Shifting Our Perspective: Disrupting Institutional Expectations Around Writing

As collegiate writing centers, we exist within institutions that privilege certain types of writers and writing. Students come from a variety of writing backgrounds and therefore it may be difficult for them to alter the way they think or write in order to adhere to the academic expectations set by their institutions. Most institutions demand a certain mastery of “standard” English, which may put some students at a disadvantage in terms of meeting the norms and standards set by the dominant academic system. Given that there is often a set standard for “good writing”, what role do we, as writing centers, have in shaping these expectations while attending to the needs of our clients? In this workshop, we will analyze academic expectations around writing in our institutions using the work of Parker Palmer. Through his work, we will explore the ways in which our writing centers, whether large or small, deal with relational dynamics around learning and knowledge. Together, we will brainstorm strategies to redefine the roles and responsibilities of our writing centers so that they can be transformed from “remedial spaces” into spaces where we can engage in discussions around the possibilities of language and writing. We will talk about a project we’ve undertaken in collaboration with our Critical Ethnic Studies department to broaden the ways we think about, talk about, and teach writing on our campus. We believe that every writing center can do the work of recognizing their role in shaping conversations around writing within their institutions