WHAT Is "COLLEGE-LEVEL" WRITING?

WHAT Is "COLLEGE-LEVEL" WRITING?

NCTE EDITORIAL BOARD: Arnetha F. Ball, Evelyn B. Freeman, Jeffrey N. Golub, Carol Jago, Tonya B. Perry, Carol A. Pope, Mark Reynolds, Sharon Taberski, Morris Young, Zarina M. Hock, Chair, ex officio, Kent Williamson, ex officio, Kurt Austin, ex officio

What Is cccollege-levet" Writing? Edited by PATRICK SULLIVAN Manchester Community College HOWARD TINBERG Bristol Community College National Council of Teachers of English 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, Illinois 61801-1096

Staff Editor: Bonny Graham Manuscript Editor: Lisa McAvoy Interior Design: Jenny Jensen Greenleaf Cover Design: Barbara Yale-Read 1';CTE Stock Number: 56742 2006 by the National Council of Teachers of English. All rights reserved. 1';0 part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the copyright holder. Printed in the United States of America. It is the policy of NCTE in its journals and other publications to provide a forum for the open discussion of ideas concerning the content and the teaching of English and the language arts. Publicity accorded to any particular point of view does not imply endorsement by the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, or the membership at large, except in announcements of policy, where such endorsement is clearly specified. Every effort has been made to provide current URLs and e-mail addresses, but because of the rapidly changing nature of the Web, some sites and addresses may no longer be accessible. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data What is "college-level" writing? I edited by Patrick Sullivan, Howard Tinberg. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISB1';-13: 978-0-8141-5674-2 (pbk) 1. English language-rhetoric. 2. Report writing. 1. Sullivan, Patrick,1956- II. Tinberg, Howard B., 1953 PE1408.W5642006 808'.042-dc22 2006021700

To Susan -Patrick To Toni -Howard

It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question. EUGENE IONESCO

CONTENTS INTRODUCTIO::-': Patrick Sullivan and Howard Tin berg..................... X111 1 An Essential Question: What Is "College-Level" Writing? Patrick Sullivan........................................ 1 I High School Perspectives 2 Whistling in the Dark Merrill J. Davies...................................... 31 3 Am I a Liar? The Angst ofa High School English Teacher Jeanette Jordan, with Karena K. Nelson, Howard Clauser, Susan E. Albert, Karen M. Cunningham, and Amanda Scholz... 36 4 The Salem Witch Trials: Voicers) Alfredo Celedon Lujan... 41 5 The Truth about High School English Milka Mustenikova Mosley... 58 II College Perspectives 6 Good Enough Writing: What Is Good Enough Writing, Anyway? Lynn Z. Bloom... 71 7 Whose Paper Is This, Anyway? Why Most Students Don't Embrace the Writing They Do for Their Writing Classes Michael Dubson... 92 -lx

Contents 8 The Boxing Effect (An Anti-Essay) Jeanne Gunner..................................... 110 9 What Does the Instructor Want? The View from the Writing Center Muriel Harris...................................... 121 10 It's Not the High School Teachers' Fault: An Alternative to the Blame Game Peter Kittle........................................ 134 11 What Is College Writing For? Ellen Andrews Knodt................................ 146 12 Scripting Writing Across Campuses: Writing Standards and Student Representations Cynthia Lewiecki-Wilson and Ellenmarie Cronin Wahlrab.... 158 13 From Attitude to Aptitude: Assuming the Stance ofa College Writer Ronald F. Lunsford.................................. 178 14 Do You Believe in Magic? Collaboration and the Demystification of Research Kathleen McCormick................................ 199 15 A Community College Professor Reflects on First-Year Composition John Pekins... 231 16 Defining by Assessing Edward M. White................................... 243 17 Coming to Terms: Vocabulary as a Means of Defining First-Year Composition Kathleen Blake Yancey, with Brian M. Morrison........... 267 III Student Perspectives 18 The Great Conversation (of the Dining Hall): One Student's Experience of College-Level Writing Kimberly L. Nelson... 283 19 Putting on the Sunglasses: The Argumentative Thesis as the Keystone to "Good" College Writing Mike Quilligan..................................... 297 20 Bam Amanda Winalski................................... 302 -x

IV Administrative Perspectives Contents 21 College-Level Writing: A Departmental Perspective James M. Gentile................................... 311 22 A Lot Like Us, but More So: Listening to Writing Faculty Across the Curriculum Susan E. Schorn.................................... 330 23 The Recursive Character of College Writing Chris Kearns....................................... 341 24 College Writing, Academic Literacy, and the Intellectual Community: California Dreams and Cultural Oppositions Sheridan Blau...................................... 358 ApPENDIX: CONTl~lJING THE CONVERSATION: A DIALOGUE WITH OUR CONTRIBUTORS........... 378 INDEX....................... 389 EDITORS........... 411 CONTRIBUTORS.......... 413 - Xl