Writing in the Academic Disciplines, Second Edition: A Curricular History

428 Pages·2002·22.84 MB·English

by  Professor David R Russell

WRITING IN THE ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES
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WRITING IN
THE ACADEMIC
DISCIPLINES
A Curricular History
Second Edition
DAVID R. RUSSELL
With a "Foreword by Elaine P. Maimon
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY PRESS
Carbondale and Edwardsville
Copyright © 1991, 2002 by the Board of Trustees, Southern Illinois University
All rights reserved
Second Edition 2002
Printed in the United States of America
05 04 03 02 4 3 21
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Russell, David R., 1951-
Writing in the academic disciplines : a curricular history / David R. Russell ;
foreword by Elaine P. Maimon. —2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographic references and index.
1. English language—Rhetoric—Study and teaching—United States—
History. 2. English language—Study and teaching (Secondary)—United States—
History. 3. Interdisciplinary approach in education—United States—History.
4. Academic writing—Study and teaching—United States—History. I. Title.
PE1405.U6 R8 2002
808'.042'071'273—dc21
ISBN 0-8093-2467-9 (paper : alk. paper) 2002022818
Reprinted from the original 1991 edition.
Printed on recycled paper. O
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.®
for Joyce, still
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CONTENTS
Foreword ix
Elaine P. Maimon
Preface to the Second Edition
Acknowledgments
I.
The Triumph of Specialization
1.
Introduction
The Myth of Transience 3
2.
Nineteenth-Century Backgrounds
From the Liberal Curriculum to Mass Education 35
3.
Writing and the Ideal of Research
Some Tacit Traditions 70
4.
Writing and the Ideal of Utility
Composition for the Culture of Professionalism 101
vii
CONTENTS
II.
The Search For Community
Writing and General Education
5.
Writing and Social Efficiency
The Cooperation Movement 135
6.
Writing and the Great Books 166
7.
Writing and Progressive Education 199
III.
The Postwar Era
8.
The Disciplines Enter the Information Age 239
9.
The Writing-Across-the-Curriculum Movement
1970-1990 271
10.
The Writing-Across-the-Curriculum Movement
1990-2000 308
Notes 335
Works Cited 375
Index 399
Vlll
FOREWORD
A,
someone who has devoted a major portion of her profes-
sional life to the current movement called writing across the
curriculum (WAC), I find that reading David Russell's Writing
in the Academic Disciplines is like studying an intellectual family
tree. By tracing the genealogy of writing in the disciplines, Russell
creates a context in which to understand contemporary educa-
tional conflicts. Is writing a set of discrete mechanical skills or a
function of maturing thought? Should students be able to general-
ize instruction in writing to a variety of situations, or do students
need help in discerning the requirements imposed by different
contexts? Should writing be regarded as transparent (an intrinsic
skill), or should writing be highlighted as a powerful means of
learning? Is writing something that the chosen few learn to do
without being taught, or should writing instruction provide mo-
bility within a democratic society? Russell makes clear that we
did not invent these issues in the last quarter of the twentieth
century. They have a history.
Reading this history in Russell's intelligent, honest, and lucid
account is remarkably instructive. Seen through the prism of
writing in the disciplines, Russell's retelling of U.S. educational
history illuminates the general story, clarifying recurring themes:
excellence and access; general education and specialized study;
teaching and research. Like the writing-across-the-curriculum
movement itself, this book is fundamentally an exploration of
IX