Ball, Cheryl, and Drew M. Loewe, editors. Bad Ideas about Writing. West Virginia UP and Digital Publishing Institute, 2016. ISBN-13: 978-0-9988820-0-0

Free electronic version (recommended): https://textbooks.lib.wvu.edu/badideas/badideasaboutwriting-book.pdf

Various PDFs linked in the syllabus.

This course surveys composition theory with an emphasis on practical application for teachers and tutors of writing.

Students will engage the historical trajectory of composition scholarship and analyze ongoing debates about writing instruction.  Students will engage in weekly discussions about composition pedagogy and design teaching philosophies and units of instruction that engage composition theories and practices.

Upon successful completion of the course, each student should be able to:

• Develop proficiencies in scholarly inquiry and writing practices
• Evaluate and critique composition pedagogy theories and classroom practices
• Develop a personal teaching philosophy in context of writing and teaching composition
• Design a unit of instruction that engage aspects of composition theories and classroom practices