Rhetoric and Composition Commons^™

Re-Rhetoricizing Global Souths Contrapuntally: Borderless Transnational Feminist Design Justice, Bibhushana Poudyal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

I intend this multimodal dissertation to function as a hypertextual and intertextual documentation of theories, practices, examples, methods, digital, and multimodal techniques for re-writing and re-rhetoricizing the differently situated Global Souths from the ground-up. I acknowledge the Global South as not only those geographies previously known as the Third World but also those spaces and communities within the Global North undergoing various forms of colonial, racist, neoliberal, and heteropatriarchal exploitations. Transnational feminist solidarities put the intersectional analysis of gender construction at the heart of its bottom-up resistance against global capitalism, environmental injustice, corporate violence, and imperialism. My dissertation includes several …

The Hate U Give As Counternarrative: A Rhetorical Site Of Competing Frames & The Disruption Of Dominant Narratives Through Counter-Storytelling & Homing, Jackeline Camacho

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Angie Thomas’s novel, The Hate U Give, is an African American Young Adult novel (AAYA) that captures the violence and devastating effects of police brutality and the gruesome rhetorical strategies that the dominant public sphere uses to criminalize, regulate, and dehumanize Black Americans. In this paper, I use the theoretical framework of counter-storytelling, the theoretical concept of homing, and the rhetorical strategy of framing, to analyze how Thomas exposes the ways in which the dominant public sphere silences, excludes, and discredits the voices and experiences of Black people to give readers access to the dominant public sphere in order …

Author(Iz)Ing Literacy: A Rhetorical/Historical Analysis Of Literacy For College Readiness In Kentucky From Kera To The Common Core (And Beyond)., Susannah Kilbourne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation traces the economy of documents representing literacy for college readiness through an analysis of the interplay of literacy theory, literacy policy, and policy documentation. Specifically, this dissertation examines how college-level literacy is defined in Kentucky through a network of related documents. With Latour’s Actor-Network Theory serving as a theoretical frame, this dissertation tracks not only the vast and interconnected system of compositions operating as articulations of college-level literacy but also the presence (or absence) of rhetoric and composition’s compositions within the network of relations defining literacy for college readiness. This dissertation is divided into five chapters. Chapter One …

Circumventing Ableism: A Grounded Theory Study Exploring Caregiver Strategies To Promote A Positive Identity, June Furr

All Dissertations

This qualitative research study explores how caregivers and persons with disabilities navigate the rhetoric of disability and caregiving through the interviews of fifteen caregivers and fifteen persons with disabilities using the lens of grounded theory and Burke’s (1952) dramatistic pentad. Significant findings describe how focused disability description can circumvent ableism when rhetorical resources that assist caregivers and persons with disabilities to navigate the rhetoric in disability descriptions are provided. Disability description theory includes the three stages that define, collaborate and revise, and practice and apply a disability description. This qualitative research offers an introduction into the phenomenon of …

A Burkean Analysis Of Eighteenth, Nineteenth, And Twentieth Century Christian Hymns, Keely Hardeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hymns are one of the most popular forms of Christian worship, dating back to biblical times. Throughout history, hymns have been a way for people from all backgrounds and beliefs to express themselves in song. Hymnists have based their hymns on scriptures from the Bible, but have also written their hymns based on inspiration from scripture or divine revelation as well as their own earthly experience. To this day, hymns are still very present in both traditional and contemporary places of Christian worship, suggesting they are continually influential to the masses. My analysis looks at how hymns inform Christians’ theological …

Understanding Authoritarianism, Fascism, Far-Right Politics, And Anti-Democratic Processes, Paul Viafranco

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

In this portfolio, Paul Viafranco seeks to understand the rise of Authoritarianism, Fascism, Far-Right Politics, and Anti-Democratic Processes, by delving into Executive Order 9066, Marine Le Pen’s use of medievalism, Donald Trump’s discourse, and the various factors that contribute to the need for seeking asylum or refugee status.

Making The Scene: The Rhetoric Of Diy Composition, Jason W. Luther, Kristin Prins, Frank Farmer

College of Communication & Creative Arts Departmental Research

No abstract provided.

Innovating Graduate Programming: Incorporating Writers' Ideas Into A Workshop Series, Vicki R. Kennell, Meghan Woolley

Purdue Writing Lab/Purdue OWL Presentations

This presentation shares the methods and results of a survey assessing graduate student needs for writing support. It presents the survey results around central themes of writing products, writing skills, the writing process, and feelings about writing, and then discusses how the presenters designed a 4-part workshop series for mid-stage graduate writers to fulfill their identified needs.

A Workshop Of Gamifying The Writing Consultant Education, Yixin Zhang

Purdue Writing Lab/Purdue OWL Graduate Student Presentations

The purpose of this workshop is to introduce gamification for writing consultant education and to walk attendees through a hands-on experience of gamifying. Attendees will participate in a five-step design process: setting goals, analyzing learners and contents, assigning experience points and levels, selecting appropriate achievement for badges, and creating an evaluation plan. The learning outcomes are expected to be theoretical foundations about gamification, design-based thinking, creative and critical thinking, and applicable gamification cases.

One Small Step For A Writing Center: Adapting To Reimagined Spaces, Jacqueline Borchert

Purdue Writing Lab/Purdue OWL Presentations

Due to innovations in higher education, writing centers are increasingly moving away from the stereotypical, make-shift classroom to a variety of innovative spaces. This presentation uses the stories and voices of the tutors whose experience and development are affected by space to acknowledge the dynamic shift many writing centers are undergoing. Within the context of one-to-one peer tutorials in spaces not owned by any individual campus unit, this presentation provides considerations to increase understanding of how these new spaces shape tutors’ interactions with people and the space itself.

God And Devil Terms: Adolf Hitler's Rhetorical Impact Upon The Shifting Mindset Of The German People, Jennifer Berkebile

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Textual or Investigative

"1984" Apple Commercial, Eloise Sharkey

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

In 1984, Apple released a commercial to advertise their first personal computer, The Macintosh. The ad aired during the 1984 Super bowl on January 22^nd and was titled “1984”. With the rise of computers and the information age, I set out to discover how Apple was able to distinguish themselves from IBM and why this was so important for them to do. The company used revolutionary rhetoric to address the dreaded social consequences of a world run by computers by positioning the Macintosh as a tool for agency and creativity in a world of mindless drones. This commercial took …

The Positive And Negative Factors Affecting Students With Exceptionalities, Scott Elliott

KUCC -- Kutztown University Composition Conference

No abstract provided.

Nomina: Radix, Sophie Morrison

KUCC -- Kutztown University Composition Conference

No abstract provided.

How I Found And Reunited With My Biological Family, Gina Glantz

KUCC -- Kutztown University Composition Conference

No abstract provided.

Womanhood In Dark Winds, Caitlyn Koch

KUCC -- Kutztown University Composition Conference

No abstract provided.

How Can A Culturally Responsive Discussion Of The Five-Paragraph Essay Help Asian American Students Write Well?, Yuemin He, Catherine M. Gaiser

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

The five-paragraph essay is highly controversial, and yet it has also been a useful format for composition. In this essay we explain why, despite its limits, students need to go along with the format to make what use and get what advantage of it. We then demonstrate that valuing the philosophical, historical, cultural, and educational backgrounds of our students can help navigate away from the restrictive nature of the format and lead to equitable learning for all students. Finally, we introduce a few curriculum designs and instructional practices to expand the epistemological and pedagogical frontiers of the format. In short, …

Language As Illumination, Sophia Jantomaso

Liberty University Research Week

Graduate

Theoretical Proposal

Using City As Text In An Elementary Classroom, Jonathan Weinrich

KUCC -- Kutztown University Composition Conference

No abstract provided.

Conference Schedule, Monday, April 17, 2023, Sandra Leonard

KUCC -- Kutztown University Composition Conference

No abstract provided.

Improving Peer Feedback In Ua Little Rock Creative Writing Department Classes, Jana Jolly

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to produce constructive feedback is an essential skill for writing students that transfers into many careers. However, students do not instinctively know how to structure helpful comments about others’ writing. Training students to construct feedback that is nonjudgmental, specific, and useful is important not only to produce good writers but also to help students succeed in other professions. Writing instructors need to recognize the benefits of teaching their students how to review the work of others and offer helpful suggestions for improvement. This project explores current research into the value of training students to give effective feedback as …

Resisting The Deficit Model: Embedding Writing Center Tutors During Peer Review In Writing-Intensive Courses, Stephanie B. Conner, Jennifer P. Gray

Journal of Response to Writing

For many students, peer review can be muddled or frustrating. They can feel uncomfortable with the process if they do not feel confident with their own writing, and many believe poor past performances disqualify them from offering constructive feedback. Because writing center tutors are trained in sharing feedback in a kind and helpful manner, they are positioned to be excellent models for students inexperienced with or damaged by feedback. Learning how to participate in effective peer review can remove the emotional baggage attached to writing and create a respectful community of writers in the classroom. In this teaching tip, we …

Times Of Crisis: A Comparative Discourse Analysis Of U.S. And Mexican Presidential Rhetoric, Kassandra Gonzalez-Ramos

LSU Master's Theses

Language is a communicative tool that in the possession of politicians holds the power to be persuasive and aggressive, empowering and uniting, or disruptive and dividing. Previous research has relied on numerous methodological approaches to analyze political discourse from different viewpoints to reveal the manner in which politicians as part of political institutions transform and manipulate language. The current investigation performs a critical discourse analysis (CDA) based on the framework developed by Van Dijk (1993,1997) in order to demonstrate the speech act realization in a total of 14 political speeches delivered by American presidents Biden, Trump, and Obama and Mexican …

Disproportionate Discourses: Analyzing The Media’S Coverage Of Police Brutality, Tatyanah Santiago

Honors College Theses

This thesis examines how the media covers fatal confrontations between minorities and the police. Since the media is a primary vehicle for interpreting events as they unfold, it is important to recognize the ways news coverage frames these violent encounters. This paper focuses specifically on the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO in August 2014 and George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, MN in May 2020. News articles from The New York Times, The Washington Post, Fox News, and CNN were analyzed to see how authority narratives, witness narratives, and character depictions were reported. Three theoretical lenses (Critical Race …

Final Report: Oer Textbook For Core A2 Courses, Cathy Gabor, Leigh Meredith

USF OER Faculty Grant Projects

This report provides an overview of the project completed with OER grant funds received from USF’s Gleeson Library in 2021. Our OER project was to create a textbook that would reduce costs for students in USF’s current Core A2 classes, including RHET 120, 250, 295 and HONC 132. It was also intended to provide a “multimodal” (writing, speaking, digital) approach to composition to reflect best practices and pedagogical innovations in the teaching of composition and communication. This report will cover the specific plan for the OER, what was accomplished, what assessment efforts were undertaken, and areas for further development. Findings …

Writing For The Humanities And The Arts, Olivia Wood

Open Educational Resources

This is the syllabus, course calendar, and grading contract used for Olivia Wood's section of ENGL 210: Writing in the Humanities and the Arts at City College in Spring 2023. Students write opinion editorials in the first unit, research a genre of their choosing and create a "genre guide" to help others write in that genre during the second unit, and then complete a multimodal project in the third unit, perhaps using their own or a classmate's genre guide to assist them.

The Hidden Figures Of Cognitive Dissonance, Jennifer Berkebile

Senior Honors Theses

In utilizing cognitive dissonance theory (CDT) as postulated by Festinger (1957), this research sought to identify how European American (EA) superiors Paul Stafford and Vivian Mitchell were influenced by EA coworkers while interacting with African American (AA) subordinates Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan, respectively, within the film Hidden Figures. Based upon a thorough review of the literature on CDT and its relationships with racism and sexism, this research examined specific scenes in which the pair interacted individually and around coworkers before determining the impact of external interpersonal relationships upon the central biracial relationships. Conclusions demonstrated the key principle of …

Writing Beyond Campus: Writing Centers In Service-Learning And Community-Engaged Scholarship, Jacqueline Borchert, Noah Patterson, Nathan C. Mcburnett

Purdue Writing Lab/Purdue OWL Presentations

This roundtable discussion serves as a forum for writing center professionals to discuss past experiences with and future opportunities for community-engaged work in our field. The lessons learned from this discussion will be used to both (1) identify strategic opportunities for engagement between writing labs and their respective communities and (2) inform the ongoing development of online resources for instructors and students who wish to integrate writing into current and future university-community work.

High Impact Practices In First Year Composition Courses, Haley Hamilton

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

This capstone project explores High Impact Practices and how they can interact with First Year Composition Pedagogy through the creation of a Course Design for English 1102. The literature review is primarily an examination of research from the field of composition studies and high impact practices in higher education, as well as several aspects of composition studies such as transfer theory and first year composition pedagogy. The course design details ways to implement high impact practices into English 1102 in the context of specific university requirements. Through this project, I was able to make the connection between the WPA Outcome …

Tracing The Influences Of Praxis On The Development Of An Open Corequisite Writing Textbook, Stacey Corbitt, Dawn Atkinson

Writing

Although retrospective project reports are common in the materials development literature, accounts of textbook writing sessions are rare; so too are accounts of open textbook production. Open textbooks are learning resources that are free to use and oftentimes adapt by virtue of their copyright permissions. The authors used concurrent verbalization and interviews to document writing episodes while preparing their first book, an open textbook devised for corequisite technical writing courses. Corequisite designs pair content courses with explicit skill-building modules as a means to support underprepared learners in higher education in the United States. Qualitative content analysis of the data revealed …