Roger, what's the deadline for the newsletter again? I had an
interesting email exchange with Toby Fulwiler during the past two
weeks about WAC/WID (clarifying distinctions between them, based on
the history of the two) that I thought Inkshedders might enjoy (it's
short, amazingly enough). And I asked him if he'd be willing for me
to submit it to the Inkshed newsletter, if I cleaned it up a bit
(we're both messy emailers). He said sure. Not that I'm sure I'll
be able to find the time to do it. But I've lost track of the
deadline somehow. I'm off to CCCC Wed, so it would have to be after
that. Betsy
At 08:12 AM 3/16/2006, you wrote:
>Last fall I was asked to write a short piece for an alumni
>publication about the Writing Program here. They didn't use it (that
>I know of), but it occured to me today as I drove in that perhaps
>some Inkshedders might find value in writing a similar piece. As the
>co-editor of the Inkshed Newsletter, of course, I have an interest
>in publishing these kinds of texts, and we'd like to get the next
>edition of the Newsletter out before the conference in early May. So
>if you have something else you'd like to contribute, by all means
>send that along.
>
>And if you have a spare hour (I wrote this in about an hour),
>perhaps you could send a short statement like the one below along to
>be included in the Newsletter. I guess I'd been thinking about the
>annual hand-wringing about university student's writing abilities,
>particularly in light of the fact that my son had just written the
>same proficiency exam that I had written in 1976 ("explain how to
>put on a coat"). I wanted to write something to alumni that would
>give them a more complex understanding of what we do in writing
>courses and how that is connected to life both within university and
>beyond. Here's what I wrote:
>
>"the enviable power of elegant and forcible writing [is] within the
>grasp of ordinary minds, and may, in general be viewed as the
>certain reward of patient industry." Edgerton Ryerson, 1842 Edgerton
>Ryerson's words are as true today as they were a century and a half
>ago: most people can learn to write if they put the time and effort
>into it, providing that they also have some instruction. The Faculty
>of Arts and Humanities Writing Program is dedicated to providing the
>instruction students at Western need to become better writers. A
>recent Globe and Mail article highlighted the shortcomings of
>students' writing skills ("Universities trying to cope with students
>lacking basics" Sept. 22, 2005 A1), a seemingly perennial
>observation. Are these results any different from the results of the
>1970s or 1980s? As a former student who had to write one of these
>proficiency tests and the parent of a first-year student who wrote
>one of these tests this fall, I'm not so sure. Instead, the!
> se results speak to me about how difficult it is to learn to write
> well. Learning to write well is a labor-intensive, time-consuming
> activity, and so is teaching writing. Working through drafts of
> students' essays takes time, attention to detail, and tact,
> characteristics that mark faculty in the Writing Program. Why
> expend so much effort on this? In the Writing Program, we believe
> that for students to develop as writers they need to write often
> and challenge themselves to learn to write a variety of different
> documents. The need to develop as a writer doesn't stop when they
> graduate from high school, nor does it end with graduation from
> university. Professors and professionals both continue to face new
> rhetorical challenges as they move through their careers and take
> on additional responsibilities. As alumni, you are undoubtedly
> aware of how the writing demands on you change and evolve as you
> move through life. In my own life, I've faced an increasingly
> diversified and c!
> hallenging face of rhetorical situations. I've been asked to serve as
>the master of ceremonies at my sister-in-laws' wedding, and I've
>also delivered a eulogy at my own sister's funeral. At times like
>those, my rhetorical training allowed me to serve my family at an
>important time. As the author, co-author, or editor of several books
>and many articles, my writing skills have served to advance my
>career. My commitment to writing and the Writing Program comes out
>of this deeply felt experience. At the Writing Program, we're
>committed to helping all UWO students improve their writing skills
>because we're convinced this study will help them live richer lives
>and function as leaders in their families and communities.
>Roger Graves
>
>Dr. Roger Graves
>Director of Writing and Technical & Professional Communication
>University of Western Ontario
>London, ON N6A 3K7
>519.661.2111x85785
>
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M. Elizabeth (Betsy) Sargent
Professor of English
Department of English and Film Studies
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB T6G 2E5
CANADA
(780) 492-0457 Office
(780) 492-8142 FAX
[log in to unmask]
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To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
[log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
For the list archives and information about the organization,
its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to
http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/
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