Composition Studies

The Field of Composition Studies

My doctoral degree is from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I studied English Education in the Curriculum & Instruction (C&I) Program in the UW’s #1 ranked School of Education. I started the C&I Ph.D. Program in 1990 and graduated in 1995. It was as a doctoral student that I became highly interested in the teaching of writing and the field of Composition Studies. I have pursued that interest ever since.

This page provides some of the research I have done to help doctoral students understand the field of Composition Studies.

Composition Studies History

• Composition Studies Historical Timeline
  • A timeline of key dates in the history of Composition Studies compiled by Dr. Pagnucci
• Major Composition Theories
  • A brief discussion of major composition theoretical positions compiled by Dr. Pagnucci (this is a work in progress!)
• Composition and the Teaching of Grammar
  • Some useful resources about the teaching of grammar including a seminal article by IUP Professor Dr. Emeritus Patrick Hartwell (R.I.P.):
    • Hartwell, Patrick. (Feb., 1985). Grammar, grammars, and the teaching of grammar. College English 47(2), 105-127.

Writing Pedagogy

• Composition Pedagogies
  • This website provides a brief list of common approaches for teaching writing
• Key Composition Pedagogical Articles
  • Some excellent online pdf articles and resources about how to teach writing compiled by Mary Jo Reif, Professor of English at the University of Kansas
• Teacher Research
  • This website discusses the use of Teacher Research to study classrooms and pedagogy

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Bibliographies on Composition

• Composition Studies Seminal Works
  • Links to a fantastic online treasure trove of seminal composition articles in pdf format compiled by Mary Jo Reif, Professor of English at the University of Kansas
• Composition Core 30 Texts
• Composition Core 60 Texts
• Composition Theory-Limited
• Composition Theory-Expanded
• CompPile
  • Online database of Composition and Rhetoric Scholarship since 1936
• Voice in Writing

Composition Studies Journals

• Florida International University List of Rhetoric and Composition Journals
• The WAC Clearing House Journals List

Composition Studies Resources

• Composition Studies Resources Compiled by Dr. Gold (University of Michigan)
• The WAC (Writing Across the Curriculum) Clearinghouse