social issues in a composition classroom?
• How do we encourage learning the language of multiple discourses in a composition classroom using social issues as the point of origin?
• How do we approach social issues within the disciplines while teaching writing in the disciplines?

The first question applies to all composition classrooms, no matter what pedagogy you are using. At some point, a student is going to write about a social issue, and how you respond as an instructor will be very important. It is important to remain objective, open-minded, and respectful of your students and their point of view. I actively encourage students to use social issues as argumentative topics because they generally make it easier for the student to argue. However, there is always a possibility that you may actively disagree with the student's argument. This is where that objectivity comes in. This has actually only happened to me on one occasion; when it did occur, I separated myself from the content and instead examined their evidence, argument construction, and evidence usage. At some point, too, there are also certain topics that you, as an instructor, will no longer accept. I call mine  "the dead list." I always present it with a bit of humor and don't present the topics as offensive; I always present them solely on the basis of over-saturation and difficulty, so as to not make it seem personal or picky.

That said, where does WAC fit into this? For one, many of these topics should be ones that students are engaging with in some form in their other classes. No doubt, as instructors, there are psychology, sociology, education, journalism, and media studies majors in our classrooms. Making sure there are pre-approved topics in your provided topic lists (which I always provide for students who struggle with coming up with a topic) that cater to these students helps them feel as though you are inviting them into the conversation. I also include a "problem within your major" as an option for the essay, so that students can get their feet wet in their major field. As instructors, we can then guide them in the construction of essays that they will, no doubt, have to write as they progress, especially argumentative essays, which make up the bread and butter of most college level writing assignments. Additionally, we can prepare them for the necessary process of evaluating sources within their disciplines. How do the people they hope to work with write about these topics? How do they construct arguments? How do they use evidence? I highly recommend using the rhetorical analysis assignment here, which asks students to analyze how others construct their arguments. In this assignment, students look at a published piece of writing and analyze the structure and argumentative moves a writer makes.You can use this as a way point for students to begin learning the language of their discipline, and how to construct arguments within their discipline at the same time. When students make connections between social issues and their disciplines, it is something that should be encouraged. For example, in my composition class this semester, I have a student, a mass media major, who is arguing how social media provides a more accurate picture of current events than other media outlets. Encourage these connections when they spring up, so that students can start developing these languages before they go out into their major discipline classes.

Finally, how can we provide assignments within the disciplines that engage with social issues? Here are two examples that could work, using the events in Baltimore as an example. In a journalism class, students could examine how different news outlets represent events and their accuracy and use that to discuss the process of fact-checking, presenter bias, and press neutrality. In a psychology class, students could write about how the events showcase certain aspects of crowd psychology and use that to discuss the tenets of crowd psychology and its representation here. Each of these assignments teaches students the content of their discipline, engages with current events, and teaches them important aspects of the discipline's discourse.

So, does this approach to WAC/WID and composition seem viable to you? tell me why or why not in the comments.

Next up: process pedagogy and WAC/WID.