Deason 1

Robert A. Deason

Dr. Kathleen Yancey

ENC 5700

17 April 2017

Final Reflection
After completing the readings for this course, corresponding assignments, and class
discussionsI have been exposed to various perspectives that focus on the composing process.
According to Lloyd Bitzer (1968), rhetoric is similar to the scientific method because as a
discipline is justified philosophically insofar as it provides principles, concepts, and procedures
by which we effect valuable changes in reality (14). Bitzers perspective is only one example,
but based on my experience, I see his work as a foundation for the other theorists weve studied
this semester. His exigences, audiences, and constraints (6) provide a ground-breaking look into
the composing process.
An important question, which is briefly addressed in the first paragraph, asksWhat is
composing? Bitzers Rhetorical Situation (1968) parallels with many activities Ive completed
thus far, which include the PERSPECTIVE project and the Triptych Plus project. The projects
provided insight into composing, and what the process means in fields outside of Rhetoric and
Composition. In my second Triptych assignment, I explored composing while analyzing
Beethovens Moonlight Sonata, and noted many important characteristics of composing from
Beethovens point of view. Moonlight Sonata has a major-to-minor progression, influential
usage of arpeggios, and a descending bassline (2007). Audiences and constraints, as described
by Bitzer, apply to Beethovens composition, and his unique style make him one of the more
powerful composers from the Romantic period. Similarly, I interviewed two local songwriters
for my PERSPECTIVE projectRachel Hillman and Tyler Denning, both musicians with their
own views on composing, provided wonderful insight as Hillman suggested that composing is
anything thats created with human intentions, or has human intentions tied to it (2017).
Reflecting on these experiences has allowed for a more thorough answer to this question.
However, my first answer in January wasnt far off. I suggested that composing involves
drafting a message that intends to covey something (Deason, 2017). The exploration Ive
completed this semester supports this notion, but delves deeper into the question by supporting it
with more vivid examples from research.
The next question I addressed is what do we know? I suggested We know that
composing includes a lot of research. We also know that its crucial to the writing process
(Deason, 2017). Three months later, however, Im still overwhelmed by the LARGE amount of
research available to students and researchers. I was unaware of the College Composition and
Communication journal as well as other resources provided by NCTE. My previous coursework
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focused on middle and secondary education, so I spent little time researching Rhetoric and
Composition. One thing Ive learned is that composition is multimodalits a process that may
be completed using different modes (especially with technology), and before I began this course,
I mainly thought of composing as a subject applicable to writersone person writing or typing a
message on a piece of paper or computer, usually then submitting the piece for publication, to be
graded, or even to communicate with someone through email or social networking. Though all
of these are examples, composing is something that applies to music, cooking, or even more
hands-on activities like vocational work. Visual art can be an example of composing, and the use
of digital technologies exemplifies multimodality because there are so many modes available to
users. All in all, composition is crucial to many processes, not just the writing process.
The follow-up question, why or how is what we know important? reflects on research
in the field of composition, which has become more prevalent since the 1950s. My answer
suggests that What we know about composing is important because completed research
establishes a foundation for future discoveries (Deason, 2017). I stand by this suggestion
because composition research builds off of discoveries that are made overtime (similar to other
subjects). Yancey (1999) alludes to this in her piece Looking Back As We Look Forward:
Historicizing Writing Assessment. She suggests that during the first wave (1950-1970),
writing assessment took the form of objective tests; during the second (1970-1986), it took the
form of the holistically scored essay; and during the current wave, the third (1986-present) it has
taken the form of portfolio assessment and of programmatic assessment (1186-1187). Though
writing assessment is a very specific topic in composing, her research supports my notion that
research becomes more in-depth overtime. She even writes that a fourth wave (1201) may
occur, and I argue that it will be based on the needs of communitiesas in the past. Thus, what
weve learned is important because it shows that composition is an ever-changing field.
And the last question, what else do we need to know and why? emphasizes the future
of composition studies and what direction the field is moving towards. My answer suggests that
we need to know how composition fits into our digital society and why its important (Deason,
2017). Nearly three months later, I still believe this is something we need to know. As a student,
digital technologies impact my academic life and my personal life. Everyday Im constantly
using digital technologies, and in order for composition studies to progress, I believe more
research needs to be conducted on digital technologies and how they impact past research and
current research. According to Hairston (1982), I believe that important events of the recent
past are going to speed the revolution and help to establish this new paradigm in the nations
classrooms (449). This may be applied to digital technologies as they impact classrooms daily,
especially in k-12 classrooms. This is no different for composition studies, whether it be peer-
reviewed research completed in English departments, or digital technologies impact on
composition outside of academic writing. Lastly, we need to know if a unified theory of
composition is possible. In her blog post, Stephanie Levitt (2017) says that categorizing the
philosophies does not seem to allow for unification within the field of composition; that is, it
does not assist teachers in determining a framework for composition or how to teach composition
in general (2017). I support this notion and believe that a unified theory will make it easier for
novice students of composition to connect various theories and teach the subject.
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My two artifacts, which includes work from courses with Dr. Ned Stuckey-French and
Dr. Kerrigan Mahoney, illustrate how composition in academic writing may be connected. Even
though the writing artifacts are all unique, I used a similar process to complete them all. This
included research, pre-writing, conferencing with my instructor, composing a rough draft, and
participating in extensive edits before submitting a final draft. Whether it be a creative
nonfiction essay or a short paper focused on ELA teacher education, the works are geared
towards different audiences, situations, and/or assessment goals.
Thus, a few takeaways from this course are that composition is pedagogical, multimodal,
multicultural, and theoretical. Pedagogically, composition in the classroom may be dependent on
the teachers instruction and his or her intention for the course. Also, much of the research weve
read this semester includes a great deal of information related to pedagogylikewise, my final
project will focus on creating a syllabus for a first-year composition instructor. Multimodality is
a growing topic in the field of compositionfor me, its an important takeaway from this course
because of its strong link to digital technologies. According to Moore et al (2016), students
regularly use a range of technologies when composing, but theynot surprisinglyuse them
for different purposes (5). These modes may be used to enhance composition instruction and to
allow students to make real-world connections to their writing (for whatever purpose). In a
society thats moving closer to globalization, multiculturalism is a growing need in composition
studies. Without it, certain students will likely become marginalized due to a lack of empathy for
their diverse backgrounds. And whether it be Bitzer, Hairston, Yancey, or other scholars,
composition is increasingly theoreticalan ever-changing subject that adapts to the needs of our
communities and institutions here in America and around the world.
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Works Cited
Beethoven - 'Moonlight' Sonata. Classical Music Blog, Google Blogger, September 2007,

[Link]/2007/09/[Link]

Bitzer, Lloyd F. "The Rhetorical Situation." Philosophy and Rhetoric 1 (1968): 1-14.

Deason, Robert A. How Differences in Composition Interact. 09 Jan. 2017. Note Card with

Questions from ENC 5700 - Week One. Tallahassee.

Hairston, Maxine. "The winds of change: Thomas Kuhn and the revolution in the teaching of

writing." College composition and communication 33.1 (1982): 76-88.

Hillman, Rachel. Personal Interview. 17 March 2017.

Levitt, Stephanie. "How Theories Are Born." 2017 Composition Theory. Google, 26 Jan. 2017.

Web. 10 Apr. 2017.

Moore, Jessie L., et al. "Revisualizing composition: How first-year writers use composing

technologies." Computers and Composition 39 (2016): 1-13.

Yancey, Kathleen Blake. "Looking back as we look forward: Historicizing writing

assessment." College composition and communication 50.3 (1999): 483-503.