Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Writing of WPA work at small liberal arts colleges, Jill Gladstein and Dara Regaignon
examine both common leadership structures and how local contexts shape writing leadership.
Their work has allowed me to understand how my WPA work is facilitated and limited by
“embedded” persons. Paraphrasing these authors, by “embedded” persons I mean
people on campus not explicitly viewed as WPAs but whom exert authority over writing
curriculum nonetheless (58-59). The rest of this talk examines the intersection of explicit
and embedded leadership. It does so within the context of the new, untenured WPA stepping
into ongoing curricular change at a small liberal arts college.
My position was born from a Core curriculum overhaul which introduced explicit writing
instruction into lower-level philosophy, history, and English courses and created upper-level
writing courses in the disciplines. These courses joined the first-year composition
course housed in the English Department. My position’s title was revised to acknowledge
this expansion of writing. No longer a First-Year Writing Coordinator, I am, instead, the Director
of Writing. The upcoming slide provides an oversimplification
of my institutional positioning as my responsibilities extend to not only the Core but also writing
center work. That said, I live solidly within the English Department. The intersection of
my responsibilities and my departmental home means that I work alongside numerous “embedded”
persons with authority over writing. Two of the most influential are my department chair
and the Core Director, a philosophy faculty member. Coming to understand what these embedded
decision makers value and what pressures they face has shaped all facets of my work. So
while my job description includes many different tasks, one such task is to negotiate among
these various constituents. What have I learned during my first two years?
Much of what I have learned relates to what Raymond Williams’s calls tradition as an
“active shaping force” (115). Williams’s idea helps me to understand why things are
the way they are, even if these things don’t always make sense or aren’t exactly what
I might value. Furthermore, tradition helps me to understand the distinctions Thomas Amorose
draws among power, authority and influence (89-90). Because of the curricular authority
held by both Core and the English Department, my work depends on me gaining influence within
these bodies. To do this work, I’ve had to better understand not just the Core Director
and my chair and not just the current initiatives occurring on campus but also how these initiatives
extend from and reshape institutional traditions. The distinction between authority and influence
is especially important given the lack of a codified writing program. Remember, I’m
the Director of Writing, a rather nebulous title that caused me more trouble than it
caused anyone else. Said differently, the lack of an explicit writing program seemed
to bother no one but me. I was the outsider lacking in knowledge. Quickly I learned it
was far easier to work within existing structures and that such work required navigating among
embedded decision makers. What suggestions do I have for other WPAs
who also work alongside embedded leaders? The advice I have may sound obvious, though
I’ve tried to tailor it to this explicit-embedded relationship. First, there’s no substitution
for asking questions. Remember, much of what you are walking into has roots in decisions,
processes, and values that predate you. Furthermore, this information may not be explicitly available
to you. Questions allow you to learn about local contexts and to gain knowledge about
embedded decision makers. Asking questions also allows you to come to
understand what different constituents value, including members of your own department.
While my work overlaps numerous programs and departments, my departmental colleagues privilege
my English affiliation. Given my department’s large size, I’ve found it valuable to develop
an unofficial support system both inside and outside the department. I’ve been particularly
aided by colleagues who have prior experience working with the embedded decision makers
with whom I regularly interact. The active traditions shaping my WPA work
have taught me to privilege the “living” context. By living context, I mean the human
engagements that bring curriculum to life. The transition from graduate school to a small
liberal arts college forces new WPAs to understand how people, including embedded leaders, may
not share your disciplinary knowledge and values. As gaining influence depends on utilizing
the authority held by these persons, learning how to engage them is vital. Although this
work involves a fair amount of push and pull, I’ve found the rewards to be vast as my
influence over writing decisions has increased. The people aren’t bad either.