Submission Sent

I just sent off a submission to the online journal Composition Forum with a revised version of the profile I wrote last Spring of the First-Year Writing Program at Eastern Michigan University. I wanted to write here some rather random thoughts about the piece.

I think I did capture some good things about how the program is framed and its characteristic of openness within a structure. I wonder in reality about how other students and faculty/grad students teaching in the program perceive the definition of writing that the program's framing and curriculum seeks to promote. I wonder too if I were to teacher in the program how I would feel about my place inside the curriculum. Would I feel the ability to freely teach within productive boundaries? Would that curriculum serve as a "starter reef" that would stimulate further innovation on my part? I don't know. The true answer likely is "sort of" and "to a degree"--and not the ideal, absolute vision of "open source curriculum development/participation" that I envision.

I am struck also by the paradigm of writing programs, and their unfair labor structure. The administrator oversees unskilled tradesmen who are roughly expendable or at least are easily replaceable. The model has a few professional (tenure-track faculty) at the top, and a large number of teachers at the bottom. It seems that many programs have lobbied for more quality and stability (like EMU) by hiring "lecturers" who get paid more and get benefits, yet they are still second class participants in the program--even though these days many of these lecturer positions require a PhD. What sort of professional place might I anticipate filling if I were to take a job some place else?

Anyway, I hope that this profile gets accepted. I think it is good--though a bit long--and highlights a recently prominent figure in the field due to her latest book, so there may be some curiosity to see her own writing program.