 |
 |
> I also think (not without prejudice perhaps), that writing centers and > writing in and across the disciplines programs *should* be viewed as a > supplemental to rather than a substitute for an academic and professional > writing curriculum. But what is a writing curriculum? Is the only way to teach writing to have separate courses in writing? I have trouble with this precisely because most such courses are "contentless". At the same time, as someone in the thick of WID, I wish for more. I'd like to see a real writing course for my students, at the third year or so, in which they can focus on content as well as their communication. Our first such experiment in this begins next term. I'll keep you posted as to whether it makes a difference. > The argument that Canadian universities are generally > more advanced in rhetoric and composition because they've invested in > writing centers or WAC/WID programs *rather than* composition courses is > frankly unpersuasive. I agree. I'm afraid I don't see any rich advancement in the WAC/WID fields in this country. Some lovely research (e.g. Segal, Pare, Vipond, and Brent in the most recent CCC) is being done, but this hardly puts us at the forefront. Christine, you must remember that as an undergrad, you were faced with what is perhaps the most writing-resistent and pedagogically unaware English department in Canada. I wonder how your experience, and perspective, might be different had you started at a different point. > I just don't think we > should base our ethos on "we don't do freshman comp and we're proud of it" > and accept the status quo into the bargain. As the person who suggested the 4C's caucus topic, I've got to bite at this one. I am neither proud nor shamed by the absence of Freshman comp. IT is simply the reality in which most Canadian schools operate. I've heard enough horror stories of how incompetently it is taught in many US schools that it holds no illusion for me as a grail. At the same time, I recognize the Canadian situation as peculiar and problematic. If we were a country where only a small percentage of the elite went to University, our system could function easily, but most recent stats suggest that, along with the US, half of youth start university. With this situation, we should expect to provide more support, but we don't. Perhaps, we just haven't really changed from the elitist model to the democratic model. If we can manage that without becoming like American schools in too many other respects, we might eventually create a good system. Rob