Breeding Partnerships: Examining a Decade-Long Collaborative Praxis Between Animal Sciences and English Departments

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors discuss a sustained writing across the curriculum (WAC) partnership between the Animal Sciences and English departments at their institution. Drawing on archival and interview research, they explore the decade-long collaboration between graduate student coordinators and course faculty to negotiate between learning to write and writing to learn objectives. This chapter aims to encourage WAC practitioners to engage with content experts about differing concepts of and approaches to writing instruction in STEM courses . The history of this partnership demonstrates that graduate students can make a strong impact on faculty development in writing instruction. The authors conclude with a list of recommendations for administrators who may be forming writing partnerships on campuses where there may not be a strong WAC presence.

Notes

• 1. Ken Hyland (2011) has put forth a robust typology of the different learning to write pedagogical models. These range from teaching students grammatical conventions to focusing on linguistic choices and audience expectations. As we detail in this chapter, although Dr. Stewart and the WAC coordinators agreed to approach WAC assignments from a learning to write approach, there has been constant negotiation on which model to follow.

• 2. This problem regarding the content-writing binary is certainly not confined to our own experience. For example, Erika Scheurer (2015) has discussed how instructors in other disciplines attending WAC seminars cite content coverage as a reason for forestalling attention to writing in their classes. More specifically, they note that there is not enough time in the course of the semester to cover content and writing in a single course, rather than seeing writing as a means of covering content.

• 3. We should note that several studies have shown the benefits of having mandatory writing lab visits on student efficacy. For instance, students in both Gordon (2008) and Clark’s (1985) respective studies (over 20 years apart) reported feeling that their writing improved after mandated writing lab visits. That said, attempts to make writing lab visits mandatory within our institutional context have typically not been successful, due to the already-taxed schedules of writing lab staff.