Composition in the University: Historical and Polemical Essays (Pittsburgh Series in Composition, Literacy & Culture)

Examines the required introductory course in composition within American colleges and universities. The author argues that the course has historically been inappropriately influenced by humanist pedagogy - an unsatisfactory rationale for the study of writing - and proposes possible alternatives. Contents 8 Preface 10 Acknowledgments 12 1. Composition in the University 16 2. The Toad in The Garden 34 3. The Bourgeois Subject and the Demise of Rhetorical Education 45 4. The Invention of Freshman English 61 5. Literature and Composition: Not Separate but Certainly Unequal 94 6. Terms of Employment: Rhetoric Slaves and Lesser Men 133 7. You Can't Write Writing: Norman Foerster and the Battle Over Basic Skills at Iowa 147 8. Freshman English and War 170 9. Around 1971: The Emergence of Process Pedagogy 202 10. The Politics of Composition 230 11. A Personal Essay on Freshman English 243 12. Composition's Ethic of Service, the Universal Requirement, and the Discourse of Student Need 265 Notes 282 Works Cited 294 Index 316 Composition In The University -- The Toad In The Garden -- The Bourgeois Subject And The Demise Of Rhetorical Education -- The Invention Of Freshman English -- Literature And Composition : Not Separate But Certainly Unequal -- Terms Of Employment : Rhetoric Slaves And Lesser Men -- You Can't Write Writing : Norman Foerster And The Battle Over Basic Skills At Iowa -- Freshman English And The War -- Around 1971 : The Emergence Of Process Pedagogy -- The Politics Of Composition -- A Personal Essay On Freshman English -- Composition's Ethic Of Service, The Universal Requirement, And The Discourse Of Student Need. Sharon Crowley. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Composition in the University examines the required introductory course in composition within American colleges and universities. Crowley argues that due to its association with literary studies in English departments, composition instruction has been inappropriately influenced by humanist pedagogy and that modern humanism is not a satisfactory rationale for the study of writing. Crowley envisions possible nonhumanist rationales that could be developed for vertical curricula in writing instruction, were the universal requirement not in place. Composition in the University examines the requi