Toward an Antiracist Rhet/Comp (McIntyre, M.)

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Name: Megan McIntyre

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Date published: 2021

Course level: Graduate

Course title: Toward an Antiracist Rhet/Comp

Course description: Though writing studies as a specific discipline is somewhat new, it traces its roots back to the rhetorical education of the ancient world, from Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers/teachers to Chinese, East Asian, African, and Indigenous literacy practices. This course begins by examining both these ancient foundations and the more contemporary origins of the discipline, with a specific emphasis on what foundations are necessary for an antiracist discipline. We will also investigate how contemporary rhetorical and critical theory (including critical race theory, feminist theory, and cultural studies rhetorics) intersect with contemporary pedagogies and approaches (especially antiracist writing pedagogy, postpedagogy, and critical pedagogy), with a specific emphasis on asset-based teaching and antiracist classroom practices. Finally, we will grapple with what equity-based, asset-based, and antiracist classrooms look like in practice.

Course philosophy/motivation: “This is a course that serves two sometimes overlapping populations: TAs teaching first-year writing courses and MA students in the Rhetoric and the Teaching of English track of our English MA program who are likely about to propose their thesis project. The syllabus works to serve these two groups by working thematically and assigning just two kinds of out-of-class assignments: synthesis papers and a culminating project that can really be anything a student proposes. We also do habitual in-class work that’s mean to support students new to the discipline; this work includes weekly additions to a class glossary and a key quotes document. The course begins with some texts that frame the discipline then we move to histories (both historical rhetorics and composition history). The second half of the class focuses on asset-based and antiracist pedagogy and practice.” 

Cite as: McIntyre, M., Toward an Antiracist Rhet/Comp, July, 2021,  Gayle Morris Sweetland Digital Rhetoric Collaborative.

About Author

Jianfen Chen

Jianfen Chen is a PhD student in Rhetoric and Composition at Purdue. Her research interests include public rhetoric, digital rhetoric, risk communication, intercultural communication, and professional and technical communication.

Sarah Hughes

Sarah Hughes is a PhD candidate in the Joint Program in English & Education at the University of Michigan, where she also teaches in the English Department Writing Program. Her research interests include digital rhetoric, gender and discourse, and gaming studies. Her dissertation project explores how women use multimodal discourse—grammatically, narratively, and visually—to navigate online gaming ecologies.

Nupoor Ranade

Nupoor is a PhD Candidate in the Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media at the North Carolina State University. Her research focuses on audience analysis, digital rhetoric, user experience and information design primarily in the field of technical communication and artificial intelligence. Her research experience and partnerships with the industry help her bridge gaps of knowledge that she then brings to her pedagogical practices.