In the upcoming Spring Quarter, Dr. Monica Reyes will be teaching another iteration of WRD 550: The Community-Engaged Writing Classroom. This course offers theoretical and practical instruction about how to connect writing students with communities for advocacy and learning. Students will learn from WRD faculty who have taught community-engaged courses and develop ideas for community-centered student projects suitable for writing classrooms.
Below, Dr. Reyes shares her thoughts on the upcoming course, encouraging students from a variety of interests in teaching to enroll.
What kinds of students do you think would benefit from this course?
This course would be fitting for anyone who wants to teach (or is currently teaching) a writing/ English Language Arts course. I imagine that students who are planning on teaching first-year writing would benefit from the readings and discussions the most.
Also, I think this course would attract many students who have had some kind of community partnership in their academic experience, like direct service. Perhaps they are curious about the differences among direct service, project-based service, community-based research, and advocacy and solidarity. I suspect that students who are already passionate about their cultures and communities and care about social justice issues would be curious about how to tie advocacy into their teaching. I think this class will be enlightening about the different ways that a writing teacher can facilitate meaningful connections between their students and their community.
What kinds of reading and/or projects should students expect to complete in WRD 550?
I will heavily rely on a Cultural Rhetorics pedagogy perspective as a foundation about community-building, relationships, and storytelling. These ideas are crucial to establishing productive ties from the classroom to surrounding communities. A few articles that students should expect to see on our syllabus are here, here, and here.
Assignments will ask students to offer feedback on syllabi from various community-engaged courses and projects at the university level. In addition, students will reflect on the communities they would like to partner with as educators.
Will there be any community engagement components to the course itself?
Students will rely on their own organic community connections (non-profits, places of worship, advocacy organizations, cultural spaces/ institutions, schools) to imagine, construct, and think-through possible assignments fitting for a first-year writing student.
I will say that the class will feature DePaul staff and faculty who have taught or helped design community-engaged writing classes. Faculty who will visit our class include Dr. Tim Elliot, Dr. Lisa Dush, and Professor Jennifer Finstrom.
What are you most looking forward to teaching in WRD 550?
I’m excited to understand students’ experiences with community-engaged courses and what comes from their own innovative and creative ideas.
Enroll in WRD 550: The Community-Engaged Writing Classroom this Spring Quarter and stay up to date on the details of WRD’s graduate course offerings by reading our Course Spotlights.