Browsing by Author "Souder, Donna, committee member"
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Item Open Access Composition united: improving articulation between two-year and four-year colleges(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Lee, Kari, author; Frank, Katherine, advisor; Souder, Donna, committee member; Eskew, Doug, committee memberIn 1977, Mina Shaughnessy posed what she believed was an "embarrassingly rudimentary question"-- "What goes on and what ought to go on in the composition classroom?" (320). Over thirty years later, the answer to this question still remains under intense debate as educators struggle to maintain their distance from the K-12 standards and still ensure that students are receiving an equitable education at ever institution of higher learning. This thesis argues for improved articulation between composition programs in two-year and four-year colleges in the same community as a partial solution to this debate, advocating for a collaborative model as opposed to the increasingly popular competitive model for university operations. Two-year and four-year in the same community need to work together in order to ensure that students are receiving the same key concepts in their education, regardless of their place of enrollment. This will also illustrate academia's dedication to students' success and counter gainsayers arguing that there is another agenda. Finally, this thesis proves that, by increasing articulation and fostering communication, the overall structure of composition programs will be strengthened. This heightened dialogue between educators will allow them to learn from colleagues with different areas of expertise and strengthen areas of weakness. It will aid in successful assessment and professional development, and, ultimately, our institutions of higher learning will produce more confident, successful writers.Item Open Access From time and space: science fiction and its present moment(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Jones, Andrew, author; Eskew, Doug, advisor; Souder, Donna, committee member; Morales, Juan, committee memberIn this paper, I will argue that science fiction (sf) is typically misunderstood as a predictive text but is actually firmly and permanently grounded in the time it was created. Sf, as I present it, can be seen as more of what Mendlesohn calls "a product rather than a critic of social patterns" (120). An example of sf that is typically misunderstood as critic rather than product of its time is Star Trek, the 1960s television series. I show through Pierre Bourdieu's theories of language as symbolic power that despite Star Trek's hopeful view of an integrated future, thanks to its "USS Earth" metaphor, the show's content develops a Eurocentric market through its linguistic capital of rank and professional titles, or what Bourdieu calls "investiture" (119). Though the USS Enterprise promotes an environment and future where diversity and equality are commonplace, the ship's crew are never so unified that officers of lower rank, alien origin, or non-Euro-American descent are allowed to forgo the laws of classification. In fact, I argue that these laws are never ignored or suspended except between Captain Kirk and Dr. "Bones" McCoy, because they are able to negotiate their capital and manipulate their market in an exchange of "doctor/Captain" for the more familiar "Bones/Jim." Kirk and Bones prevail as embodiments of a Eurocentric patriarchy in a television series designed to bridge 1960s race and gender gaps. In studying Star Trek I will show how sf is a form that allows for a more accurate study of the past instead of the future. Ultimately, my critique of Star Trek shows how sf reflects its present moment in order to promote a new way of thinking about sf criticism.Item Restricted Hardwired: and other tales of Gothic reflection(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Antenucci, Marilyn Kathleen, author; Morales, Juan, advisor; Eskew, Douglas, committee member; Souder, Donna, committee memberHardwired: And Other Tales of Gothic Reflection is a short story collection that mirrors the writer's fascination with Gothic's anxiety over the past haunting the future. As we endeavor to grasp the significance of our own lifetime, we also strive to rectify our temporal position in relation to past and future generations. Hardwired recognizes that our physical bodies and the emotions hardwired into our psyche come from a deep ancestral inheritance. While our lives remain a product of the past, the ways in which we play out our existence ripples into the future in ways we cannot imagine. Since the Gothic is also concerned with the blurring of boundaries such as those between the time and space continuum, the dead and undead, sanity and insanity, circumstances surrounding such events become the underpinning of this collection. Gothic narrative consistently jars social lethargy through the exposure of excessive behaviors and through an examination of the horrific. Hardwired is written through this lens as social commentary against patriarchal mores that devalue the feminine, cultural dominance that degrades native and immigrant populations, and religious and social institutions that perpetuate subjugation rather than promote respect. Woven throughout the collection is the verity, we are born to die. Gothic tradition advocates the importance of the supernatural --- a recognition that there is a force at play beyond our logic and rational. As a writer, I make use of this tradition to create stories in which the reader is presented with a fresh perspective on the miracle of their being and how their being serves the time and space continuum.Item Open Access Narrative, positionality, and pedagogy: an exploration of the classroom narrative(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Enoch, Jennifer, author; Gage, Scott, advisor; Souder, Donna, committee member; Eskew, Doug, committee member; Pettit, Sue, committee memberNarrative writing has become an integral part of scholarship in the field of rhetoric and composition, particularly in the area of composition pedagogy. This thesis identifies and interrogates the classroom narrative, a form of scholarly, narrative writing that narrates classroom events in order to persuade its reader to adopt, reject, or think critically about its author's pedagogy. This thesis argues that, in order to accomplish this purpose, the author of the classroom narrative employs a persuasive process in which she deliberately uses postionality, the process of articulating the author's identity in the text, to persuade the reader to invest in her pedagogy. At the same time, she uses the text's narrative features to reinforce the reader's understanding of her pedagogy. The result is that the persuasive use of postionality and the text's narrative features combine to advance a pedagogical argument and create pedagogical knowledge. In order to illustrate this persuasive process, two classroom narratives will be analyzed: "Understanding Problems in the Critical Classroom" by William H. Thelin and "The American Scholar Writes the New 'Research' Essay" by Jackie Grutsch McKinney. The classroom narrative's persuasive process - both its use of positionality and its reliance on narrative features - has implications for the way that positionality is conceived of and for how pedagogical knowledge is created through narrative.Item Open Access Performance and pedagogy in the 21st century: theoretical and practical comparisons of composition and the theatre(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Heedt-Moosman, Dorothy, author; Frank, Katherine, advisor; Souder, Donna, committee member; Eskew, Doug, committee memberIn this thesis, I explore the shared exigencies of composition studies and the theatre as a method for addressing the problems inherent to first year composition programs. More specifically, I consider those issues that arise in mid-to-open enrollment institutions. I argue that composition instructors should use the practical approaches of the theatre as a means to 1) improve instructor attitudes and teacher-student communication; 2) embrace and effectively use technology, not as the defining pedagogical tool but as a way to maintain the relevance for composition students; 3) connect classroom practices to real-world purposes. I suggest that both composition studies and the theatre are rooted in the process of translating thoughts and feelings into action, resulting in effective communication to an audience. These aims are reflected by Kenneth Burke, whose explorations of motives and human communication and dramatism are applicable to composition pedagogy as well as connected to theatrical principles. I argue for an approach to teaching first year composition that would include the use of Burke’s pentad of human motives (with his inclusion of “attitude” as a sixth element) as a means for instructors to assess and revise their motives and perspectives as compositionists. I further contend that Burke’s pentad serves as a means to guide students towards more effective methods of rhetorical analysis and composition.Item Open Access Persepolis & Orientalism: a critique of the reception history of Satrapi's memoir(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Barzegar, Lila, author; Taylor, Cynthia, advisor; Eskew, Doug, committee member; Souder, Donna, committee memberSince its publication in 2003 Marijane Satrapi's Persepolis series, it has met surprisingly little negative criticism in comparison to other recent, highly commercialized memoirs written by Iranian women. For instance, Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran has sparked an interesting controversy concerning the topical atmosphere and stereotypes contributing to the popularity of Iranian women's memoirs, particularly memoirs concerning the Iranian community at a time of increasing US intolerance towards the current political powers and cultural ideology of Iran. Not only does Satrapi's memoir fall under such criticism, but that it can also be seen as more threatening to the perpetuation of anti-Iranian and anti-Islamic sentiments than Nafisi's memoir. Several factors contributing to this claim are its accessible graphic form, appealing child protagonist, and liminality of the author's position. I will also explore the academic credibility that graphic novels have achieved in the past decade and uncover the geopolitical climate and marketing variables of Satrapi's Persepolis success in Euro-America. Moreover, through analysis of this hybrid text, I will discuss the instances that reinforce stereotypes through the symbol of the veil as well as the depiction of Islam, without the context of the religion or culture. Such omission of context assists to perpetuate such beliefs that Islamic countries are backward and barbaric and that the West should intervene to liberate oppressed people.Item Open Access Psychological principles and pedagogical possibilities: toward a new theory of motivation in the composition classroom(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Van Winkle, Kevin W., author; Frank, Katherine, advisor; Souder, Donna, committee member; Eskew, Doug, committee memberDespite its importance, the issue of a student’s motivation to engage in the composition process is rarely discussed in composition theory. As a first step towards correcting the absence of motivation as a topic in composition theory, this thesis advances the notion that more attention should be paid to what can motivate students to engage in the composition process. The central tenet of this thesis is that students motivated to write are more likely to become better writers and fulfill the expectations composition instructors hold for them. Furthermore, the key to motivating students to engage in the composition process requires composition instructors make connections between the use of composition and the students’ original goals for entering the university. This thesis puts forth the argument that rhetoric, as learned and developed through composition studies, is the most useful aspect of composition studies for students, and therefore the teaching of rhetoric in the composition classroom is most likely to motivate students to write. As a result of the dearth of research and discussion on the topic of student motivation in the composition classroom, it was necessary to search outside the composition theory field and look at what others, namely psychologists, have to say about motivation as it relates to individuals and their participation in academic endeavors. Lastly, this thesis makes suggestions for future areas of study as related to student motivation in the composition classroom.Item Open Access Reconstructing the embodied feminine: sexuality, postcolonialism and revolt against Victorian morality in Olive Schreiner's the Story of an African Farm(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Wickizer, Kristina Rhiannon, author; Frank, Katherine, advisor; Souder, Donna, committee member; Taylor, Ted, committee memberIn this thesis, I argue that Olive Schreiner’s 1883 novel. The Story of an African Farm, though most often dismissed as an example of “New Woman” literature, is, in fact, a scathing look at sexuality in a postcolonial society. Moreover, by understanding the role, or lack thereof, that sexuality had in Victorian society, modern scholars can see the ways that sexuality and an individual’s expression of it are still limited by socially constructed ideologies. In the first section, titled a “Review of Literature,” I quote Edward Said’s argument that postcolonialism needs a variety of voices in order to better understand the effects of imperialism on the colonized. Consequently, The Story of an African Farm is important to the field, because it offers the experience of a white English woman living in South Africa. I then show how Olive Schreiner’s novel added to the discussion and the rise of the New Woman novel. Discussing these two different literary traditions allows me to contextualize the importance of imperialism and the “new” feminism in my reading of The Story of an African Farm. In the second section, titled "^Argument,'' I argue that Schreiner’s depiction of her characters’ sexuality allows us to discuss the societal limitations placed on an individual’s sexuality. I conclude by summarizing the ways in which sexuality is still a personal construct that society tries to control and label. I then suggest future implications for how the limitations of gender and sexuality can be discussed in regards to feminist and imperialist studies today.Item Open Access Teaching digital ethos: emphasizing the rhetorical impact of hypertextuality and intertextuality in the digital environment(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) DeCuir, Erin E., author; Gage, Scott, advisor; Souder, Donna, committee member; Checho, Colleen, committee memberThe need to adapt traditional techniques of rhetorical analysis to new and emergent forms of digital technology is one of the current challenges confronting rhetoric and composition pedagogy (Warnick, 2001; Hocks, 2003; Warnick, 2005; Fife, 2010). Digital ethos functions as an illustrative example of this challenge as composition courses attempt to address the ways credibility is constructed and maintained in web-based environments (Hocks, 2003; DigiRhet.org, 2006; Clark, 2010; Fife, 2010; Walker, et al., 2011; Gillam & Wooden, 2013). Current scholarship and textbooks indicate that the field continues to rely on traditional rhetorical analysis techniques to teach digital ethos, including an emphasis on ethos as the product of a single text with fixed boundaries (Enos & Borrowman, 2001; DigiRhet.org, 2006; Downs & Wardle, 2007; Clark, 2010; Fife, 2010). However, because the Internet is a hypertextual system of internetworked texts, it is necessary for FYC courses to teach a construction of ethos that considers texts as they are linked and circulated within the system. I argue in this thesis for a digital ethos heuristic that emphasizes (1) the relationships constructed through hypertextual links and (2) the ways in which those relationships create intertextual meaning that impacts and influences digital ethos construction. In this way, we can begin to adapt techniques of rhetorical analysis both to acknowledge and to critique the ways in which web-based technologies impact how we are to understand and teach composition in the current moment.Item Open Access Teaching Shakespearean drama through the Second Shepherds' Play: a guide to increased student motivation(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Colgrove, Misty Michelle, author; Eskew, Doug, advisor; Frank, Katherine, committee member; Souder, Donna, committee memberIn this thesis, I discuss two types of theories currently used to direct literary curriculum in secondary English/Language Arts classroom. One group of theorists argues for the classics, while another argues for young adult literature. The traditionalists assert that the classics are rich enough to engage any student’s interest and to challenge the student to think critically. Advocates of young adult novels assert that teaching works above a student’s developmental level, like some classics may be, damages the student’s engagement with the text. Such damage, these theorists maintain, has in part caused the United States to largely be a non-reading society. They argue instead that young adult novels provide literature that is engaging and encourages enjoyment of reading. While there are instructional strengths to both sides of the argument, a middle ground between the two is needed in order for students to remain challenged and to enjoy reading. I argue for using companion pieces to aid in student motivation in the high school English/Language Arts classroom. A companion piece is a high-interest work that must have many of the same attributes as the classic work--the same plot, themes, symbols, allusions, settings, ideas, real world connections, humor, etc. Specifically, I argue that The Second Shepherds ’ Play should be used as a companion piece to Shakespearean drama because both share common themes, genre, literary techniques. settings, etc. The Second Shepherds’ Play is a fifteenth century mystery play that combines the nativity story with a farcical story of a sheep stealer, Mak, who deceives shepherds into believing that he has not stolen their sheep. However, the shepherds realize after visiting Mak and his wife. Gill, that their newborn child is actually the stolen sheep wrapped in cloth. The shepherds must then decide how to punish Mak. The play ends with a surprising shift to the announcement of Jesus’ birth and the nativity scene. While The Second Shepherds’ Play is not traditionally taught in secondary classrooms, it is a beneficial play for secondary teachers to incorporate into curriculum because it will help students to engage in the text itself through such research based strategies as humor, real life connections, and interdisciplinary connections. The critical thinking students engage in while studying The Second Shepherds ’ Play will also help prepare them to engage in a study of Shakespearean drama where critical thinking is also needed in order to interact with the text in a more meaningful manner than just knowing plot details. While I assert that The Second Shepherds’ Play should be used as a tool to prepare students for a study of Shakespearean drama, the focus of this thesis is on highlighting the benefits of The Second Shepherds’ Play through research based strategies. Shakespearean drama will not be discussed in great detail. However, introducing The Second Shepherds’ Play into the curriculum and facilitating student exploration of the text through research based strategies will help students to engage more deeply in Shakespearean drama and to be more motivated in the classroom.Item Open Access The lion, the old lady, and the golden thread: ontological and rhetorical dissonance in the children's literature of George MacDonald and C.S. Lewis(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Sundermann, Isaac R., author; Frank, Katherine, advisor; Souder, Donna, committee member; Taylor, Ted, committee memberStarting from the premise that at least some works of children’s literature are written with the motive of engendering religious conversion or de-conversion among their readers, this thesis sets out to establish the rhetorical differences among these types of works as a basis for a uniquely religious form of criticism. To demonstrate this method, a focus is placed on the two most popular children’s books of George MacDonald (The Princess and the Goblin) and C.S. Lewis (The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe). The first section of this thesis consists of a review of relevant literature related to the intertwining of literary reputations between MacDonald and Lewis. The second section of this thesis argues that the respective soteriologies (salvation narratives) of MacDonald and Lewis act as windows into the ontological assumptions of each author. By first looking at these foundational assumptions, the rhetorical framework of each text becomes evident. These frameworks, explored through the lens of Kenneth Burke’s dramatistic pentad, provide a basis for the differentiation of the two authors. They also locate the crux of Lewis’s misreading of his literary precursor MacDonald. Specifically, it is the universalism of George MacDonald (i.e. his belief that all will be saved) that creates a profound dissonance with the thought of Lewis, who held to a more orthodox narrative in which all humans ultimately arrive at a state of eternal damnation or eternal bliss.Item Open Access The parallel alienation of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds and new teachers in the U.S. public school system(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Funkhouser, Earlena, author; Frank, Katherine, advisor; Morales, Juan, committee member; Souder, Donna, committee memberThe shift in focus from process-based to product-based education in United States public schools since the mid-twentieth century has degraded learning and teaching, compromised the student-teacher relationship, and caused parallel alienation from both learning and teaching, especially among students who are from low-socioeconomic backgrounds and new teachers.Item Restricted The whisper apparatus(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Kendall, Klayton Elliot, author; Morales, Juan, advisor; Taylor, Cynthia, committee member; Souder, Donna, committee memberThe Whisper Apparatus details the poet's lifelong withdrawal (and subsequent suffering) from the world of techne-logos to one of poiesis. The manuscript's tripartite structure corresponds directly to the poet's life and subtly depicts via occult motifs a journey inward and a return outward, a psycho-spiritual transformation occurring along the way. The Whisper Apparatus attempts, via the medium of verse, to speak the only linguistic alternative to techne-logos available to human beings on a dying planet: the language of witchcraft, the poetics of voodoo, the instructive "midwifery" of the pre-Socratic pagan philosophers. The poet offers an alternative to the misappropriation of Aristotelian mimesis by utilizing taxonomies of intuition, not scientific empiricism, by cataloging the subconscious via trance and dream. For the true sorcerer of words, Platonic anamnesis involves the logic of correspondence, not mathematical identity. The Whisper Apparatus, utilizing occult themes such as demonic possession and ritual drug use as a means of overcoming the psychotic symptoms and tendencies of a capitalist, patriarchal, and Puritanical upbringing, fits squarely in the Renaissance tradition of flirting with taboo, a transformation aesthetic employed by Sir Philip Sidney in Astrophil and Stella.