To be perfectly honest, I find it difficult to respond to Yancy's article/speech. Not that I don't agree with Yancy; I do. I believe composition courses need to catch up with the times. Our students certainly do write in many ways in today's society: websites, texting, blogs, emails, etc. And we should incorporate these things in the classroom in order to prepare them for future jobs. Yes! Composition courses should be a synthesis (to use Kara's term) and incorporate different genres of writing to fully prepare students.
1. But, as we have discussed several times in class and outside of class, most of our students (unlike many of us) already know how to do most of these things. They have grown up with technology. While it is still helpful (and I think Yancy's ideas are absolutely fascinating and would be great way to make students excited about composition again; I would love to teach a class like that), I don't think we can totally forget about writing formal, boring essays, arguments, analasyes--I know Yancy isn't completely advocating this, but I think it's important to make the point nonetheless. Because, I believe that alot of the writing we have them do is more than writing. It is also about learning through writing, writing to learn. To learn to think critically. In short, I think this kind of writing also prepares them for the real world, helping them prepare for social and work conflicts/debates/experiences.
2. But, while one of freshmen compostition's goals should certainly be to prepare students for writing in the real world, are we not also responsible for preparing them for future course work? I understand Yancy's point about student retention, and I find it frightening that so many students enter college and never graduate. There should be something done. But, perhaps retention is also an issue because we are not fully preparing them for future course work. Students may be required to complete powerpoint presentations and other multi-media projects in future classes, but they also most definitely will be required to write papers, formal papers and essays. So, I don't think we should short change them. Give them the best of the both worlds I guess.
I'm not really sure if there is a solution to any of this, and I know that debates are occuring around the university about these types of issues, but I felt I needed to get these things off my chest. I feel it is my duty to accomplish or at least to attempt to accomplish the things Yancy discusses and encourages, but I also wonder why it seems to always fall on the shoulders of Composition instructors. When does History, Science, and Math begin to take responsibility too?
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