Writing centers professionalize: Visions and versions of legitimacy

This dissertation explores the ambiguities of professionalization for writing centers and presents an alternative way to approach what I believe is an inevitable process. Toward that end, my project is to examine how the discourse surrounding the professionalization of writing centers constructs scholars, tutors, teachers, and writing. In particular, the focus of my project is to compare how tutors' self-definitions of professionalism reflect/deflect how professionalism is defined in the scholarly literature and in arenas outside of academia. The conclusions I draw are based on my research of two local writing centers in two southwest universities as well as a survey of the intertwined histories of literature, composition studies, and writing centers, and my experience co-directing a writing center for two years. My final argument is that writing center workers ought to look outside of academia for organizational models more closely aligned to political activism such the civil rights movement and women's movement, and to capitalize on the interdisciplinary nature of writing center work to create a "participatory democracy," in which participants theorize from their experience and value the process over gaining expertise.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Graduate College

Grantor dc:publisher

The University of Arizona.

Year dc:date.issued

2000

Author dc:creator

• Peguesse, Chere Lynn

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Enos, Theresa

• Language, Rhetoric and Composition.

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10150/284223

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.arizona.edu:10150/284223