Going Public

An important new resource for writing program administration preparation courses in rhetoric and composition doctorial programs. In "Going Public," Rose and Weiser moderate a discussion of the role of the writing program vis-a-vis the engagement movement, the service learning movement and current interest in public discourse/civic rhetoric among scholars of rhetoric and composition. This is a thoughtful collection on the ways that engagement-focused programs may be changing conceptions of writing program administration identity.

As institutions begin to include more explicit engagement with citizen and stakeholder communities as an element of their mission, writing program administrators find themselves with an opportunity to articulate the ways in which writing program goals and purposes significantly contribute to achieving these new institutional goals. Writing programs are typically situated at points where students make the transition from community to college (e.g., first-year composition) or from college to community (e.g., professional writing), and are already dedicated to developing literacies that are critically needed in communities.

In "Going Public," Rose and Weiser locate their discussion in the context of three current conversations in higher education: the engagement movement, particularly as this movement serves to address and respond to calls for greater accountability to broader publics; recent interest in public discourse/civic rhetoric among scholars of rhetorical history and contemporary rhetorical theory; and the service learning movement in higher education, especially the ways in which college and university writing programs have contributed to this movement.