Lynée Lewis Gaillet & Jessica Rose
Volume 4
Chapter Description
This chapter outlines a plan for incorporating primary and archival research into first year writing course designs. Correlating directly with recent college initiatives and composition best practices, archival research asks students to see themselves as experts, engage in rhetorical activism, and take on college-to-career projects. At its core, writing with archives not only encourages, but insists upon, interdisciplinary topic selection and research. Because all projects focus upon local communities, archive building and assessment, and stakeholders’ interests in the collected materials, this pedagogical method organically guides students through traditional rhetorical elements: audience consideration, articulation of the writer’s relationship with the subject matter, and blending primary and secondary evidence to craft a convincing (and in many cases, quite passionate) message. This chapter offers students a fundamental understanding of archiving practices and research methods, providing tools that prepare them for interdisciplinary research and writing practices that characterize academic, community, and workplace communication.
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You may also download this chapter from Parlor Press or WAC Clearinghouse.
Writing Spaces is published in partnership with Parlor Press and WAC Clearinghouse.