Week 1 Annotation Summary

Annotation

Adler-Kassner, L., & Wardle, E. (2015). Naming what we know: Threshold concepts of writing studies. University Press of Colorado.

The researchers Adler-Kassner and Wardle (2015) sought to examine the core principles of knowledge, which is embedded in the discipline of writing studies. In their extensive work, the authors have extensively used the lens of the “threshold concept” to bring out the impact of wringing studies. The fundamental aspects of the book present a vivid description of thirty-seven threshold concepts within the discipline as written by the researchers who worked in collaboration with teachers. The entries are not only bright but also accessible to students, scholars as well as the policymakers. The other sections of the book provide the benefits and challenges that individuals in specific sites are likely to encounter during their first years of writing. The article on Naming what we know is a form of dialogue on the writing concepts that the relevant stakeholders find critical, irrespective of what others think. The collection provides a productive mechanism to enact change in different aspects of the society.

Beard, D. (2010). The Case for a Major in Writing Studies: The University of Minnesota Duluth.

David Beard’s journal on professional writing traces the intellectual argument that created space for the Department and Major in Writing Studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The author took into consideration the apparent differences of the contested areas by other disciplines that include communication, composition and literary studies. Of all these disciplines, Writing Studies remains the only one that is defined by its object. This object is a critical tool for both cognition and social action and causes significant changes in the social-cultural aspects of an individual’s life. The claims on the nature of writing are manifested in the four-year duration of the student’s coursework, where they must complete 16 credits. The author notes tremendous changes in the life of students majoring in Writing Studies from the university- some which are not related to the field of academia. The training provided at the educational facility not only provides a curricular identity but also instills discipline to the learners.

Gere, A. R. (1994). Kitchen tables and rented rooms: The extracurriculum of composition. College Composition and Communication, 45(1), 75-92.

In the article, the author, Gere, (1994) presents a different view on the impact of composition scholars. In the detailed article, Gere argues that the scholars have ignored their past in the context of the outside classrooms. The author analyzes the contemporary community based-writer groups that are determined to encourage other people to embrace the skill. One of the activities that sought to encourage the practice of composition writing outside classroom that the author undertook entailed reviewing popular magazines as well as initiatives in the past to promote the art. Composition writing outside the academic arena has been neglected by the negative societal attitudes concerning the discipline. Gere encourages the need for individuals to be agents of that will encourage composition writing both within and outside the classroom premise. She maintains that the skill is critical in numerous aspects of life and should be promoted by everyone in the community. By reaching out to the community, the author feels that writing could effect changes in the lives of people.