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February 09, 2005
preliminary proposal from vw
At this point, I am leaning towards a historical look at the divide between faculty and students (sometimes thought of as "the dirty student body"). Such a project would have the potential to reveal the source(s) of underlying prejudices that can sometimes create a barrier to learning, either because faculty prefer research to teaching or because faculty do not truly engage in a "learning community" with students. My research will primarily entail an exploration of composition histories that may unveil some other sources for further research. Also, connections with other forces and movements should be considered, i.e. did the separation occur with Morrill Land Grant? Was it influenced by capitalism, i.e. money awarded to research by our govt. and corporations, but not to teaching? Was it influenced by the changes in the university system, becoming as Bill Reading wrote "a university of excellence" instead of the traditional city-state sponsored university? My concern is that my research will take me far-flung from composition, i.e. my question may be one that addresses the whole university system, not just composition studies. I have the impression, however, that composition is positioned in such a way that it can reverse the trend. One of my research questions would be to examine if this is happening.
Preliminary bibliography:
Atherton, Catherine. "Children, Animals, Slaves and Grammar." Pedagogy and Power: Rhetorics of Classical Learning. Ed. Yun Le Too and Niall Livingstone. New York: Cambridge UP, 1998. 214-244.
Miller, Susan. Textual Carnivals: The Politics of Composition . Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1991.
More research to do!
Posted by vwatts at February 9, 2005 02:19 PM