Writing Center Class Fall 2018

Question #1 -The Bedford guide asks that tutors not reinforce negative comments from students about teachers. Does the writing center have a protocol for reporting student grievances against teachers? Question #2 -Do we ever recommend that students who have submitted work for online tutoring come in for in person tutoring as well.

1.) Zimmerelli and Ryan mention tactile tools in chapter one. Are those available in our writing center? 2.) What does online tutoring entail?

Question from the Bedford Guide: While reading the section about professionalism with teachers, I wondered what, if any, active interaction the UI Writing Center has with faculty about assignments/policies/guideline about writing, especially outside of the humanities/social science disciplines. Is there a committee that provides guidance about how to support students in particular disciplines, or that checks in about feedback that Writing Center tutors give to students? Question about the Writing Center/features of the course: Will we have our meetings observed or evaluated in any way during our time in the course? How does the community of tutors interact over the course of the semester -- are there meetings or future trainings once the class is complete?

Question after reading Bedford chapters 1 and 2: These chapters mentioned commiseration. Is it useful (especially with enrollment students who call themselves “bad writers”) to share your own history as a writer, including what you struggle with? For instance a student might say “I’m terrible with conclusions” - could I respond along the lines of “You know, conclusions are something I have a hard time with too. But here are some tricks that help me when I'm writing a conclusion." When is it appropriate to let a student know that they aren't alone in a particular challenge vs. present oneself as an "expert?" Question after reading the Writing Center Tutor's Guide:  Similarly to the above, what's the best way to respond to a finished invitation by a student who doesn't feel confident in their writing when you see a number of technical issues in the piece? Is it best to focus on finding elements to praise for a new enrollment student who mi...

1. On the whole I found Chapters 1 and 2 of  The Bedford Guide  quite straightforward, but one point that stuck out to me was the notion that tutors are often considered a "practice audience" (p. 20). On the one hand, this makes sense to me, as it may help the student to consider the tutor as a warm-up to the "real" audience, namely the professor. On second thought, however, I wondered if the idea of a practice audience is superficial. In other words, shouldn't all audiences count? It could set a bad precedent for students to think that the only "real" audience is the professor - students need to learn that everyone's feedback and perspectives matter, even if they differ. This is especially true once the professor disappears. 2. I found "The Writing Center Tutor's Guide" much more meaningful. One question I have - and this has personal implications for me because it is related to my research - pertains to p. 3, which notes that ...

Hi all, I have below two questions that occurred to me as I was perusing the WC literature/ Bedford Guide . I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts. 1. Reading the  Bedford Guide 's section on "The Many Hats Tutors Wear," and specifically the section about "the counselor" role, actually reminded me of an experience I had as an undergraduate tutor. During one of my writing consultation appointments, a student brought in a statement of purpose for a graduate application. The statement focused heavily on the student's history of mental illness and current struggle with intense depression. Of course I support an open dialogue about mental health, however, in this instance, I actually wasn't entirely sure how to proceed. While I valued and appreciated the student's honesty and perseverance, I also found the statement, in a professional capacity, a little disarming; it didn't list the student's qualifications for the graduate program, nor di...

Hi everyone! My name is Yasmin Boakye, and I’m a first-year student in the Nonfiction Writing Program. I'm originally from the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC, but have spent most of the last decade in St. Louis, with a three-year stint in Abu Dhabi in between.  As an undergraduate student, I pursued a major in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality studies and minors in Anthropology and Writing. I developed a passion for language and literature early on in life, and always thought that I would major in English, but was turned off in college by the homogeneity of the curriculum and the inaccessibility of the texts and assignments. I found my home in the social sciences, where I fell in love with the contemporary, visible applications that theory and ethnography provided. In my junior year, I became a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellow, which allowed me to extend my passion for interdisciplinarity into conversations with folks across the humanities. Thro...

Hello everybody! My name is Julia and I'm a second year in the Nonfiction Writing Program. I'm from North Carolina, and I graduated from North Carolina State University with a BS in Linguistics. After that, I was a professional distance runner for seven years, and upon retiring I worked in sports marketing. My writing tends towards themes of bodily and sensory intelligence, physicality, and hackneyed old coming of age stories. Lately, I'm interested in domesticity - leaning to cook and clean and sew and appreciate all the other maintenance work I've turned my nose up at until the ripe old age of 34. I'm looking forward to meeting you all!

Howdy! I am Brittany Means. Second year in the Nonfiction Writing Program. Before moving here, I was working in philanthropy at Ball State University where I also received my BA in creative writing with minors in Women and Gender studies and Film and Screenwriting. My writing is mostly about me. Themes that interest me include homelessness, intimacy, repatriation, trauma, etc. When I can, I like to bowl, paint, run, play video games, listen to podcasts, play music, and most recently, disc golf. I’m passionate about communism, Meat Loaf (the musician, not the food), and D&D.

Hi everyone! My name is Lulu and I'm a second year in the Nonfiction Writing Program. Before moving to Iowa I was living in Northern California, where I earned a BS in Environmental Science at Berkeley and then worked in the tech industry.  My academic/research interests have been in folklore and food studies, which both find their way into my creative writing work. My  essays and short stories often feature animals - I especially love cows and have spent time working on goat and sheep farms.  In my free time, I like to cook, eat, and ride my bike to Dairy Queen. I've recently discovered that I don't hate running and often like to run in the evenings with Iowa City's Moonpie Run Club.  Looking forward to meeting you all soon!

Hi everyone, My name is Warren Merkel and I just finished my PhD in foreign language and ESL education here at Iowa, and am now serving as a Visiting Assistant Professor and Interim Director of the Writing Resource in the College of Education. In the former role, I'll be teaching two courses: Approaches to Teaching Writing, and ELLs in the K-12 Classroom. In the latter, I'll be tutoring graduate students (mostly ELLs) both face-to-face and online in the College of Ed. and making sure the Writing Resource stays on track (and ideally improves). Going back a bit in time, I received my BA in German from Miami University and my MA in TESOL from the School for International Training in Vermont. My research interests focus largely on second language writing, particularly intercultural rhetoric, dialogic interactions, and plagiarism (one of the focal points of my dissertation). I also write creatively in my free time, and have had a few fiction and creative non-fiction pieces publi...

Hello friends, My name is Ian McMurray, I received my BA in Writing and Film/Media Studies from Johns Hopkins University, and I'm currently a first-year MFA student in the Writers' Workshop (fiction track). As an undergrad I worked in my university's WC and thoroughly enjoyed my time there, so here I am now. Most of the writing I do these days is creative in nature, with a particular focus on the short story form, however I relish the strong critical essay or long-form journalism piece. In terms of the craft of academic/critical writing, I'm particularly interested in how and why various cultures prioritize different writing voices. In my free time I enjoy playing with my dog, reading, running, listening to podcasts, and going to the movies. Some of my favorite creative writers are Adam Johnson, Flannery O'Connor, Andrew Sean Greer, Toni Morrison, Sandra Cisneros, Anthony Marra, Denis Johnson, and Karen Russell; some of my favorite critical writers are ...

Hi Writing Center Class: Looking forward to working with you and getting to know you!  About me: I earned my Master's in Linguistics-TESOL and my doctorate in English: Language, Literacy, and Rhetoric--at the U of Illinois at Chicago.  I've been a Rhetoric prof and WC Director for 28 years! My academic writing is about second language issues related to the writing center; our current WC research is about Iowa's international students' perceptions of their second language writing development and the resources like the Writing Center available to them to promote that development. I will be sharing some of it with you in class. In terms of more creative writing, I like to write about travel and teach a first-year seminar every fall on the topic. My latest published travel essay is about a frequent bus trip in Ecuador that I've taken from the Andes to the Amazon. In my free time, I hang out with my ...