The following links are for various professional organizations whose purpose is the study and teaching of English, Writing, and Composition.
As you read through these documents, think about what you have already learned about academic writing.
- Where do these documents seem to agree with one another? Where do they disagree?
- Do any of these statements surprise or confuse you?
CCCC Position Statement: Principles for the Post-secondary Teaching of Writing
The Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) is perhaps the largest and most important professional organization for Writing Studies, Composition, and Rhetoric. Established in 1949, it is also the oldest organization of scholars and researchers who work in this field. Their position statement “Principles for the Post-secondary Teaching of Writing” was written in 1989 and has been regularly updated to reflect changing research and data. It is one of the most well known and influential statements of practice and theory for First Year Composition.
https://cccc.ncte.org/cccc/resources/positions/postsecondarywriting
As you read through this document, pay close attention to the rhetorical situation. While this is a public document, it is intended for a very specific audience: people who teach composition at the college level.
How does the intended audience affect the information contained in the document?
WPA: Outcomes Statement
The Council of Writing Program Administrators (WPA) is another important professional organization that studies the teaching of writing. Members of this organization tend to be professors who also serve as administrators or directors of writing programs. Their “Outcomes Statement for First-Year Composition” describes a nation-wide agreement of what scholars and researchers believe the goal of FYC courses should be.
http://wpacouncil.org/aws/CWPA/pt/sd/news_article/243055/_PARENT/layout_details/false
As you read through the outcomes statement, see if you can find any places where the writers and essays we have already read this semester align or agree.
CCCC’s Demand for Black Linguistic Justice
Established in July 2020, the “Demand for Black Linguistic Justice” is a document written by a group of Black scholars and writers in response to the #BlackLivesMatter protests of that summer. In the manifesto, the writers address issues of language and demand linguistic justice for student writers.
https://cccc.ncte.org/cccc/demand-for-black-linguistic-justice
As you read, notice the tone and voice the writers use. Is their audience different from the CCCC’s “Principles” Staetment? Is the style of their writing different? How does their choice of language, style, and tone meet their rhetorical situation?
