Course Objective that Connects to an Objective of Future Job: Make Stylistic Choices Appropriate for a Given Rhetorical Situation.

One of the more earth shattering things I learned about composition this semester was the idea of the mode being the message.  My schooling has had a staunch devotion to the almighty essay.  While now I am thrilled to be able to write a decent essay, they were for many years the bane of my existence.  I was never a strong writer, and I am still a wretched speller.  Essays were extremely difficult for me.  For most of my school career I assumed that because I could not write an essay, then I must not understand the information.  Now I realize that essays did not jive with my personal learning strategy.  One of my missions as an educator is to provide learning opportunities that appeal to a wide variety of learners. Of course, I will continue to teach the basics that men in suits expect from their employees, but fortunately that idea is quickly broadening due to an explosion of multi-modal communication.

I admit, I may have overdone the notion of self-expression in my syllabus, but that is because I was so taken with the idea of allowing students to make choices about how they present information and reflecting on the success of that choice.  This is a really exciting time to study communication because it has never been so varied.  With the proliferation of technology, classes will have to include different ways for students to present information, and, by extension, will appeal to a larger range of learners.  Students will not only have to make choices about what they present, but how they present it; what is the right choice for the right audience and topic.  This notion pairs so well with composition is like the entire field has been waiting for this shift.  It is clear to me from grading that there are students who still struggle with the idea of making choices in writing.  It a fair thing to struggle with; it is abstract and they have had very little experience intentionally practicing it.  However, the idea of choices will be easier to demonstrate if you ask them whether or not this information should be presented in a video or podcast.  Without realizing it, they will be discussing rhetoric, and it will be easier for them to recognize similar choices in pieces of writing. 

When composition shifts to focus as much on the medium as much as the content, there will be a number of struggles. Adding new complications will be difficult for some, others may not appreciate the differences in the mediums, and a hundred more issues that no one can prepare for.  However, this is a massive shift in composition, and when the topic expands to more than just writing, it can appeal to and interest a number of different learners.  After all, learning is about making choices, considering the results, and adjusting your actions.  As with every lesson, the process becomes more complicated. However, the advances we talk towards expansion and inclusion can only lead to an overwhelming number of good things.