WC+Exam

Janell Haynes Minor Sit-Down Exam—Writing Center Theory and Administration Examiners: Margaret Weaver and Steve Parks

Writing center scholarship has historically struggled with the need to define WCs and WC Directors as legitimate within the academy, from the "Position Statement on Professional Concerns" and Stephen North's plea to fellow faculty to understand the "Idea of the Writing Center,” to Beth Boquet's critique of "value-added" research. Debates over such things as generalist or specialist tutors, minimal training or professionalization have all revealed shifts in writing center’s institutional and political location within the university.

This exam will trace the major trends in writing center scholarship and practice as writing centers have attempted to gain institutional legitimacy and will explore the shifts in writing center agenda as that legitimacy has become assumed. What does the scholarship suggest about the assumptions writing center scholars make about how legitimacy is gained? How have writing center scholars purposeful positioning of writing centers as support services, physical spaces, social movements, or scholarly disciplines reflected shifts in ideology? And finally, in what ways have these shifts, from assumptions of a value-neutral service to a site of self-critique and progressive pedagogy, mirrored those made within Composition studies?

As I hope to someday direct a writing center, this exam will prepare me for the difficult work of positioning that center within my future institution. Though this type of administrative work is always location-specific, this exam will provide me with a framework and a history to inform any administrative decisions. I believe that an administrator is also always a researcher and a scholar. This exam will provide me with the foundation for making informed and active decisions as a writing center director.

Barnett, Robert and Jacob S. Blummer, eds. //Longman Guide to Writing Center Theory and// //Practice//. Longman, 2007.
 * Bibliography**

Boquet, Elizabeth H. Noise from the Writing Center. Logan, UT: Utah State UP, 2002.

---. "`Our Little Secret': A History of Writing Centers, Pre-to Post-Open Admissions." //College Composition and Communication// 50.3 (1999): 463-482.

Brooks, Jeff. "Minimalist Tutoring: Making the Student Do All the Work." //Writing Lab// //Newsletter// 15 (February 1991): 1–4.

Carino, Peter. "Open Admissions and the Construction of Writing Center History: A Tale of Three Models." //Writing Center Journal// 17.1 (Fall 1996): 30–48.

Clark, Irene L., and Dave Healy. "Are Writing Centers Ethical?" //Writing Program// //Administration// 20 (1996): 32-48.

Condon, Frankie. “Beyond the Known: Writing Centers and the Work of Anti-Racism.” //Writing Center Journal// 27.2 (2007): 19-38.

Cooper, Marilyn M. “Really Useful Knowledge: A Cultural Studies Agenda for Writing Centers.” In Barnett. 335-349.

Denny, Harry C. //Facing the Center: Toward an Identity Politics of One-to-One Mentoring//. Logan, UT: Utah State UP, 2010.

Geller, Anne Ellen, et al. //Everyday Writing Center: A Community of Practice//. Logan, UT: Utah State UP, 2006.

Gere, Anne Ruggles. “Kitchen Tables and Rented Rooms: The Extracurriculum of Composition.” //College Composition and Communication// 45 (1994): 75-92.

Gillespie, Paula, et al, eds. //Writing Center Research: Extending the Conversation//. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002.

Grimm, Nancy Maloney. //Good Intentions: Writing Center Work for Postmodern Times.// Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1999.

Grimm, Nancy Barbara Conroy Maloney. “’The Way the Rich People Does It’: Reflections on Writing Center Administration and the Search for Status.” //Kitchen Cooks, Plate// //Twirlers, and Troubadours//. Diana George, ed. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1999. 14-25.

Harris, Muriel. "Talking in the Middle: Why Writers Need Writing Tutors." //College English// 57 (1995): 27–42.

Hubbuch, Susan. "A Tutor Needs to Know the Subject Matter to Help a Student with a Paper: Agree Disagree ___Not Sure." //Writing Center Journal// 82 (1988): 23-30.

Kail, Harvey, and John Trimbur. "The Politics of Peer Tutoring." //WPA: Writing Program// //Administration// 11 (Fall 1987): 5–12.

Kiedaisch, Jean and Sue Dinitz. "'Look Back and Say "So What"': The Limitations of the Generalist Tutor." //Writing Center Journal// 14.1 (1993): 63-74.

Lerner, Neal. "Confessions of a First-Time Writing Center Director." //Writing Center// //Journal// 21.1 (2000): 29–48.

Lunsford, Andrea. "Collaboration, Control, and the Idea of a Writing Center." //Writing Center// //Journal// 12 (1991): 3–10.

Mahala, Daniel. “Writing Centers in the Managed University.” //Writing Center Journal// 27.2 (2007): 3-18.

Mohr, Ellen. "The Writing Center: An Opportunity in Democracy." //Teaching English in the// //Two Year College// (1999): 419-426.

Mullin, Joan, and Ray Wallace, eds. //Intersections: Theory-Practice in the Writing Center.// Urbana, Ill.: NCTE, 1994.

Murphy, Christina and Byron Stay, eds. //The Writing Center Director’s Resource Book//. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2006.

Nelson, Jane and Kathy Evertz. //The Politics of Writing Centers//. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann/Boynton-Cook, 2001.

North, Stephen M. "The Idea of a Writing Center." //College English// 46.5 (Sept.1984): 433- 446.

Pemberton, Michael A. and Joyce Kinkead. //The Center Will Hold: Critical Perspectives on// //Writing Center Scholarship.// Logan, UT: Utah State UP, 2003.

Riley, Terrance. “The Unpromising Future of Writing Centers.” In Barnett. 139-152.

Shamoon, Linda and Deborah Burns. "A Critique of Pure Tutoring." //Writing Center Journal// 15.2 (1995): 134-151.

Simpson, Jeanne. "The Challenge of Innovation: Putting New Approaches into Practice." //Writing Lab Newsletter// 18 (September 1993): 1–3.

Tassoni, Paul. "The Liberatory Composition Teacher's Obligation to Writing Centers at Two-Year Colleges." //Teaching English in the Two-Year College//, February, 1998: 34- 43.

Vandenberg, Peter. "Lessons of Inscription: Tutor Training and the 'Professional Conversation.'" //Writing Center Journal// 19.2 (1999): 59–83.

Wahlstrom, Ralph. “Catching Our Tail: A Writing Center in Transition.” //Kitchen Cooks, Plate// //Twirlers, and Troubadours//. Diana George, ed. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1999. 95-104.

Waldo, Mark L. "The Last Best Place for Writing Across the Curriculum: The Writing Center." //WPA: Writing Program Administration// 16.3 (Spring 1993): 15-26.

Walker, Kristin. "The Debate over Generalist and Specialist Tutors: Genre Theory's Contributions." //Writing Center Journal// 18.2 (1998): 27-46.

Welch, Nancy. "Playing with Reality: Writing Centers after the Mirror Stage." //College// //Composition and Communication// 51.1 (1999): 51-69.

Woolbright, Meg. "The Politics of Tutoring: Feminism Within the Patriarchy." //Writing// //Center Journal// 13.1 (1992): 16-30.

Additional Resources (or texts from Barnett):
 * 1) Bruffee, Kenneth. Peer Tutoring and the Conversation of Mankind
 * 2) Carino, Peter. Early Writing Centers. Toward a History.
 * 3) Davis, Diane. Breaking Up At Totality.. A Rhetoric of Laughter
 * 4) Delpit, Lisa. The Silenced Dialogue.. Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other Peoples Children
 * 5) Delpit, Lisa. The Politics of Teaching Literate Discourse
 * 6) DiPardo, Anne. Whispers of Coming and Going. Lessons from Fannie
 * 7) Gardner, Clinton and Tiffany Rousculp. Open Doors.. The Community College Writing Center
 * 8) Gee, James Paul. Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics.. Introduction
 * 9) Harris, Muriel. A Writing Center without a WAC Program. The De Facto WAC Center..Writing Center
 * 10) Kail, Harvey and John Trimbur. The Politics of Peer Tutoring
 * 11) Pemberton, Michael. Rethinking the WAC..Writing Center Connection
 * 12) Smith, Louise Z. Independence and Collaboration. Why We Should Decentralize Writing Centers.
 * 13) Wallace, Ray. The Writing Center’s Role in the Writing Across the Curriculum Program.. Theory and Practice

And here are J's response papers: Response Paper 1 Response Paper 2 Response Paper 3 Response Paper 4.. WCD Interview Questions Response Paper 4.2..WC Scholarship Timeline