(Re)situating Professionalism: Using Course Documents As Tactical Tools in the Professional Writing Classroom

ABSTRACT

Through an auto-ethnographic critical reflection methodology, this article describes our attempts to use course documents as tactical tools of resistance within undergraduate professional writing courses. Using introspection to examine how our positionalities and values shape the choices we make when constructing course documents, we advocate for scholars and practitioners of rhetoric and technical communication to engage in a sustained practice of critical reflection as part of developing inclusive and equitable pedagogy and classroom coalition building.

KEYWORDS:

• Professional
• syllabus
• document design
• pedagogy
• course documents
• tactical teaching

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. In this article we use the term ethos to suggest credibility or reliability, embracing its Greco-Roman derivation and seeing it as a rhetorical device that is employed or projected.

2. We recognize that professionalism is a sticky topic and that there is not a settled, field-wide definition of the term. As such, our goal is to offer our own understanding of what it means to be professional/embody a professional ethos, specifically as it pertains to being the instructor of record within a professional writing classroom. For us, this understanding links professionalism/professional ethos to the concept of belonging (i.e., who belongs either within a specific space, or within a position of authority within a specific space).

3. Royster and Kirsch build on Clifford Geertz’s (1973) metaphor of “tacking in” to focus closely on the scholarship or knowledge being presented, and “tacking out” as the process by which we zoom out to put that knowledge in cultural context to get a deeper impression of the scene.

4. Tensions between BIPOC students and the SU admin rank and file did not just erupt in 2019; as the name implies there were multiple racist occurrences across a span of years that brought about #NotAgainSU’s occupation of campus buildings.

5. My commitment to Black feminist praxis impels me to cite my collaborative partner whose current research revolves around instructors co-creating a generative vibe with students. We developed this policy (one among a set of other co-constructed course policies) to set clear expectations with students about how to navigate the synchronous course and to provide some insight into our respective Black feminist approach. My use of the “vibe” lingo stems from our ongoing intellectual engagements.

6. These questions act as a version of my survey and not in its fullest form. Some questions are regularly featured in my Accountability Policy surveys and were codeveloped by Lida Colón and myself. Other questions were specially designed for PTW courses. Reevaluating these questions each semester leaves room for each to be further revised, redeveloped, or be removed to become more relevant to the course.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alicia K. Hatcher

Alicia K. Hatcher is an Assistant Professor of African American Rhetorics and Literacies at Syracuse University. She is a Writing Studies scholar whose research focuses on Black Rhetorical Practices and their usage as tactical tools for engaging in acts of resistance.

Lerie M. Gabriel

Lerie M. Gabriel (she/her) is Ph.D. candidate at Syracuse University in the Department of Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition. While her current research revolves around redressing inequities manifested in (professional and technical) writing courses, the thread that weaves her work is the amplification of marginalized voices. Lerie has also taught first-year composition for six years and professional writing for two.