Are Rhetoric and Composition studies, graduate programs, pedagogies, and teachers up to the task of teaching Sorapure’s “composition?” Flash and other media offer users tools requiring a multi-disciplinary approach to teaching composition, involving educators fluent in visual and aural arts, as well as the technological competency necessary for writing code, mixing media and migrating “compositions” to other platforms, like the internet. I can imagine Comp 1 and Comp 2 being expanded to, at a minimum, 4.0 hour classes which include labs for exploring “composition” in all its richness. Implementing this approach would require Rhetoric and Composition departments to either employee teachers proficient in all of these modes, or more likely work in conjunction with other departments like Music, Art and Computer Science. We are fortunate that Mary is not only a scholar but also an artist. I would imagine most scholars and students in traditional Rhet. Comp. departments are not as motivated as she to explore these convergences.
Wysocki and Jasken’s notion of interface as “shared boundary where…communication is achieved…” encompasses the pen and paper as well as digital mediums like screens. Images and sound replace and accompany text to form meaning. Digital interfaces, especially as they become increasingly adept at displaying images and sounds demand (I mean DEMAND!!!) more diverse content with ever higher production values. I recall a class discussion followed a link in Henry Jenkins’ blog to Marc Prenky’s involving the visuals of Prensky’s simple blog. At that point, his lack of design skills was used to further diminish his argument (most of the class already found his article objectionable). We included visual cues in our devaluation of his eloquence, reasoning and scholarship. I would argue we are entering into a time when high multi-media production values carry equal if not greater rhetorical value than mere words, even with highly literate audiences. The role and repertoire of the writing composition teacher will need to expand with these new literacies.
Are Comp 1 and Comp 2 classes often standard electives that students must take in order to graduate, even if they are pursuing a major in another discipline? At my undergraduate institution, they were prerequisites that had to be taken by everyone in order to graduate. I am just wondering because I can imagine students who are just taking a composition class to get the credit and move on would be very uninterested in and resentful toward having to spending 4+ hours a week in a computer lab learning about "something that they might not think relates to their major," no matter how important and helpful it could eventually be to them later in life. As you mentioned, especially for these students, it would be necessary to employ teachers who had experience and knowledge in a number of different disciplines or develop a program that spanned a number of related disciplines in order to engage and make information something the students could understand.
ReplyDeleteDon't they have to take 4 hour science and math classes that may not relate to their major?
ReplyDelete