Observing the Law Cafe

It's Thursday, a breezy, sunny day in South Florida that directly contrasts with the previous 100% chance of rain on Wednesday. 11:30 AM is not the busiest time for the Law Cafe, and as a result, my fellow observer and I are the only two customers in the cafe. A bit of a chill hangs in the air as I order my cafe con leche with, unfortunately, a marble loaf, seeing as they are fresh out of Cuban toast. As I sit down, I cannot help but contrast the bustling motion of the outside with the intense quietness of the cafe. Behind me I hear coffee brewing, the intermittent sounds of the AC blowing - and then suddenly - the harsh tap, tap, tap of bright red heels breaks the silence of the cafe, as a female law student breezes in with a blurring blaze of a matching red silk shirt and orders her lunch. I hear the snatches of Spanish spoken between the student and the workers; bits and pieces between the loud, hissing sound of the espresso machine.

Looking out once more into the breezeway, Pink Floyd breaks into my head, Gilmour's voice singing "two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year." With a second glimpse, I see it: the law students swimming around in the breezeway, my viewing them through the glass divider, all suspended in a liquidated haze. I question for a moment who is in the fish bowl, me or them, but my thoughts are once again suspended as a brash young man, dressed in business attire, wearing a powerful red shirt, walks straight up to counter with a resounding order for a Red Bull - no sugar please. With the first sip, I can see the drink running through his body, as he quickly pays his tab and walks out with the same blurring motion that he had entered in.

In sharp contrast, the next customers are miles away from the business student now high on the elixir of Red Bull. An old man walks in, his leathery hands clutching at a plastic bag filled with a can apiece of chick peas and chicken noodle soup. The student behind him, who may not be physically the same age as the older man, portrays the same aura of a large weight upon his shoulder, slowly exhaling and wiping his brow as he enters the Law Cafe. He sits beside us, now equipped with a cup of coffee, staring into the contents as if Carly Simon's clouds were to soon appear. Each spend about 10 minutes in the cafe, clear their table and step out back into the breezeway to continue with the drudgery of their day.

I hear a tap upon the glass and look up from my notes, only to connect eyes with a law student peering into the cafe. As we are the only customers in here, I am a bit startled; looking at my fellow observer with what was probably a comical apprehensive look. The student takes no notice of us, and as he continues on with his peeping Tom exercise, I myself go back to observing those in the breezeway.

In the rectangular space - bordered with the Law Cafe and the Law Library on its east and west side, a parking lot to the north, and the south facing the rest of the University - I see only a few unisex couple sitting together, the rest larger groups of same-sex studiers; book sellers touting they have "Everything You Need to Pass the Bar"; tables filled with predominantly white and Latino students; the banished corner of smokers, blowing their anxiety and frustration out with nicotine; a Navy recruiter wearing a sharp white suit with matching heels saunters by; a large "Summer in Spain" banner hanging above all the intense niches of conversation each student seems immersed in; all culminating in a constant motion reminiscent of a bee hive. Even from inside the Law Cafe, I sense this air that the law students seem to exude, an aura that is impenetrable, austere, neurotic - and those that don't exude such an air, seem lost to the overwhelming motion, the lost souls that must be source for Pink Floyd appearing in my head. 

As I wind down my observations, lunch hour has fast approached, and the Law Cafe is now bustling with activity. Surrounding us is a cacophony of Spanish and English; a student dressed to the T contrasts with the athletic wear another exhibits, while the one behind expresses his thoughts with a BE BOLD written, actually quite boldly, on the front of his t-shirt; the workers are now much more hurried, filling orders, making food. Gathering up my material, saving my last notes, two bodybuilders walk in with a cocky gait all their own. Their passionate debate - on the merits of a shake they are drinking - is interrupted by the first business student I had observed. As quickly as he walks in, he walks out, his voice trailing behind him, "You know what I want". The only evidence he had walked in is the dollar left behind in one of the bodybuilder’s hands. Neither seems to mind the interruption, and continue on feverishly with their conversation, finishing their order and walking out. I walk out behind them, one voice louder than the other carrying back to me, "That shit makes me hungry." Yes, well, substituting tangible food for a liquid diet just might make you hungry. I guess no one ever said admittance to a law school was the guarantee of genius.

The "Official" Annotated Bibliography

Going with the previous of specific journaling, I will include my Annotated Bib in the same manner I included my Research Proposal. The last blog was extremely helpful while writing because I had done a major portion of the work by writing my thoughts on the articles as I read. I will without a doubt keep this a part of my research project as I continue to read more research material.

Unfortunately, the Annotated Bib did gave me far more trouble than the Research Proposal did. As a result, I finished at 4 AM. Interestingly enough, as I was writing Annotated Bib, I progressively became sicker. How this is possible, I do not know, but when I started Saturday morning I did not have so much as a sore throat, and by the time I went to bed I had a fever, cough and fatigue. Go figure. So, in all its glory, my "Official" Annotated Bibliography:

The SWCA: An Annotated Bibliography

History

Hanlon, C. (2005). History on the Cheap: Using the Online Archive to Make Historicists out of Undergrads. Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, Composition, and Culture, 5 (1), 97-101.

History on the Cheap is an article in the Pedagogy journal written by Christopher Hanlon. The article describes the author’s frustration with his students and their lack of knowledge on a wide variety of subjects. While thinking of the subject, Hanlon writes of his challenge to compel students to write essays that encourage him to read further and at the same time showcase the student is “possessed of something like specialized knowledge” (p. 97). Hanlon then infers that if a student searches throughout the archives of history, they will be able to find their own answers, and not rely on a professor’s prompt throughout an essay. Hanlon points out several instances in which his students have utilized online archives to wield a thought-provoking and original piece of writing. Hanlon does provide a warning, in which he states that without proper contextualization, connections or judgment about the historical texts, a student may soon find themselves on the wrong path (p. 101). Even with such a possibility, Hanlon speaks favorably of the concept, arguing it empowers students to create interesting work.

In the same manner that Hanlon argues for his students to create thought-provoking work, he himself has created an interesting article that fulfills his intended purpose. In proposing such an innovative idea, Hanlon is able to connect to his audience. As a reader, I was compelled to analyze Hanlon’s argument throughout my own academic background, and found many of his ideas to be true. It has only been in the research project I am currently undertaking that I have been asked to find my own topic. It was throughout other articles as I researched the SWCA that I came across the term historicist and was able to utilize Hanlon’s writing as a spring point into discovering the process I am undertaking. My project entails researching the SWCA’s evolutionary history. Before reading Hanlon’s article, I did not know that there existed such a term to describe my project, in which I would be attempting to contextualize the history of the SWCA to a specific time period.  Now aware of the significance of what my research project is attempting to do, I will be better equipped to not get lost along the way.

Moore, R. H. (1950). The Writing Clinic and the Writing Laboratory. In R.W. Barnett & J. S. Blumner (Ed.), The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing Center Theory and Practice (pp. 3 – 9). New York, NY: Longman.

The Writing Clinic and the Writing Laboratory is an article by Robert H. Moore written originally in 1950. Throughout the article, Moore does not write of writing centers, but instead makes a distinction between a writing clinic and a writing laboratory. Both of these are based on remedial work, in which diagnosis and remedial measures are dispensed. The author argues that in practice the two are interchangeable, but that for the article’s purpose, he would create theoretical distinctions. He then lays out the differences and similarities between the two. The clinic is a place to supplement remedial devices and should be geared toward intelligent and eager students who will utilize the self-help that is dispensed. In the clinic there are three methods of diagnosis of a student’s writing: the writing may be brought in and analyzed; the student may write a paper to be analyzed (Moore argues this will not be fully efficient because the student will fix the paper); or the student may undergo a diagnostic test. Once such steps are completed, remedial measures are then outlined, but the clinic will not be responsible for the supervision of such measures.  Continually, the lab has many of the same proponents, but is likely geared towards students part of a larger group, often who came under compulsion (and must be subsequently released), although some may have come for voluntary assistance. Another variation is the supervision that will be enacted between instructor and student in the form a working relationship.

Moore’s article was surprising in its emphasis on remedial work, and must then be analyzed through historical lenses, drawing parallels and distinctions between the audience it was written for and the audience it is currently being read by. By placing importance on the context in which it was written in and the distinctions that were made between clinic and lab, one can gain a greater understanding on the issues that were surrounding the writing center field throughout the 1950s and how it is applicable to the historical periods that followed it. It very might well have met the demands of its intended audience in the 1950s, but as a reader 60 years later, the presentation of the writing center as a remedial “fix-it” shop does not fit into the mold of the writing center mission I have come to know.  These aspects must then be evaluated throughout the history of the SWCA and how the association fits into the context. This article is written about 30 years before the association was formed, so it may have had influence on the young organization. The questions that must then be asked are how the SWCA may have accepted or repudiated Moore’s claims; what the SWCA believed to be the mission of writing centers, and how they fit into the contexts of clinics v. labs; essentially, this article has made me question what would have been the historical background that predated its founding. 

Carino, P. (1995). Early Writing Centers: Toward a History. In R.W. Barnett & J. S. Blumner (Ed.), The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing Center Theory and Practice (pp. 10 - 21). New York, NY: Longman.

                Early Writing Centers is an article written by Peter Carino in The Writing Center Journal. Carino presents a limited, but enlightening history, of writing centers. He traces the laboratory method to an early 1900s teacher in St. Louis. Moving forward through the first decades of the 20^th century, Carino writes of the growing trend towards utilizing the lab method throughout high school and post-secondary education. In 1934, the University of Minnesota and the University of Iowa establish separate facilities for lab instruction. Distinctions that are made by Carino are the tie that the Minnesota lab has to a classroom and the independent facility established by Iowa. Throughout the 1940s, a large growth to the education population can be seen after WWII, and centers for writing continue to grow. Carino asserts that the University of Denver and other institutions were creating places with a description similar to the model seen today; while other universities adhere to remedial pedagogy, as shown by Moore’s 1950 article, and assumed by many in the field today. After 1955, Carino writes, little discussion is shown in the field until Dorothy Whitted article on tutorials in 1966. It is at this point in the article, that Carino assumes the rest is history in the field of writing centers, and does not continue into the 70s and beyond.

Equally important throughout Carino’s article is the distinction he makes between diachronic and synchronic history (two aspects I had to research in order to understand his article). The previous history that Carino had presented is an example of diachronic history, in which I had to look up, and according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is relating with any phenomena as it occurs or changes over a period of time.  The diachronic history of writing centers that was presented in the article is not complete because Carino contends it is too reliant on the selection and arrangement of the events. A more accurate analysis may be provided by Carino’s utilization of synchronic history, in which Carino presents events concerned in a limited time and does not rely on historical antecedents. Carino presents three essential questions that have concerned early clinics and labs in relation to the labs and centers today.

Although Carino asserts the history that he presents in his article is limited and hazy, I would contend that for a first-time researcher on the writing center field he is able to draw an abstract history that will enlighten said researcher. Carino’s article is able to able to create a historical trial that showcases the branches of the field forming, how throughout history writing centers’ themes change and shift, and how it can be analyzed through a diachronic and synchronic historical context. His breakdown will prove useful for research on the SWCA’s own evolutionary history. Three subfields that are mentioned in Carino’s article that should be asked and answered for the SWCA are the questions of clientele, staff and institutional identity. In particular, his examination on writing centers made me think of the possibilities on how such contextualization, of a diachronic and synchronic history, can be applied to the SWCA.

Summerfield, J. (1988). Writing Centers: A Long View. In R.W. Barnett & J. S. Blumner (Ed.), The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing Center Theory and Practice (pp. 22 – 28). New York, NY: Longman.

                Writing Centers: A Long View is an article written by Judith Summerfield recounting her personal experiences with writing centers. She begins the article by assuming the roles of flight and perch, as exemplified by William James. Summerfield equates that parts of our lives are lived in flight, or as participants, while at other times, life is perched, and we are spectators. Throughout her life Summerfield can find her in flight and perched periods. It is during the 1970s, a time of change in university policy and a new atmosphere that Summerfield sees the writing center “as integral to . . . political, social, and pedagogic experiments” (p. 23). Throughout this time of doing, reading and writing, Summerfield cannot stop her questioning nature and is compelled to ask why? ; subsequently she is “rotated” out of her position at the writing center. 

               

                At this point, Summerfield begins to questions the lessons that can be learned from those early days. From her perched state, Summerfield concludes that two stages emerged from the workshop experiment. First, the one-to-one tutoring aspect showcases the differences between all of us. Second, the workshop experiment recognizes “the social nature of language and learning” (p. 25). With such a large possibility for growth, the writing center can be seen as a community – a possibility that can lead to problems within an institution. This was the point in which Summerfield’s own history had been “rotated”, and she offers a cautionary tale on questioning nature of students united. Even with such a warning, Summerfield argues for the “gathering of minds” and cautions against any aspect that may stop such a feat (p. 28).

               

                Summerfield’s article offers a personal account on the field of writing centers in the 1970s and 80s that parallels the description of writing centers in The Idea of a Writing Center. Unfortunately, it is her own enthusiasm that brings about her ousting from the writing center. Thus, the personal history that Summerfield weaves is perhaps a microcosm of the writing center field in the 70s and 80s. Branches of ideas that will connect the SWCA to this article are the microcosm representation. If Summerfield is correct in her presentation, the decade before the inception of the SWCA was a flowering of writing center idealism. In the oncoming decade, the tides have shifted; the same decade that was the SWCA’s first decade. Drawing from such conclusions, one must question the challenges that were faced by the SWCA, how they interacted with the evolving field of writing centers and how the 70s and 80s decades had any effect on subsequent periods.

Theory

North, S. M.  (1984). The Idea of a Writing Center. In R.W. Barnett & J. S. Blumner (Ed.), The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing Center Theory and Practice (pp. 63 – 78). New York, NY: Longman.

The Idea of a Writing Center is an article written by Stephen M. North concerning his frustration with the state of writing centers in 1984. North laments the misconceptions that surround writing centers, often not only at the hands of the entire university, but at the ignorance exhibited in the English field towards the writing center. North does not agree with any notion that the writing center is a fix-it shop, nor a skills center, and it does not deal with mechanical problems. North then begins his (militant) argument for the old writing center as offset of curriculum, but the new writing center as defining itself on the writers it serves. North asserts the job of a writing center s “to produce better writers, not better writing” (p. 69). From this point on, North systematically presents what the foundations of writing centers should be, how it interacts with the institution and the importance of writing tutor and tutee relationships. Throughout the last pages, North outlines the mentality of writing centers in the 1980s. He proposes the difficulty in the possibility of research in writing centers; makes a distinction that writing center work is not considered fundable; and argues the writing center field can often be considered professional liability.

Throughout the article, North makes it a point to state that he did not wish to present himself as overly argumentative or as to having a defeatist attitude.  As much as the author did not want to “sound” that way, he sure did come across actually in such manners. One can understand such a viewpoint, for if read in the historical context it is presented in, North is attempting to present ideas that offer revolutionary viewpoints on writing centers. Faced with a history, and subsequent condition, in which he does not agree with, North must militantly argue for his new standpoints on writing centers. The article was especially useful on it presentation of specific areas such as the origins and themes of writing centers, how they relate (or possibly may not) to a campus and the mentality of the 1980s writing center field. In the perspective of the SWCA, I will have to research how the association fits into North’s idea. North’s article is written in 1984, three years after the SWCA’s inception, and must then be analyzed how it has influenced the association’s beginning years, and subsequent history.   

North, S. M.  (1994). Revisiting “The Idea of a Writing Center”. In R.W. Barnett & J. S. Blumner (Ed.), The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing Center Theory and Practice (pp. 79 – 91). New York, NY: Longman.

                Revisiting “The Idea of a Writing Center” is an article written by Stephen M. North to combat his own arguments in an article written ten years prior, The Idea of a Writing Center. North begins his article by presenting the movie Dead Poets Society as a small idealized representation of what teaching is and can be. In a similar pattern his first article “presents its own kind of jeopardy” (p.81). North’s intended audience had been a general one, but believes its greater impact has been on those associated with writing centers. By focusing on specific passages, North creates amendments to his previous essay. Specifically, North focuses on passages that pertained to student’s motivation, the anthropological viewpoint of the writing center and the ritual of writing, the relationship of the writing center to faculty and a debate between the writing center as the consciousness or the conscience of writing for a university. North continues that with the passage of time, he has come to an amended idea of what a writing center should be. In the framework of his previous passages, he stipulates four distinct situations ideal to any writing center. North concludes that his amended idea of what a writing center should be is not a final product, because of all the possible branching of new introductions.

                North’s 1994 article seems to be written by North 2.0; this new version of North is radically different and writes in a completely different style. He seems more open-minded to the idea of change and his amendments propose a different modus operandi for writing centers. As opposed to his previous article, North writes for an audience that is particularly vested in the field of writing centers, and not for a general purpose. With such a change, North is able to focus his message, specifically his amendments, on how it will affect writing centers and how they operate. His article, in addition to other presented on theory, have created a timeline on writing center ideas. These ideas have been hard to grasp, and will require diligence to understand them completely. I write this to illustrate North’s idea of consciousness with that of conscience; one that I will have to research fully because it will be applicable to the evolutionary history of the SWCA.  Even from first readings, I can see that North’s ideas are influential and it is significant how his first article was written in 1984, and then subsequently revisited in 1994. This rewriting aspect shows a progression in how writing centers were examined; from such an examination I will attempt to find any current North writing that showcase the continuing evolution of writing centers.

Lunsford, A. (1991). Collaboration, Control, and the Idea of a Writing Center. In R.W. Barnett & J. S. Blumner (Ed.), The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing Center Theory and Practice (pp. 92 – 99). New York, NY: Longman.

Collaboration, Control, and the Idea of a Writing Center is an article written by Andrea Lunsford to discuss the art of collaboration. Lunsford theorizes that collaboration can have adverse affects on writing centers, for it “reflects a broad-based epistemological shift, a shift in the way we view knowledge” (p. 93). Throughout her own experiences, the author believes collaboration would be a downfall to both her representation of writings centers: “The Center as Storehouse” and “The Center as Garret”. Ironically, her research pointed her in a different direction, as she highlights seven claims on the affects of collaboration. Even with such research backing up collaboration, Lunsford is hesitant with collaboration, because she feels collaborative environments and tasks are hard to create, collaboration comes in a variety of modes and must be cautious as to not reproduce a traditional model. Lunsford then advocates for the creation “of the writing center as Burkean Parlors, as centers of collaboration” (p. 98). Such collaborations would be the creation of a third representation of writing centers and prove to be the future of collaboration – an alternative that challenges the status quo.
Lunsford’s article continues the debate into the theoretical foundations of what a writing center should be. In this essay, she debates the theory of collaboration and if it can be applied to the writing center. If such a collaborative stage were to be set, the possibilities are endless, particularly the focusing on changing the status quo. Such a theory based article will be applicable to the SWCA’s own proposition on theory. Throughout its 30-year history, the SWCA will have texts of its own practices, ideas, theories – all these and more will have to be contextualized through the articles that were begin written in the same period. By analyzing the evolving practice of the SWCA and how it related to prominent theory of the time, I will be better equipped to understand what the SWCA is truly about.

Preparing for the Annotated Bib

With the due date for my Annotated Bib upon me, this blog will focus on thoughts running through my head about the articles I have read so far on the writing center field:

History on the Cheap (Christopher Hanlon)

Hanlon's article made me think that I had never before not been given a prompt and made to write on that said prompt. Then again, this is exactly what has been asked in Multigenre Research and Writing. No one has been given a prompt and we are searching for historical significance. Hanlon has some powerful quotes and makes one think of the innovation of his idea. This is also the second time I have encountered this term (historicist) so I will need to do more research on it.

Writing Clinic & Writing Lab (Robert H. Moore)

The article was unexpected the portrayal of the center as a remedial "fix-it" shop. It is important to remember the context it was written in and the distinction made between clinic and lab. These aspects will be important for the SWCA for me to find out how the assc. fits into the context. Is Moore's history a part of the SWCA history? Interesting side notes were his writing of places charging a service fee; also his emphasis on the role of faculty.

Early Writing Centers (Peter Carino)

Carino's article was enlightening and informational for the (possible) history of writing centers. He traces writing centers in several forms throughout the 20th century. I especially liked his use of "diachronic" v. "synchronic"; his breakdown will prove useful for research on the SWCA's own evolutionary history. Throughout his historical trail one can see branches of the field forming; the writing center themes change and shift. Three sub fields that will be applicable to the SWCA's evolutionary history will be the questions on clientele, staff and institutional identity. 

Writing Centers: A Long View (Judith Summerfield)

Summerfield's article offers a personal account on the field of writing centers in the 70s and 80s. Her initial description of the writing center goes along with the concept presented in The Idea of a Writing Center. Unfortunately, it is her own enthusiasm that brings about her ousting from the writing center. Thus, the personal history that Summerfield weaves is perhaps a microcosm of the writing center field in the 70s and 80s. If Summerfield is correct in her representation, the decade before the inception of the SWCA was a flowering of writing center idealism. In the oncoming decade, the tides had shifted; the same decade that was the SWCA's first decade. Drawing from such conclusions, one must question the challenges that were faced by the SWCA, how they interacted with the evolving field of writing centers and how the 80s decade may have had any influence on subsequent periods.

The Idea of a Writing Center (Stephen M. North)

As much as the author did not want to "sound" militant or appear defeatist, he sure came across that way, thus making the article was especially useful. Specific areas will have to be the origins of the themes of writing centers, how they relate (or don't) to the campus and the mentality of that time. For instance, he specifically mentions how writing centers are work that may be unfundable, research inhibiting and professional liability. Much of this has changed (I believe), so this will be a large aspect of the evolutionary history. In the perspective of the SWCA, I will have to research how the association fit into North's ideas.

Revisiting "The Idea of a Writing Center" (Stephen M. North)

Without a doubt, this article is written in a completely different style than his previous one. He seems more open-minded to the idea of change and his amendments propose a radical shift. These articles are creating a timeline for me and present what was going on at the time with writing centers ideas. These ideas have been a little hard to grasp, and will require diligence to understand them completely. Especially challenging was the idea of a writing center as a consciousness with that of conscience. I will have to research this fully and perhaps ask the director at my university what it all means. Equally important will be my task of bringing this subject matter to the SWCA and how it all relates. His first article was in '84, then '94; it may be helpful to find current writings and research how he himself has evolved.

Collaboration, Control and the Idea of a Writing Center (Andrea Lunsford)

Lunsford's article continues the debate into the theoretical foundations of what a writing center should be. In this essay, she debates the theory of collaboration and if it can be applied to the writing center. Lunsford's research suggest the challenges are worth it and can come to fruition through the creation of a third writing center idealism. With such a collaborative stage set, the possibilities are endless, particularly the focusing on changing the status-quo. Such a theory based article will be applicable to the SWCA's own proposition on theory. Throughout its 30-year-history, the SWCA has to have had its own practices, ideas, theories - all these and more will have to be contextualized through the articles that were being written in the same period.

So there you have it! The ramblings of a over-worked, sleep-deprived and under-the-weather student who still has at least 10 articles to continue reading. I think these are very substantial and will prove to be the bulk of my annotated bib. Until then, I'm sure I will be agonizing and analyzing every aspect of the assignment!

The Yada Yada

This week’s lesson involved the power of observation. It involved an awkward 15 minute session in which we all just stared intently at each other and around us - but at the same time tried desperately not to make eye contact. We were told to "observe" the classroom and take notes. My notes ranged from the gender and ethnic makeup of the class, to the conversation blurbs that hang above our heads, and in between I wrote of the design scheme of the room, bags and toenails of girls in the room. Random? I know, but one can't help what they observe in a specific time span. At the end of the period, I had learned some random facts about our classroom: only one person was wearing a hat, only one person did not have some sort of bag, two were wearing bright colors . . . yada yada yada, you get the point. The list could go on forever, because every person is going to observe something new, something different, than the person before them. Such observation made me realize the vast differences in how we all perceive the world, specifically how I observe it. 

One of the aspects that will be a future part of research project will be an observation. I had not given much thought as to how this would be applicable to the SWCA, so the classroom observation made me realize I need to start brainstorming on how I will observe a tangible aspect of the SWCA. One idea that I have is to observe the writing center at my university, but how I will relate that to the SWCA has not yet been enlightened to me. 

The last challenge to our observation routine was to write a poem on said observation. I do not know why, but I am terrified of creative writing - probably because I am horrible at it! Although I may write well, my creative bone marrow has been sucked dry, much in the same way that although I may be Brazilian, I cannot play a lick of soccer. Thus, with such a rambling introduction, I would like to include my observation poem at the end of this blog:

I spy with my little eye

Something beginning with a C

Hanging in every class in our school

Its eyes boring into me

I spy with my little eye

Something beginning with a B

Orange, zebra, black and tiny

Each reflective of one’s personality

I spy with my little eye

Something beginning with an H

Round and round it goes

Asking students for a spin

I spy with my little eye

Something beginning with . . .

You know what?

I’m tired of this game

Every letter of the alphabet I could say

And still, it would never end

Art & Action of Research

As the Annotated Bib looms in my future like the Apocalypse, I thought it would be a good idea to "journal" my ideas. In one of the last chapters we read from The Subject is Research, Wendy Bishop details her own ways of going about research. Interestingly enough, her chapter “The Researching Writer at Work” is part of the Research as Art and Action section of the book. This proved interesting to me because I never thought of research as either an art or a form of action. Throughout the last few weeks, I have to say, I have been proven wrong. The amount of reading that I have had to do is no less a work of art than is Michelangelo’s David. Ol’ Michel and I just might be neck and neck on hours spent. With the art emphasis down, the action is still to come. Such action will be evident in the large amount of interviews it seems I will have to complete to have any substantial information on the SWCA.

Now, as I wind my way back to my original thought like the ADD person that I am, Bishop writes that in every assignment/paper she has submitted from students, she asks for a “process narrative” to be submitted as well. In these process narratives, there will be “paragraphs, letters, and/or mini-essays that describe in specific detail how the text was written, including discussion of the physcial scene of drafting, time spent drafting, revision squences, writer's decisions, peer and teaching suggestions, and so on" (94). As I read this paragraph, I couldn't help but think that my blog is the 21^st, or better yet the electronic, version of Bishop’s process narrative. Analyzing my blog for how it would fit into Bishop’s description, I find it satisfactory in some aspects, but lacking in others. From now on, I will attempt to specify on such items as physicality, writing techniques and the suggestions that I am receiving throughout my research project.

Currently, the amount of research that I am reading is beginning to overwhelm me, so my next few blogs will be an attempt at the specific journal writing Bishop asks for. Hopefully with a level head and clear paragraphs, I will be able to begin making connections between my research material and the SWCA.

And so it begins . . .

At least, I would like to think that it has begun - and hopefully has begun on a good note. My previous post includes my approved research proposal. Writing the proposal was without a doubt a push in the right direction, as it forced me to think about the road that I am heading on and where I want that road to end. I also know that the field of writing centers is not widely known, not even by me when I began a year ago, so the proposal will be a good starting point for me to understand who my audience is and the questions that need to be answered.

It was not only the research proposal that was upfront and personal, but interviews were up to bat as well, with all of us learning the art of a successful Q & A. This past week has definitely been eye-opening and will undoubtedly be beneficial throughout this research project. In my case, interviews will play a tremendous role, possibly the biggest. As can be seen by my proposal, and with one of my previous posts in which I ranted about the lack of research, the SWCA will not create a deluge of research throughout databases. Instead, interviews will provide a substantial bulk of my research.

The previous interview summaries were an inquisitive experience that quieted my apprehension of the possible interviews for the research. I am naturally an outgoing and talkative individual, so I actually enjoy interviews and this past week reinforced this notion.  Many of my interviews won't actually be in person, which is the format that I would rather go with, so next I will have to practice interviewing through email and phone.

Outside of the classroom, I continued my search for more material on my subject. From the writing center director at my institution I was able to find about four books and several articles on the subject. It was an odd feeling photocopying these books and articles; I felt I was finally "researching", even if it was just the simple action of copying research material.

The next week will be a continuation of this week's adventure. I'm excited to read and analyze the material I have found and hopefully find research that will be beneficial to my project. Going along with those lines, I next have to start crafting my interview questions. This will be a big task, as there will be general questions I will ask all my interviewees, but with many of my interviewees (which I have yet to find!) I will have to ask specific questions.

It all seems to be falling into place - I just hope it doesn't start falling apart!

My Research Proposal

Title:

How has the Southeastern Writing Center Association evolved throughout its 30-year-history?

Introduction to the Research Project:

This semester my potential project will be an inquiry into the Southeastern Writing Center Association (SWCA). The SWCA is entirely what its name implies: an association of writing centers located in the southeastern portion of the United States. Founded in 1981, the SWCA is approaching its 30-year-anniversary. Throughout its history, several approaches have been taken in running, organizing and representing the SWCA. My search will then focus on how the evolution of the SWCA has progressed, what has been a part of the evolution and what this progress entails for the future.

The issue to be researched is one that I am personally and academically attached to as I am a writing center tutor for St. Thomas University. I began tutoring about a year ago and I am still learning about the world of writing centers. This research then will continue my foray into understanding how writing centers have adapted throughout their history, what are their significance and function across campuses, the role of the SWCA in running these writing centers and what the stories are of those that come into, work for and interact in any manner with a writing center.

Throughout the research, I will also be inqurying into the history of writing centers and how this has intertwined with Southeastern Writing Center Association. It is important to discover how the evolution of writing, writing centers and the SWCA are all related.

Specific Research Questions:

-          How has the history of the SWCA evolved over their 30-year-history?

-          What is the importance of the SWCA within the international writing center community?

-          How has the SWCA affected how writing centers are operated?

-          What are the stories of those that interact with writing centers and how does this involve the SWCA?

Potential Research Plan

Background information on the SWCA will be found on their website and its publication, The Southern Discourse. Their website will provide a brief history and mission statement, a membership guide, access to archived publications and contact information for the executive board, representatives-at-large and Southern Discourse editor. These members will provide potential interview subjects, as their experiences throughout their involvement with the SWCA will serve as the primary source for the SWCA’s history. A potential survey will involve the STU University Writing Center and other writing centers that are members of the SWCA. This survey will shed light on my research questions asking the significance of writing centers across different campuses. The observation aspect of this research project will entail observing the STU University Writing Center and surrounding writing centers such as FIU’s Center for Excellence in Writing.

Potential Multimodal Writings

There are several writings that can be produced from the research on the SWCA. One that has been created and I would like to perfect is a brochure for the SWCA. This brochure incorporates the history, mission statement and other important information on the SWCA. Unfortunately, I don’t believe it is up to standard, and this research project will allow me to liven up and substantiate the brochure.

Another potential multimodal project will be inspired by a presentation I attended at last year’s SWCA conference in which the presenters discussed advertising videos for writing centers. There were several aspects to the videos created such as comedic vs. serious, presentation style and technical features. It’s my hope that the research will be able to supplement the information in the video and showcase the writing center in an enlightening and appealing manner.

Other multimodal writings will involve a potential presentation at the SWCA conference and an article for the Southern Discourse. These writings will be a retrospective and investigative review of my research project.

Conclusion

In summary, this research project will be an inquiry into the past, present and potential future of the Southeastern Writing Center Association. The SWCA is a large association that will branch out into investigating the historical significance of the SWCA in the writing field, explore its main theme of writing centers and possibly turn into a venture of study into my Professional Writing major. The research project will incorporate interviewing members of the SWCA, surveying writing centers in the SWCA and observing those that interact with writing centers. This research project will also incorporate an addition of multimodal documents such as a brochure, video clip, (potential) presentation at a conference and article in the Southern Discourse.

Life in Hialeah

Hialeahean Interview Summary:

The difference between the research material that is available on a city and the perspective of an individual living in said city is a broad spectrum that at certain points merge, but most often than not lie on completely different sides. Such is the story of Hialeah, in which my research brought out interesting highs and lows that (sometimes) interacted with that of my interviewee. The most significant match is that of the Hialeahean's Cuban heritage. According to Hialeah demographics, the city of Hialeah is only second to Westchester in Cuban population with about 86% of the city noting a lineage tracing its roots to Cuba. Without a doubt, the language of Hialeah is one that works symbiotically, with Hialeah ranking second with Spanish as the spoken language in the United States. Ironically enough, number one is Hialeah Gardens, a suburb, according to the Hialeahean interviewee, that was created because Hialeah city "could not deal with them anymore" and is only a form of "demographic hair-splitting".

Such a large Hispanic influence is evident with Hialeah's motto, to the interviewee's knowledge, being the only city in America to incorporate Spanish: La Ciudad que Progresa - The City that Progresses. Along the lines of a Cuban heritage is the Santero community - with Hialeah's claim to fame as the largest community of santeros outside of Cuba. With an empathic "Oh, Yeah", the Hialeahean can recount vividly his own experiences with santeria and the rivalry that occurs between the botanicas - the religious stores that line many streets throughout Hialeah.

With such a eclectic mix of cultures, one would think that Hialeah ranks favorably in terms of travel, but Forbes ranked Hialeah in 2009 as one of the most boring cities in America. The Hialeahean will agree - but only to a point. Yes, he states, our malls and movie theaters "suck", and venues for entertainment are limited, but he believes Forbes has lost its mark. Hialeah, throughout his experiences, has been a cultural landscape filled with the "strange" and "peculiar" - a place where outsiders will be able to experience a culture unlike no other.

Such a strong notion of the Hialeahean's city leads me into a travel guide that I had found throughout my research. The recommendation for food and drinks while travelling throughout Hialeah: Chipotle (Mexican fast food); Jerry and Joe's Pizza from NY; and La Carreta ("authentic" Cuban food). As I read this list, the Hialeah's eyes begin to roll and he shakes his head. You want Hialeah, he asks me. Forget that list. Go to El Rey de la Fritas.

I might just take his offer. I haven't travelled down the 826 in awhile.

Interview Write-Up

My first interview summary is one of literary history and its surrounding aspects.

My sports admin interviewee is a college student majoring in English. His literary history begins inconspicuously with him starting to read surrounded by a family that revels in reading and academics. Dr. Seuss, as with so many others, resonates as his first book experiences. Transitioning to elementary, this school era translates to an excelling in academics where reading and writing are seen as a passion to cultivate. Unfortunately this era comes to an end with the start of middle and high school, as the sports admin shifts to a focus on athletics that diminishes his love for the literary world. When asked of the difficulties in combining the sports world with his academic world, the sports admin believes it was his incapability to balance both and one overtook the other. It was only until college that a catalyst was enacted in the form of one professor, Dr. Montes. It is with Dr. Montes' inspiration that the sports admin is able to change his outlook and begin a successful merging of both his literary and sports culture. A new horizon was forming for the sports admin, as it was at this time he changed his major to English and is now considering a future in grad school with a Masters in either Sports Administration and/or English. The sports admin dream will be to one day merge the two into a successful career as a sports journalism, thus bringing two spectrums into one. Such a passion for both fields is evident as the sports admin speaks, with his emphatic notion that it is possible "to use one to understand" the other. This symbiotic relationship is evident throughout his personal literary history as he describes reading "How Soccer Explains the World" and delves into how it is possible to utilize sports to understand economics, society - in his words, to find "the deeper  meaning of sports". At a happy medium in his life, the sports admin has reached a meaningful point in the arch of his literary history - successfully blending together a passion for sports and an ingrained family culture of literacy.

Baby Steps

As I attempted the first part of my research project this week, I was reminded of one my favorite movies. I recently rewatched What About Bob? and the catchphrase of the movie would not stop replaying as I began to research the Southeastern Writing Center Association. The outcomes were mixed and varied, but mostly seemed to stay within the range of why is this here?

Searching ProQuest for Southeastern Writing Center Association wielded results ranging from Taiwan and Imperialism to China and the Huns. Searching LexisNexis for SWCA found me browsing through results for the Holocaust and Jews. It was at this time that Bob's motto flashed through my mind: Baby Steps.

The SWCA as a topic will definitely be one in which the "usual" sources will not yield as much research as I may have anticipated. The first day I researched I found perhaps one article that I would truly utilize. The others would perhaps bring me ideas and lead me down other paths. And then there were the random ones that just made me scratch my head.  

Thus, Baby Steps.

This research project will definitely be an exercise in patience, nerve and an unyielding sense that I just keep looking. Without a doubt, it will be like nothing I have undertaken before. In the words of Bob:

Baby steps as I wade through research; baby steps as I interview countless sources; baby steps as I survey out-of-state writing centers; baby steps as I observe my 20th session; baby steps through a minimum 4000 word paper; just plain ol' baby steps until I knock this monster out of the park.

Complete 360 . . . er, 180.

One look at my post title and one can see I am going in a different angle than anything that I brought in previously. To my chagrin, I am often one of those that believe doing a complete 360 would set me in a new direction. In all actuality, this would be very counter intuitive, seeing as I doubt my goal was to be right back where I started. Instead, what I am attempting to do with this post will (hopefully) result in a 180 turnaround of positivity and not a 360 run-around with no end.

After discussing with several other members of my research class, a new light has surfaced for my research project ideas. As much as I would be intellectually curious to find out the underlying nature on how individuals perceive immigration, religion or homosexuality, I do not know what the end of the journey would entail. This research project will hopefully be a manner for me to start my publishing/presenting/etc. aspect of a writing career and so it may not be completely beneficial to invest such time with no possibility that any of these goals would be accomplished.

As a recent convert to the Professional Writing major, I will instead focus this research project on investigating my own field. Throughout  The Subject is Research, they often have examples of students who search within their own field to get an idea of what their future holds. This will be my inspiration, as there are so many branches this major can take, so I must start learning them and attempt to find my own niche within. 

The idea that I have then decided on is investigate the Southeastern Writing Center Association (SWCA). It is their 30th year as an organization, and so their history as an association is broad, and I have a personal connection as a writing center tutor. This topic will be very new to me, as I have only recently been introduced to the world of writing centers and feel very much like a fish out of water. My only hope is that I do not get completely stuck out of the water!