Pedagogy Oct 2008

Interdisciplinary Work as Professional Development

Joan A. Mullin

Abstract

This article explores, through the lens of a WAC faculty developer, how it is difficult to maintain disciplinary neutrality when developing any program; both teaching and learning can easily become codified through the lens of one person, field, or group. By using the work of, among others, Krista Ratcliffe, Mikhail Bakhtin, and David Bartholomae, I make a case for working differently with stakeholders: collaborating within a discipline and including students in faculty development plansas both learners and mentors. If we mutually examine our definitions (“teaching,” “learning,” “writing,” “students”) and engage in rhetorical and reflective listening, we can move away from a model of teaching as rules, templates, and regulations; we can begin to engage our own assumptions along with those of our students, changing together the very definitions that constrain the evolution of our own mutual development.

Journal
Pedagogy
Published
2008-10-01
DOI
10.1215/15314200-2008-008
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism writing across the curriculum teacher development professional writing
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References (16) · 3 in this index

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    The Second Stage in Writing across the Curriculum
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  4. Gustafsson, Magnus, and Neill Thew. 2006. “Communication, Reflection, and Assessment across the Curriculum.” …
  5. Jones, Robert, and Joseph J. Comprone. 1993. “Where Do We Go Next in Writing across the Curriculum?” College …
Show all 16 →
  1. McLeod (1989)
    Writing across the Curriculum: The Second Stage, and beyond
    College Composition and Communication
  2. Mullin, Joan. 1998. “Alternative Pedagogy: Visualizing Theories of Composition.” In ARTiculating: Teaching Wr…
  3. Mullin, Joan, and Paula Braun. Forthcoming. “The Reciprocol Nature of Successful Mentoring Relationships: Cha…
  4. Mullin, Joan, Doug Enders, Neil Reid, and Jason Baldridge. 1998. “Constructing Each Other: Collaborating acro…
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  5. Mullin et al. (2008)
    Challenging Our Practices, Supporting Our Theories: Writing Mentors As Change A…
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  6. Ratcliffe, Krista. 2005. Rhetorical Listening: Identification, Gender, Whiteness. Carbondale: Southern Illino…
  7. Russell, David, and Arturo, Yañez. 2002. “ `Big Picture People Rarely Become Historians': Genre Systems and …
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