Selected Topics in Language, Writing and Rhetoric: Writing Center Theory and Practice

An overview of writing center history, theory, and practice to prepare students to work with writers one-to-one or in small groups in a range of learning environments. Emphasis on writing center programs with applications to community and adult literacy programs and teacher-student conferencing. Students will learn to interpret the relationship between a writing center’s model, mission, and staff tutorial practices. Students will learn approaches to facilitating conversation with writers from diverse cultural, language, and literacy backgrounds, composing for a wide range of rhetorical situations. Readings and lectures will be contextualized through critical reflection on writing center observations and in-class collaborative work.