Historical Timeline Overview
This web page offers a brief history of major events which shaped the development of the field Composition Studies. Although this history is not exhaustive, it does identify the formation of key schools of thought and many of the seminal events in the field. This historical timeline was compiled by Dr. Gian Pagnucci. Links on this page lead to further reading and course activities from English 833: Composition Theory in which Dr. Pagnucci teaches much of this material.
The History of Composition Studies
- Current Traditionalism/Classical Rhetoric (1875)
- The Harvard Composition Program (1875)
- National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) founded in Chicago (1911)
- The first “writing laboratory: is founded at the University of Minnesota (1932)
- Composition Studies Begins (1961)
- Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) founded (1961)
- The Dartmouth Conference (1966)
- Writing Process Theory/Expressivism (1970s)
- Emig, Janet. (1971). The Composing Processes of Twelfth Graders. NCTE.
- First dissertation in Composition Studies
- “Teach Writing as a Process Not Product” by Donald Murray
- The Leaflet (November 1972): 11-14
- Students’ Right to Their Own Language–Position Statement of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC): Special Issue of College Composition and Communication, Fall, 1974, Vol. XXV
- “Why Johnny Can’t Write”: Merrill Sheils, Newsweek, December 8, 1975
- Emig, Janet. (1971). The Composing Processes of Twelfth Graders. NCTE.
- IUP’s Doctoral Program in English founded (1967)
- Composition Studies Scholar Dr. Gian S. Pagnucci born! (1967)
- Graduate Studies in Rhetoric and Linguistics (R&L) Program started at IUP (circa 1974)
- Original IUP English doctoral program becomes Graduate Studies in Literature and Criticism (L&C) Program (1974)
- Dr. Pagnucci hired at IUP (1995)
- Name changed to Graduate Studies in Composition and TESOL (C&T) Program (2001)
- Name changed to Graduate Studies in Composition and Applied Linguistics (CAL) Program (2018)
- IUP Composition Clinic founded (1971)
- IUP Composition Clinic becomes IUP Writing Center (1981)
- IUP Professors Emeriti Dr. Michael M. Williamson and Dr. Lea Masiello become Co-Directors of the IUP Writing Center (1985)
- IUP Professor Emeritus Dr. Ben Rafoth becomes IUP Writing Center Co-Director with Dr. Lea Masiello (1988)
- IUP Writing Center receives major endowment and becomes the Kathleen Jones White Writing Center (2015)
- Dr. Dana Driscoll becomes IUP Writing Center Director (2019)
- Cognitivism (1977-1980s)
- “A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing” by Linda Flower and John R. Hayes: College Composition and Communication 32.4 (Dec., 1981) pp. 365-387.
- Maxine Hairston publishes “The Winds of Change” (1982)
- Harriston, Maxine (1982). The winds of change: Thomas Kuhn and the revolution in the teaching of writing. College Composition and Communication, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Feb., 1982), pp. 76-88
- A Nation At Risk, 1983
- Public policy document that claimed U.S. schools were falling behind the rest of the world, creating a national education crisis
- Shirley Bryce Heath: Ways with Words: Language, Life and Work in Communities and Classrooms (1983)
- IUP Emeritus Professor Patrick Hartwell publishes “Grammar, Grammars, and the Teaching of Grammar” (1985)
- Hartwell, Patrick (1985). Grammar, grammars, and the teaching of grammar. College English, Vol. 47, No. 2, (Feb., 1985), pp. 105-127
- Social Constructionism (1980s-1990s)
- “Collaboration and the ‘Conversation of Mankind’” by Kenneth A. Bruffee: College English, Vol. 46, No. 7 (Nov., 1984), pp. 635-652
- Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) opens (1993)
- Post-Process Theory (1999-2005)
- Social Justice Theory (2000s-Today)
- Comic Book Pedagogy (2019-Today)