Introduction

           Composition theory was a class required for the writing major, so although I had to take it, I had no idea what it was. On the first day of class, our homework was to write down our initial questions about composition theory, and as you might guess, my only question was, what is it? I was extremely relieved to find out that everyone in the class had the same question I did. Now that the semester is over, I have a much clearer idea of what composition theory is, and I am able to apply what I’ve learned from the readings to my life as a writing major.

Readings
Here are four readings that influenced my knowledge and are significant to me as a writing major:

1.   Audience Addressed/Audience Invoked: The Role of Audience in Composition Theory and Pedagogy by Lisa Ede and Andrea Lunsford

2. Four Philosophies of Composition by Richard Fulkerson
3. Genre and Cognitive Development: Beyond Writing to Learn by Charles Bazerman

4. From Pencils to Pixels by Dennis Baron


Audience Addressed/Audience Invoked: The Role of Audience in Composition Theory and Pedagogy

            Ede and Lunsford talk a lot about the differences between an invoked audience and an addressed audience and how writers can use each one to their advantage at different times. Audience addressed means that a writer has a concrete audience that is able to provide feedback. It is crucial that the writer has some knowledge about their audience’s attitudes, beliefs, and expectations; when writers address an audience, they are essentially writing for the audience and not themselves. Audience invoked means that a writer creates an audience in their head. That is, writers don’t know the reality of their audience like speakers can (since a speaker’s audience is right in front of them). When writers invoke and audience, they are writing more for themselves than for an audience.
            As a writing major, I have to make decisions all the time whether to address an audience or invoke an audience. If I address an audience, I might make them happy but I might suffer the consequence of not fully loving my work. If I invoke an audience, I might love what I write more than my audience does. Since I am in school, I at least have to keep in mind what my professor will find appealing since he or she is in charge of my grade. I ultimately think writers need to take into account audience addressed and audience invoked; it is neither one nor the other. I always take into account what people tell me in workshops, but in the end, I’m still writing for me. If someone suggests something I really don’t agree with, I won’t include it. I have to be happy with my work as well.  

Four Philosophies of Composition by Richard Fulkerson

            Fulkerson explains four philosophies that are employed in composition classes. The formalist theory is when teachers judge students’ work based on form and the errors that were made. Work tends to be evaluated based on what’s wrong (spelling and punctuation errors, not fulfilling the required length, etc.), rather than the content. The expressionist theory explores why people write and what makes good writing. The expressionist theory also values an honest and credible voice. The mimetic theory states that there is a clear connection between good writing and good thinking. Teachers must help students learn as much as possible about a subject so they have something worth saying when it comes time to write about it. The first mimetic approach emphasizes logic and reasoning, and the second mimetic approach states that students don’t write well because they don’t know enough about the topic they are writing about; students must read about all aspects of a topic before they can write about it. Lastly, rhetorical philosophy states that good writing achieves the desired effect on the desired audience. Writing is therefore judged based on its effect on the targeted audience. Fulkerson also talks about how when teachers grade papers, there is a conflict of theories at work. For example, an assignment might call for a paper to be written from an expressive point of view, but the teacher grades it from a formalist point of view.
            Fulkerson’s four main philosophies can definitely be applied to me as a writing major. I am always aware of how a professor grades, even if it takes a couple of trials to get it right and have what they want. The classes I’ve taken in college have drawn on these theories. For example, the creative writing classes I’ve taken have drawn on the expressionist theory and the more research-based classes I’ve taken have drawn on the mimetic and rhetorical theories. Every class draws on the formalist theory a bit since it’s important to have as little errors possible in your work, but it’s never 100 percent focused on that theory.

Genre and Cognitive Development: Beyond Writing to Learn by Charles Bazerman

            Bazerman explores how genre in writing matters a lot because people write differently depending on which genre they are writing in. Bazerman writes, "For example, though there may be variation among the writing processes of students writing an impromptu essay in their class, that same group of students will engage a different set of processes when they are at work on the student newspaper, and a different set of processes when they are filling out forms the next morning in the registrar’s office." This applies to me not only as a writing student, but also as a person in general. Not only do I write differently for each class that I take, but I write differently in the emails, tweets, and texts I compose as well; I fill out forms much differently than I write articles for Imprint Magazine.

From Pencils to Pixels By Dennis Baron

            Baron's claim is that literacy technology is always evolving and that what seems really old to us now was once new and was also viewed with skepticism like it is today. The computer, he says, is just the newest invention in a long line of inventions that have helped us write. As a writing student, I have had to adapt to various forms of technology like blogs, InDesign, etc. When I graduate and get a job, I will probably have to adapt to other forms of technology that my place of work uses. Not only that, but technology will continue to advance in my lifetime and I will have to keep up with it so I can write effectively and so people can see what I’m writing. In today’s world, newspapers and magazines are decreasing and online writing is on the rise. Who knows what will be on the rise during the span of my writing career. 

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