Writing Across Communities Spring 2020 Faculty/Student Collaborations
February 18, 2020
Each semester, Writing Across Communities partners with faculty from departments across the university on collaborations that aim to integrate writing that sustains diverse communities and literacies. WAComm is working on some exciting projects during Spring 2020, some of which are brand new and others which expand upon partnership work from previous semesters.
Alongside Dr. Sunny McDevitt in the School of Education, Writing Across Communities is continuing its writing group series for international, immigrant, bilingual, and multilingual graduate students from all schools at St. John’s. During these sessions, the next of which is scheduled for Monday, February 24th at 3:30 PM in St. Augustine 150, attendees can work with Dr. McDevitt, Undergraduate Writing Coordinator AjiFanta Marenah, Graduate Assistant Director Sarah Glessner, and each other on any writing projects, with the goal of this series being that these students’ authentic writing experiences be nurtured and not silenced by the marginalization of their literacies. Graduate students can attend one, a few, or all of the sessions and should bring any writing assignments they would like to work on. We look forward to seeing how this project grows this semester.
Undergraduate Writing Coordinators Cheyenne Ross and Christian Merchan are collaborating with Professor Catina Bacote (St. John’s College, Department of English) on her Global Literature course focusing on Place, Power, and Belonging. The UWCs collaborated with the professor to create a “Belonging Project” which encourages students to think about what it means to belong at SJU through the exploration of student organizations. The UWCs also attend Professor Bacote’s class weekly to remain accessible to students in the classroom and support them in their writing experiences throughout the semester.
Professor Mary Noe (Collins College of Professional Studies, Legal Studies) is partnered with Undergraduate Writing Coordinators Cristina Artis and AjiFanta Marenah on her Legal Research and Writing II course. The UWCs observe both her Legal Research and Writing II course and the advanced course on Mondays and Thursdays, in order to provide her with feedback on the writing assignments and feedback given to students.
Graduate Assistant Director Sarah Glessner is working with Dr. Angela Zhuo (St. John's College, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Criminology and Justice Program) and her graduate Comparative Criminology (CRM 223) students. The goal of the partnership is to develop and revise assignments that integrate writing into the students’ learning experiences throughout the semester. Students will complete low-stakes writing assignments as they work to develop posters for Student Research Month and further develop this research work into in-class presentations and articles for a self-published journal.
Writing Across Communities has partnered with the University Writing Center and the Academic Center for Equity and Inclusion to bring nationally-known Dr. Asao Inoue, to campus on March 13th, 2020 to discuss and lead a series of workshops on how faculty can build their individual and collective capacity for equity in writing assessment, especially antiracist equity.
Dr. Meghan Clark (St. John's College, Theology and Religious Studies) is partnered with four Undergraduate Writing Coordinators this semester, Jade Colon, Cristina Artis, AjiFanta Marenah and Frank Coniglio on her Introduction to Catholic Social Teaching theology course. The UWCs are assisting in the revision of an op-ed assignment based on social justice as Catholic social teaching is applied. Students in the class participate in a series of two in-class workshops that help them understand the importance of advocacy and the meaning of social sin. The students also have the opportunity to meet one-to-one with the UWC’s for additional help in the development of their assignments.
The Writing Across Communities staff is excited about these projects and is looking forward to broadening the reach of the department’s work on and off campus.
