ENGL611 Approaches to College Composition

In this course, you’ll explore key pedagogical theories and conversations of rhetoric and composition studies that should help you frame and reflect on your work as a teacher of writing.

Over the course of the term, you’ll engage such topics as anti-racist pedagogies; rhetorical approaches to teaching composition; writing processes; digital and multimodal composing; multilingualism; responding to student writers; and engaging students in online and in-person environments. By the end of the course, you should have a sense of the research and theories driving approaches to composition pedagogy, as well as a sense of your own inclinations and commitments as a teacher. Gaining this deep understanding of the pedagogical concerns of the field can help you to develop as a reflective and engaged teacher here at Maryland and throughout your career.

Although this course does focus attention on teaching required writing courses at UMD, we will balance that focus with attention to how you might transfer what you’re learning to other kinds of teaching you may have done or will go on to do, such as creative writing, literary studies, high school teaching, writing center tutoring, digital humanities work etc.  The goal of this course is not just to equip you to teach in UMD’s writing programs, but to engage you with key pedagogical concepts and conversations that will support your teaching throughout your entire career.

Section(s):
0101 -  Sara Wilder