Reflections: A Journal of Writing, Service-Learning, and Community Literacy

Posted by on June 17, 2005

Reflections: A Journal of Writing, Service-Learning, and Community Literacy

http://www.reflectionsjournal.org/

Invites submissions for a Spring 2006 Special Issue

Re-writing the Community Writing Course

Guest edited by H. Brooke Hessler and Amy Rupiper Taggart

Much of the literature on community writing pedagogies highlights a particular moment or an individual semester rather than the recursive process through which experienced practitioners re-see, re-frame, and adapt their courses over time. We believe that the survival of our programs depends on our ability to scrutinize the continuous changes we make, and why we make them–the socio-economic, pedagogical, civic, ethical, and institutional exigencies that shape our work. Further, we believe that the knowledge built from these revisions should be shared. Without active dialogue about evolving courses and projects, community writing courses risk reproducing problems. With active dialogue comes recognition of the progress we make as we respond to ongoing constraints.

From this perspective, well conceived, systematically assessed long term projects are the means to teaching, learning, and community-based ends. We invite submissions (up to 5000 words) that focus on course and project revision for sustainability and best practices. We are particularly interested in projects that have already achieved some longevity because of their careful reflection on and assessment of the courses and projects.

Submissions should include:

? The theoretical underpinnings of the course, project, and/or revisions
? An overview of the community partnership itself and the institutional context of the course
? Selections of relevant course materials from the original and revised courses (course descriptions, objectives, assignments, assessment tools)
? Discussion of persisting challenges.

In addition, we welcome review essays on significant books and articles, particularly those that address issues of assessment and sustainability.

Manuscripts should follow MLA guidelines and should include a 75-100 word abstract. Please send inquiries to Amy Rupiper Taggart ([email protected]) or Brooke Hessler ([email protected]). Send electronic submissions (in MS-Word or RTF) to Brooke Hessler ([email protected]) by August 1, 2005.