Contains the first chapter of a new biography of an influential writing teacher, Mina Shaughnessy, who was a founder of the "Journal of Basic Writing". (PA)

Considers the circumstances under which "basic writing" emerged both as a college course and as a field of study. Aims to map the "strange context" of discourses that have composed basic writing and to determine the strategic function of each of these discourses, including David Bartholomae's recent call for undoing basic…

Explores how insights of the 1970s are being lost, namely, those about why and how the academy thinks about basic writing and students deemed "illiterate" or "remedial." Examines a discourse that the author calls Basic Writing and how it has marginalized basic writing courses, teachers, and students. (TB)

Charts a brief history of the teaching of basic writing, suggesting that fieldwork has been shaped by three overarching metaphors--growth, initiation, and conflict. Argues that recent views of the basic writing classroom as a "contact zone" fail to offer a compelling view of public discourse as a forum expressing and negotiating cultural…

Demonstrates how an issue of the "Journal of Basic Writing," published in 1980 as a memorial for theorist Mina Shaughnessy, resembles structurally the funeral orations of Ancient Greece. Divides the issue into three parts: praise, lament, and consolation. Discusses political implications of the issue. (HB)

Gives historical background of basic writing. Contends that elite language instruction has included some and excluded others. Discusses "tracking." States that formal education offers a top-down, business-oriented agenda: basic skills, vocationalism, work discipline, and citizenship. Considers basic writing a containment track below…

Traces the uses of the "urban mission" trope both nationally and locally as it pertains to the history of the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Educational Assistance Program. Maintains that educational histories are important because they explain how political dynamics determine who will be basic writers and how many will appear…

This book is intended to be both a biography of an extraordinary woman and a historical account of events leading to Open Admissions within the City University of New York (CUNY) in 1970, wherein every graduate of a New York City high school was guaranteed a place within the CUNY system. The book profiles Mina Shaugnessy, who devoted her…

Rereading the history of basic writing can serve as a context for and a springboard to a reading of selected contemporary basic writing textbooks. For critical scrutiny, articles by Joseph Harris and David Bartholomae offer retellings of the history of basic writing, retellings that challenge the more "heroic" tellings that have become…

Identifies the forces responsible for the shift in writing instruction from product-oriented to process-oriented approaches. Briefly discusses the beginnings of writing across the curriculum at Carlton College and considers the suitability of this approach to community colleges. (DMM)