TEACHING

Current Course (Fall 07)

English 402, sections 1 and 2 are being taught by Ellen Franklin.

 

Teaching Philosophy

Teaching students to recognize rhetoric’s presence in all discourse production forms the foundation of my teaching. As social creatures, humans produce discourse as a means by which to come to consensus regarding the truth in a given context. The “will to truth” masks rhetoric’s presence in discourse production. The “will to truth,” outlined by Foucault in The Discourse on Language, “relies on institutional support: it is both reinforced and accompanied by whole strata of practices such as pedagogy […]. But it is probably even more profoundly accompanied by the manner in which knowledge is employed in a society, the way in which it is exploited, divided and, in some ways, attributed.”

The role institutions play in the “will to truth” concerns me. Thus, I contextualize my technical and professional communication classrooms as a consulting firm to teach students about the organizational aspects of the workplace that affect communicative practices. I place the onus on students to set timetables and meet deadlines, but I provide them with scaffolding—such as examples of approved work, time to write in class, and opportunities for observation and testing limits—to help them plan projects, determine appropriate media and authoring tools, and collaborate effectively with peers. I mentor my students by encouraging casual conversation on relevant issues, but I also instill the rhetorical theory to support the design and content choices they make and the terminology to articulate those choices to others.

My commitment to teachers and students is also informed by my workplace experiences. As an officer in the USCG, I participated in the design and implementation of large-scale technological systems, working closely with technology contractors such as Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), and SAIC. These experiences are invaluable as bridges between academia and industry that strengthen professional communication pedagogy and theory. As a scholar, I sought to pass along lessons I learned by developing professional writing pedagogical workshops, at which teachers share assignments, teaching approaches, and resources. As a teacher, I use my experience as an officer working with industry to facilitate client-based projects. However, I would like more involvement in student internships, so that students and I can study the communicative practices of an actual workplace together.

As a technology scholar and teacher, I am passionate about learning how to use new technologies to expand my pedagogical repertoire. As the site administrator of the Profcomm web site, I taught the English Department’s only online course. I held class in the Teamwave Workplace™ online collaboration environment. I taught students to be competent in this virtual environment so that they could fully participate in the course. In the virtual classroom, the pedagogical benefits and pitfalls of the high-tech classroom are placed in relief, and my work as site administrator had direct pedagogical consequences.

My work in the virtual classroom was cut short by my recall to Active Duty, but I have kept the teaching goal of developing additional online offerings, either as distance learning courses or in conjunction with research into the pedagogy of virtual environments. For instance, I led a team of LGI members in the construction of a pedagogical game called “Aristotle’s Assassins” using Bioware’s Aurora Toolset (the production tool used to build the game Neverwinter Nights [Atari 2002]). As project manager, I ensured that pedagogy and a critique of the technology imbued our “mod,” rather than beginning with the toolset’s capabilities. However, I am fully aware of the toolset's capabilities, and I would enjoy the opportunity to teach a visual and spatial rhetorics course in the virtual world. As the class discussed different visual and spatial rhetorical theories, we could alter the virtual world to accommodate those theories and then question our results.

Finally, regardless of what I teach, my overarching goal is to provide the best instruction possible to my students, and that means being mindful of the individuals they are and the experiences they bring to the classroom.

Past Courses

Department of English, Washington State University

Assistant Professor (2006—present)

English 402, Technical and Professional Writing – Course on theory and practice of technical writing. Students analyze the rhetorical effects of visual and textual choices made with consideration of the context, the content, and the form of various professional documents.

Department of English, University of Arizona

Teaching Associate (2000—2003 and 2004—2005)

English 101 – Course on rhetorical analysis and negotiation of the writer/reader relationship. Through discussions, workshops, group activities, library research, and interviews with specialists in various fields, students critique disciplinary practices as rhetorical situations, which inform written communication strategies.

English 102 – Course on writing as inquiry and text in context. Students contemplate how three genres of Alice and Wonderland (live action film, novel, and animation) and the historical moments in which they were produced affect how they understand Alice in Wonderland.

Business Writing, English 307 – Course on analyzing language practices from the professions, enabling students to identify context appropriate practices. Students conduct client-based projects and tailored documents to each client’s specific context, gaining experience with the implications of communication choices, collaboration, and follow through of a project from initial to final steps, including query letters, proposals, and final reports. (course taught online 3 semesters)

Technical Writing, English 308 – Course on theory and practice of technical writing. Students analyze the rhetorical affects of the communication practices of technical writers, engineers, and managers employed in technology industries to make effective choices about the form and content of a series of projects, including a set of instructions, a technical description and definition, a brochure, and a technical report.

Department of Rhetoric and Writing Studies, San Diego State University

Teaching Associate (1999—2000)

RWS 100 – Course on writing and reading as critical inquiry. Students engaged texts though Toulmin’s argumentation structure. Comparing several texts on the same subject, students analyzed the way authors build rhetorical arguments to support disparate outcomes. Using Toulmin’s concepts of argumentation to create their own arguments, students addressed rhetorical gaps or fallacies in the assigned texts.

Teaching Assistant (1998—1999)

RWS 97A (Integrated Curriculum) & 97B (Portfolio) – Attended two classes (one general education course and one composition course) with twenty-five students and assisted the writing instructor by providing one-to-one tutorial support. Year-long curriculum emphasized writing as process, structure, and mechanics.

Tutoring

Department of Rhetoric and Writing Studies, San Diego State University

Drop-In Tutor (1998—1999)

Provided one-on-one assistance with all aspects of writing to students at all levels in all disciplines. Special emphasis on writing for the Lower Division Writing Proficiency Exam and the Upper Division Writing Proficiency Exam.

Test Office, San Diego State University

Special Consultant (1998—2000)

Participated in development of criteria for Upper Division Writing Proficiency Exam. Graded over 50 exams per semester using holistic assessment methods. Conducted pre-grading “norming” sessions. Consulted with students regarding performance.

Department of English and Comparative Literature, San Diego State University

Drop-In Tutor (1998—1999)

Provided one-on-one assistance with all aspects of writing to majors and graduate students in the department. Special emphasis on constructing extended arguments for graduate term papers.