Beyond the Classroom: Writing across the Curriculum as a Social Movement

• In Event: 573 - Regular Session. Teaching Sociology

Abstract

In 1996, Walvoord, applied social movements theory in an effort to both take stock of the history of the writing across the curriculum movement and to glean its future. Our conference theme – rethinking social movements -- seems like an apt time to re-examine the history of the WAC movement through a disciplinary lens and to explore its impact on sociological pedagogy. Scholars of WAC concur that, to a large extent, the sustainability of WAC is at least in part, incumbent upon faculty in the disciplines who teach writing. In this paper, I compare compositionists’ accounts of the WAC movement and their efforts to engage disciplinary faculty in it, with a disciplinary perspective on how WAC was incorporated into our writing pedagogy. In conclusion, I consider individual level conflicts that sociolgists confront in their dual roles as “writing teachers” and ‘WAC movement members” and the importance of moving beyond the role of “writing teacher,” to assume the role of “WAC leader” to the sustainability of the WAC movement. I explore nature of the collective identity among WAC proponents as an artifact of the movement structure and observe the extent to we can discern new opportunities, and perhaps risks, when we consider the sustainability of WAC through a disciplinary lens. In conclusion, I argue that the sustainability of WAC will rest on the ability of sociologists and other disciplinary faculty to become more fully vested as “WAC movement members.”

Author

• Suzanne S. Hudd, Quinnipiac University