Wayfinding in Writing after College: A Symposium


 English     Oct 20 2020 - Nov 10 2020 | 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM Zoom meeting

Wayfinding in Writing after College: A Symposium

You are cordially invited to attend a series of symposia this fall term on THEWAYFINDING PROJECT (https://thewayfindingproject.com/).  RSVP link coming soon!

The WAYFINDING PROJECT is led by a core of three University of California researchers: Carl Whithaus (UC, Davis), Karen Lunsford (UC, Santa Barbara), and Jonathan Alexander (UC, Irvine), who, over the past three years, have been engaged in a collaborative and multi-campus research project that examines the “writing lives” of UC students that are 3-10 years post graduation. The group has been particularly interested in the kinds of professional, personal, and civic kinds of writing that our alumni regularly engage in, as well as what kinds of knowledges about writing these alumni are developing after graduating.  

Currently, WAYFINDING PROJECT researchers have surveyed nearly 300 students from UC campuses and conducted in-depth focus group interviews with twenty participants — all of whom reflect the diverse population of a minority-majority state, and who also represent the various socioeconomic classes that attend UC.

WAYFINDING PROJECT researchers are hosting four upcoming events that will be of interest to anyone teaching writing, curious about collegiate students’ development of writing abilities, writing across the lifespan, and research issues in studying writing development. 

***

First Session: Methods of Studying Writing

A conversation between the Wayfinding Project researchers and two researchers who have led national-level writing research projects at other universities:  Jeff Grabill and Michele Eodice.

Tuesday, October 20, from 12-2 Pacific

BIOS:  Jeff Grabill is professor of rhetoric and professional writing and associate provost for Teaching, Learning, and Technology at Michigan State University, where he was one of the researchers on the WRITING IN DIGITAL ENVIRONMENTS (WIDE) study.

Michele Eodice is Senior Writing Fellow in the University of Oklahoma’s Center for Faculty Excellence.  She was one of the lead researchers on THEMEANINGFUL WRITING PROJECT.

***
Second Session: How Do You Study Writing Beyond School?

A conversation with Adam Banks

Tuesday, October 27, from 12-2 Pacific

BIO: Adam Banks is Professor of Education and Faculty Director of theProgram in Writing and Rhetoric in Stanford University.

***

Third Session: Designing Research Surveys about Writing
Karen Lunsford in conversation with Matt Zajic

Tuesday, November 3, from 12-2 Pacific

BIO: Matt Zajic is an assistant professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. His recent work has focused on psychoeducational assessments of writing skills and considerations for the role of engagement during writing assessment. 

***

Fourth Session: Key Current Findings from THE WAYFINDING PROJECT

Jonathan Alexander, Karen Lunsford, and Carl Whithaus present some of themajor findings of their research so far. The UCI Campus Writing and Communication Coordinator, Professor Daniel M. Gross, will host a roundtable to consider implications of the Wayfinding Project research findings on their pedagogical and curricular work. 

Tuesday, November 10, from 12-2 Pacific

BIOS: Jonathan Alexander is Chancellor’s Professor of English and Informatics at the University of California, Irvine, where he is also associate dean in the Division of Undergraduate Education.
Karen Lunsford is associate professor of Writing and Director of the PhD Emphasis in Writing Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  

Carl Whithaus is a professor of writing and rhetoric at the University of California, Davis. 

***

This symposium series is generously sponsored by the UCI Humanities Center.