a little history

I gather you are looking to me to provide some history re: wrt235. Here are some thoughts and you can tell me if this is what you had in mind.

An early iteration of this course was WRT 235 Writing with Computers and it developed because we understood that something different in the composing process was in hand when using computers to write. When you look at the 1993 course description (pasted below) you will see that we made the case for this course with a focus on the writing process, arguing that writing with computers enhances the writing process, and you will see that the selected genres for writing are business & professional genres--established, sedimented genres which would be facilitated by writing with computers.

By 2000 we had put in place WRT 235 Writing in Electronic Environments. Unfortunately, I do not seem to have the course rationale in my computer archives. I will search my paper files at school. I do remember that in approx. 1999 the English Dept. went through curricular changes and some of our courses went along in that process—WRT235 being one of them. Schwegler led the charge on this, so I shall also try to prompt his memory, too. The “new” WRT235 involved a change of wording in the title and description as a representation of the big shift in our understanding of computers in composition. By then several things were clear, at least to me. First, the changes summoned by the technology were more dramatic than merely “enhancing” the writing process. Second, the ‘things’ being written were not merely more finished versions of existing kinds of writing; they were fundamentally different – email, chat, usenet, web pages, yes, powerpoint. Third, the critical thinking (as well as technical abilities) summoned by the technologies and their uses (&/or written & visual ‘products’) would have to be different. We knew that the “Writing with Computers” label simply did not represent all that was/is at stake in that area. Add to this Schwegler’s commitment to social and critical theory as well as to a rather deterministic world view, and you have the birth of “environment” as the frame for the course.

LS

******************************************
1993 version:
Wrt 235: Writing With Computers

Description: The study of writing as modified by writing with computer. Practice in a variety of professional papers, graphic enhancement of text, and desktop publishing.

Rationale: During the past 18 years there has been a growing body of knowledge about the ways in which writing with the computer modifies and enhances the writing process. Presently there is no course at URI that teaches writing with the computer . Such a course would have students write extensively for a variety of professional situations, and they would also study how the computer changes the writing process, how it transforms their view of text from static and linear to fluid and hierarchical, how graphics may enhance text or be irrelevant, and how to write as part of a team.

Research indicates that students do not see writing with the computer as an opportunity to move through the writing process more completely and successfully. Patricia Harris, a writing researcher, found that students tend to use the computer as an advanced typewriter, merely entering sentences and checking for correctness, whereas they could use it to:
1. explore topics and expand content;
2. to play with text in order to discover meaning;
3. to revise extensively, especially with the aid of readability scales in order to increase their sense of audience.
If students have the opportunity to study and practice writing as it is enhanced by the computer, they would learn to see the words, sentences and paragraphs on the screen as fluid or changeable, enabling them to play with their text until their drafts more perfectly match their observations, analyses and insights. In other words, in such a course, students would learn to write differently than they do with a typewriter, and they would see texts from an entirely new, more creative fluid perspective.

In addition, our experience with Wrt 335x ( the experimental version of this course) proved to us that students are ready to work on their writing when they see themselves writing a variety of professional papers that are appropriate for a variety of real world situations and career settings. The kinds of writing included in the course are memoranda, letters, instructions, reports of various lengths and kinds with graphic enhancement, case studies, team reports and desktop publications of various kinds. By the end of the course, students are aware that effective writing of these kinds of texts is shaped by the rhetorical elements of context, audience, structure, content and language. This critical approach to text production combined with special features of text production on computer (such as graphic enhancement and text analyses) enable students to explore and to critique a wide variety of presentational formats.

We also had to respond to specific concerns about the course. Here are two such Q & A’s. We see in the last two answers to #1 the beginnings of taken-for-granted elements in what we are now calling the electronic writing environment.

Questions & Answers about Wrt 235

1. How is this different from any other writing course?

This course design proceeds from ideas generated by research about composing with a computer.
--First idea: students see the computer as an advanced typewriter and do not use the extensive 'invention,' 'drafting,' and 'revision' opportunities available. The course will work to change the way students write on computer , helping them to use the computer to add depth to each step of their writing process.

--Second idea: students do not see text as "fluid," as do those professionals who write with computers. The course aims to change students' critical stance towards text from static and permanent to fluid, playful and open ended.

--Third idea: writing with a computer transforms text from a linear product to a hierarchical product . One of the major differences between novice writers and professional writers is that professionals see texts as hierarchies, a vision which reinforces critical reading and organized thinking. The course aims to have students transform text into hierarchies, especially with the aid of outliners, hypercard and other analytical text tools.

--Fourth idea: writing with a computer offers the opportunity for a common professional experience: networked writing. Most students see writing as a solitary activity, but many professional environments require writing in groups, especially writing via computer networks. This class aims to make this experience integral to the course and aims to have students understand how to make group writing and group participation a successful experience for all students.

5. It sounds as if this course is trying to do a little bit of everything; what's the focus?

The focus of this course is writing--especially the special opportunities, the improved writing process and improved mastery possible when writing with the computer, and it explores the important link between various kinds of professional writing and the computer.