- The axiological question: in general, what makes writing ‘good’?
- The process question: in general, how do written texts come into existence?
- The pedagogical question: in general, how does one teach college students effectively, especially where procedural rather than propositional knowledge is the goal? And
- The epistemological question: ‘How do you know that?’ which underlies answers to all the others. (657-8)
He states that there is no process philosophy because “[a]ll composition perspectives assume some view of the writing process” (658). Also, once again, he asserts that “although the perspective influences the pedagogical and process views and reflects epistemological assumptions, there is no near one-to-one pattern” (658).
Contemporary Expressivism
- Evaluative Theory:
- writing with ‘voice’ (667)
- self aware, self-reflective (667)
- writing with ‘voice’ (667)
- View of Process:
- free writing, journal keeping, reflective writing, and small group collaborative response (667)
- free writing, journal keeping, reflective writing, and small group collaborative response (667)
- View of Pedagogy:
- the overriding goal [of writing] is a means of fostering personal development (667)
- the overriding goal [of writing] is a means of fostering personal development (667)
- **Epistemology Assumed:
- internal, discoverable but not teachable
- internal, discoverable but not teachable
- Evaluative Theory:
- Students write papers interpreting social artifacts, usually selected in connection with the course theme(s)
- Emphasizes the local, often through sophisticated lore (662)
- The standard of evaluation used is…how close has the student come to giving a “defensible” analysis of the materials (662)
- Students write papers interpreting social artifacts, usually selected in connection with the course theme(s)
- View of Process:
- The central activity of the course is interpretation of (1) readings, (2) cultural artifacts, or (3) both (660).
- The central activity of the course is interpretation of (1) readings, (2) cultural artifacts, or (3) both (660).
- View of Pedagogy:
- the course aim is not improved writing but liberation from dominant discourse (660)
- multiple text reflect one theme (660)
- ethnographic research receives high credibility as a knowledge source (662)
- the course aim is not improved writing but liberation from dominant discourse (660)
- **Epistemology Assumed:
- The interpretive moves assume the artifact/text reveals certain deep structural truths about power (661)
- Knowledge is socially constructed through dialectical exchanges (662)
- The interpretive moves assume the artifact/text reveals certain deep structural truths about power (661)
- Evaluative Theory:
- suitability to the context, including concern for classical issues of pathos, ethos, and logos (671)
- suitability to the context, including concern for classical issues of pathos, ethos, and logos (671)
- View of Process:
- writing is a complex extended set of (teachable) activities in which a wide variety of invention procedures may be valuable, and equal variety of drafting and revision activities (671)
- writing is a complex extended set of (teachable) activities in which a wide variety of invention procedures may be valuable, and equal variety of drafting and revision activities (671)
- View of Pedagogy:
- lecture is eschewed (671)
- metaphors of coach, master craft person (the student as apprentice) (671)
- teacher modeling, followed by student performance, followed by critique, followed by further practice (671)
- lecture is eschewed (671)
- **Epistemology Assumed:
- values and decisions are reached through dialectic (671)
- values and decisions are reached through dialectic (671)
** “Epistemological assumptions are crucial to such courses on two levels: (1) they determine what sort of scholarly research is acceptable as grounding for the approach itself (as is true for any approach), and (2) they also control what students are taught regarding ‘proof’ in their own reading and writing” (662).