Whom Do You Serve:

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Whom Do You Serve? Public Rhetorics as Process
for College-Community Partnerships
Allen Brizee Purdue OWL Coordinator Ph.D.
Candidate in Rhetoric and Composition Purdue
University
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CWEST Introduction Why now? Why
us? Response CWEST Conclusion

• Introduction

• This presentation will cover
• Why now?
• Why us?
• Response to the call for engagement
• Community Writing and Education Station (CWEST)
• Conclusion

• How can our experience in professional writing
  help us
• engage those marginalized from the democratic
  process?

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Why now?
CWEST Introduction Why now? Why
us? Response CWEST Conclusion
Problem Lack of engagement hinders democratic
process

• In Indiana, literacy issues - esp. low
  graduation rates, ESL issues -
• impact education, public policy, economic
  development

• Outcomes affect participation in democratic
  process, marginalize
• those most in need

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Why us?
CWEST Introduction Why now? Why
us? Response CWEST Conclusion

• Professional writers, engagement, and our
  shifting roles
• Experience in rhetoric and writing - audience
  analysis, work with
• users/stakeholders - puts us in good position
  to foster change
• Policies are made through discoursethe
  knowledge and interests
• of people in technical communication are suited
  to influence policy
• matters.
• - Carolyn Rude, guest editors column, TCQ 9.1,
  2000

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Response
CWEST Introduction Why now? Why
us? Response CWEST Conclusion
Our role in the academy mirrors shift in the
workplace
Workplace
Traditional technical writer Hired scribe
21st century technical writer Decision maker
Academy
Traditional technical writing Passive pedagogy
Service learning Engagement activism
- Ornatowski (1995), Jones (2005)
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Response
CWEST Introduction Why now? Why
us? Response CWEST Conclusion
Programs in civic engagement

• In 1995, VT establishes the Service-Learning
  Center developed with
• Lucinda Roy in the old College of Arts and
  Sciences

• In 2006, VT English Department establishes the
  Center for the Study
• of Rhetoric in Society

• In 2001, Purdue establishes the Office of
  Engagement as part of its
• statewide initiative to address economic
  development

• In 2007, Purdue Writing Lab/OWL establish the
  Community Writing
• and Education Station (CWEST) to work with
  local adult basic
• education program

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CWEST
CWEST Introduction Why now? Why
us? Response CWEST Conclusion

• Purpose
• Develop a sustainable, participatory literacy
  program between
• Purdue Writing Lab and Lafayette Adult Resource
  Academy (LARA)

• Goals
• Integrate local engagement as part of Writing
  Lab/OWL mission
• Work with LARA to understand user needs and
  OWLs potential role in addressing these need
• Measure results, outcomes using mixed methods
  research

Research Questions 1) How can the Writing Lab/OWL
form a sustained, participatory relationship with
LARA? 2) What are the outcomes of this
partnership?
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CWEST
CWEST Introduction Why now? Why
us? Response CWEST Conclusion
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CWEST
CWEST Introduction Why now? Why
us? Response CWEST Conclusion
How is CWEST different from traditional service
learning?

• Theory Isocratean phronesis and Aristotle,
  Cicero, Quintilian
• More discursive rhetoric - Derrida, Asen

• Research Participatory, critical, situated,
  empirical
• Sullivan and Porter, Haswell

• Practice Participatory, sustainable
• Ehn, Grabill and Simmons

• Public rhetorics

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CWEST
CWEST Introduction Why now? Why
us? Response CWEST Conclusion

• What researchers will do
• Collaborate with LARA to develop, test three
  areas of materials
• LARA expressed as important (traditional OWL
  handouts,
• multimedia resources - Podcasts, etc.)
• GED preparation resources
• ESL literacy resources
• Workplace writing resources

• Host CWEST on the OWLs new Engagement area

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CWEST
CWEST Introduction Why now? Why
us? Response CWEST Conclusion
What is this CWEST on the Purdue OWL business?
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Conclusion
CWEST Introduction Why now? Why
us? Response CWEST Conclusion
Anticipated research/engagement
outcomes (Hopefully) CWEST project in public
rhetorics fosters a college-community partnership
that engages those marginalized from democratic
process and addresses noted shortcomings to
traditional service learning short term,
hierarchical work

• LARA learners test scores, workplace writing
  will improve - increasing
• literacy and involvement in democracy
• Writing Lab/OWL will have sustainable space for
  engagement,
• research
• OWL users worldwide will have GED, ESL and
  workplace writing
• resources tailored for adult basic education

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Conclusion
CWEST Introduction Why now? Why
us? Response CWEST Conclusion

• What can you do?
• Its not an either/or situation. It can be
  both/and
• Think about ways our experience in professional
  writing can help us engage those marginalized
  from the democratic process
• Work with local non-profs
• Work to improve literacy
• Work to improve communication between
  stakeholders, decision makers
• Work with those who must better articulate their
  needs (grant writing,
• shifting invention into the public sphere)
• Thanks! )