Sojourning in Disciplinary Cultures

A Case Study of Teaching Writing in Engineering

Maureen Mathison

• Publisher: Utah State University Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781607328025
• eBook ISBN: 9781607328032
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Creative Writing
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Sojourning in Disciplinary Cultures describes a multiyear project to develop a writing curriculum within the College of Engineering that satisfied the cultural needs of both compositionists and engineers at a large R1 university. Employing intercultural communication theory and an approach to interdisciplinary collaboration that involved all parties, cross-disciplinary colleagues were able to develop useful descriptions of the process of integrating writing with engineering; overcoming conflicts and misunderstandings about the nature of writing, gender bias, hard science versus soft science tensions; and many other challenges.
 
This volume represents the collective experiences and insights of writing consultants involved in the large-scale curriculum reform of the entire College of Engineering; they collaborated closely with faculty members of the various departments and taught writing to engineering students in engineering classrooms. Collaborators developed syllabi that incorporated writing into their courses in meaningful ways, designed lessons to teach various aspects of writing, created assignments that integrated engineering and writing theory and concepts, and worked one-on-one with students to provide revision feedback. Though interactions were sometimes tense, the two groups––writing and engineering––developed a "third culture" that generally placed students at the center of learning.
 
Sojourning in Disciplinary Cultures provides a guide to successful collaborations with STEM faculty that will be of interest to WPAs, instructors, and a range of both composition scholars and practitioners seeking to understand more about the role of writing and communication in STEM disciplines.
 
Contributors:
Linn K. Bekins, Sarah A. Bell, Mara K. Berkland, Doug Downs, April A. Kedrowicz, Sarah Read, Julie L. Taylor, Sundy Watanabe

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: Integrating Writing throughout One College, Many Departments
• 1. Sojourners and Third Cultures: Raising Cultural Awareness in Interdisciplinary Programs
• 2. Professors Designing Assignments as Relational Activity: A Baseline for Connecting Thinking, Learning, and Writing
• 3. Teaching (Each Other) (about) Writing
• 4. Locating Common Ground for Diplomacy: Using Critical Thinking to Teach Writing
• 5. Moving toward Successful Interdisciplinary Integration in Team-Taught Courses: Building Cultural Bridges through Assignments
• 6. “I Don’t Have to Argue My Design—The Visual Speaks for Itself”: A Case Study of Mediated Activity in an Introductory Mechanical Engineering Course
• 7. I See What You Mean: Mechanical Engineering Students’ Use of Visuals in a Research Paper Assignment
• 8. Ideologies of Gender: Culture Clash between the Disciplines
• 9. Intercultural Collaboration: Respect, Relationship, Responsibility, and Reciprocity
• 10. Sojourning, Resistance, and Trust
• References
• About the Authors
• Author Index
• Subject Index