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The Series provides compact, comprehensive and convenient surveys of what has been learned through research and practice as composition has emerged as an academic discipline over the last half century Each volume is devoted to a single topic that has been of interest in rhetoric and composition in recent years, to synthesize and make available the sum and parts of what has been learned on that topic These refer-ence guides are designed to help deepen classroom practice by making ava
R G R C Series Editor, Charles Bazerman R G R C Series Editor, Charles Bazerman The Series provides compact, comprehensive and convenient surveys of what has been learned through research and practice as composition has emerged as an academic discipline over the last half century. Each volume is devoted to a single topic that has been of interest in rhetoric and composition in recent years, to synthesize and make available the sum and parts of what has been learned on that topic. These refer- ence guides are designed to help deepen classroom practice by making available the collective wisdom of the field and will provide the basis for new research. The Series is intended to be of use to teachers at all levels of education, researchers and scholars of writing, graduate stu- dents learning about the field, and all who have interest in or responsi- bility for writing programs and the teaching of writing. Parlor Press and The WAC Clearinghouse are collaborating so that these books will be widely available through low-cost print editions and free digital distribution. The publishers and the Series editor are teachers and researchers of writing, committed to the principle that knowledge should freely circulate. We see the opportunities that new technologies have for further democratizing knowledge. And we see that to share the power of writing is to share the means for all to ar- ticulate their needs, interest, and learning into the great experiment of literacy. E B S Invention in Rhetoric and Composition (2004, Lauer) Reference Guide to Writing across the Curriculum (2005, Bazerman, Little, Bethel, Chavkin, Fouquette, and Garufis) Revision: History, Theory, and Practice (2006, Horning and Becker) Writing Program Administration Susan H. McLeod Parlor Press West Lafayette, Indiana www.parlorpress.com The WAC Clearinghouse http://wac.colostate.edu/ Parlor Press LLC, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906 © 2007 by Parlor Press and The WAC Clearinghouse All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America S A N: 2 5 4 - 8 8 7 9 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Writing program administration / [edited by] Susan H. McLeod. p. cm. -- (Reference guides to rhetoric and composition) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-60235-007-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-60235-008- 3 (alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-60235-009-0 (adobe ebook) 1. English language--Rhetoric--Study and teaching--United States. 2. Report writing--Study and teaching (Higher)--United States. 3. Writing centers--Administration. I. McLeod, Susan H. PE1405.U6W757 2007 808’.0420711--dc22 2007009454 Series logo designed by Karl Stolley. This book is printed on acid-free paper. Parlor Press, LLC is an independent publisher of scholarly and trade titles in print and multimedia formats. is book is available in paperback, cloth, and Adobe eBook formats from Parlor Press on the World Wide Web at http://www.parlorpress.com. For submission information or to fi nd out about Parlor Press publications, write to Parlor Press, 816 Robinson St., West Lafay- ette, Indiana, 47906, or e-mail editor@parlorpress.com. e WAC Clearinghouse supports teachers of writing across the disciplines. Hosted by Colorado State University’s Composition Program, it brings to- gether four journals, three book series, and resources for teachers who use writing in their courses. is book will also be available free on the Internet at e WAC Clearinghouse (http://wac.colostate.edu/). v Contents Preface vii Charles Bazerman Acknowledgments ix 1 Introduction and Overview 3 Issues in Writing Program Administration 4 Organization and Scope of the Text 5 2 Distinctions and Definitions 7 The WPA in the Institution 7 The WPA as Unappreciated Wife 11 The WPA as Scholar 14 The WPA as Politician, Rhetor, Change Agent, Manager 17 The WPA as Leader 20 3 A History of Writing Program Administration 23 The Beginnings 23 English Departments and Composition 24 The History of Rhetoric and the New Emphasis on English 27 Development of a Composition Underclass 31 The Pedagogy and Curricula of Early Composition Courses 32 The Tenacity of Current-Traditional Rhetoric 38 The Pre-Professional Period: Writing Program Administration up to World War II 45 The Period of Professionalization: Post World War II 58 The First Professional Organization for WPAs: CCCC 63 The Birth of the Council of Writing Program Administrators 67 Contentsvi The Development of WPA: The Journal of Writing Program Administration 76 Writing Program Administration in the Twenty-First Century 78 4 Current Issues and Practical Guidelines 80 Curriculum 81 First-Year Composition 81 Basic Writing 85 ESL and Generation 1.5 Students 87 Articulation 88 Beyond First-Year Composition 88 Pedagogy 89 Assessment and Accountability 92 Overviews 92 Placement 94 Proficiency 95 Program Assessment 96 Staffing, Staff Development, and Evaluation 98 Administrative and Professional Issues 100 5 Glossary 105 6 Practical Resources for Writing Program Administrators: A Selected Bibliography 114 Anne Whitney General Resource Guides/Overviews 114 Curriculum and Pedagogy 117 Assessment and Accountability 120 Staffing and Staff Development 124 Administrative and Professional Issues 128 Notes 132 Works Cited 136 Index 153 vii Preface The teaching of writing in higher education almost always occurs within a writing program (or similar unit such as a department largely devoted to the teaching of writing) under the supervision and coordina- tion of an administrator, often called a Writing Program Administrator (WPA). Furthermore, the field of teaching of writing has socially, eco- nomically, and historically been organized around writing programs. Finally, most people embarking on a career in the teaching of writing will at some point be engaged in administering a writing program. Surprisingly then, this volume offers the first overall history we have had of writing programs and their administration as a central organiz- ing theme of the field. Understandably the field of teaching of writing has focused on the units of analysis all have had much experience of: being a writer, being a learner of writing, supporting learning of writ- ing, and running a classroom devoted to the teaching and leaning of writing. Yet, just the next level up in the economic and institutional realities of administration, we gain a remarkable perspective on what the field of college composition is and how it has become that way. This is a story of interest to every teacher of college writing, whether or not they will be an administrator or are engaged in program policy issues. On a more practical level, there has been a growing body of publi- cations reporting the experiences of WPAs, providing practical advice, and surveying the nature and conditions of programs nationally. This fourth volume of the reference guides to rhetoric and composition pro- vides an excellent introduction to this useful literature, so that anyone embarking on Writing Program Administration can explore the state of the art—and perhaps even more importantly connect up with the personal and publication networks WPA’s have developed for mutual support. Nonetheless, despite there now being some collected wisdom based on the hard won experience of many dedicated and thought- ful people, we still have much to learn about this important role and Prefaceviii the decisions facing administration. I hope this overview of our cur- rent state of knowledge will inspire a new generation of research and evidence to provide guidance and support for the writing programs of the future. —Charles Bazerman ix Acknowledgments I have tried to write the book I wish I’d had when I first started as a WPA. My debts are many. I would like to thank Chuck Bazerman for inviting me to take on this project; David Russell, who reviewed the chapter on the history of writing program administration and gave me excellent feedback; Shirley Rose, who read the entire manuscript and also gave me good advice; UCSB librarian Sherri Barnes, who tire- lessly tracked down elusive sources; the history graduate students in my Writing for Publication seminar, who helped me understand how difficult it is to write history; my colleagues on the WPA listserv, who gave me useful feedback on the glossary; Rebecca Mitchell, who copy- edited an early version of the manuscript; Amy Ferdinandt Stolley, who created the index; David Blakesley, whose patience and good hu- mor are unsurpassed among editors; and as always, my husband Doug, who supported and put up with me throughout. I am also grateful to two WPA mentors: Joyce Steward, who was my TA supervisor many years ago at the University of Wisconsin and who modeled the behav- ior of respect towards students and novice teachers that I have strived to emulate as a WPA, and Maxine Hairston, who led a WPA workshop that I had the great good fortune to attend in 1984 and who served as a role model for me in more ways than she knew.