#2. Make Graduate Carrels Great Again

While the focus of this blog is composition studies texts of yore, I thought I would dedicate today's post to my graduate carrel here at UC Davis' Shields Library. As graduate carrels seem like a relic of a university experience before computers and digitization, I feel that the "oldness" of this phenomenon fits well with the theme of this blog. In my own anecdotal experience it seems that these carrels are in high demand and I always see my neighbors working in them. Over the past two quarters, while researching and writing my preliminary exam, I have repeatedly returned to the library to search through its vast collection of older rhetoric and composition texts. For me, the carrel has served not only as place to store my checked out books, but also as a great occasional space for working on my writing projects. With the door closed and sitting in my chair, I have just enough space to stretch out my legs, even with a few inches to spare! 

An image of my graduate carrel.

Books that I am currently borrowing from the library. The letters under each book correspond to the provided descriptions below. 

The image above shows books I consulted for my preliminary exam (which is largely focused on the history of composition studies) and a seminar paper about the 1990s-era New Abolitionism debate. I hope to feature some of these books on this blog in later posts: 

a. Quiet Flows the Don (1928) by Mikhail Sholokhov: This is actually the only book I have checked out that isn't related to composition studies. At the beginning of last quarter, I thought I would check out a book for some "fun" reading, but this didn't last long. I have found for this quarter that when I am reading so much for my graduate studies, the last thing I want to do in my spare time is read. The first fifty pages or so that I did read were lovely though. 

b. The Composing Processes of Twelfth Graders (1971) by Janet Emig: A classic of the field! This book helped me think about how I was going to frame my discussion about the emergence of process pedagogies early in the field's history.

c. After Pedagogy: The Experience Of Teaching (2013) by David Lynch: I first heard about this book while reading Kristopher Lotier's (2021) book Postprocess Postmortem (which I highly recommend for anyone who is interested in the history of the field), and while I checked it out through the UC's excellent Interlibrary Loan system, I have only had time to read the first few chapters. I was planning on discussing postprocess and postpedagogy in my preliminary exam, but the trajectory of my argument changed and this book was no longer relevant for my purposes. 

d. The Making Of Knowledge In Composition (1987) by Stephen North: Another classic of the field! Classic enough that I would consider actually buying this book. 

e. Theory and Practice in the Teaching of Writing (1993) edited by Lee Odell: This book is an edited collection that includes an article that I thought was relevant to my seminar paper topic. I ordered this book through Interlibrary Loan on a whim, but I didn't find the article of interest relevant enough to be included in my paper. I still hope to read through it and think about it more when I have some spare time. 

f. Paralogic Rhetoric: A Theory of Communicative Interaction (1993) by Thomas Kent: This is another book that I encountered in Lotier's (2021) book that is foundational to the emergence of postprocess pedagogies in the late 1980s / early 1990s. For my preliminary exam, I used a quote from this book to frame my discussion of process as having an "internalistic" character. I hope to return to this book at some point and give it a more thorough read.

g. Defining The New Rhetorics (1993) edited by Theresa Enos & Stuart C. Brown: There was an article in this edited collection that was relevant to my discussion of expressive rhetoric. 

h. Writing Without Teachers (1973) by Peter Elbow: A classic of the field! I actually own the copy featured in the picture. This book didn't end up making an appearance in my preliminary exam, but it did help me with thinking through my argument. 

i. New Directions for Community Colleges, vol. 5 (1974) edited by Roger Garrison: This text has not been digitized! I think the majority of the texts on this list haven't been digitized. 

j. A Guide To Composition Pedagogies (2001) edited by Gary Tate, Amy Rupiper, & Kurt Schick: This book offered some good background information on process pedagogies and current-traditional rhetoric for my preliminary exam. At the same time, without saying too much, what a challenge it must be to create categories for different types of composition pedagogies. 

k. To Compose: Teaching Writing in High School and College (1989) edited by Thomas Newkirk: I used an article from this book in my preliminary exam. 

l. Composition In The Twenty-First Century: Crisis and Change (1996) edited by Lynn Z. Bloom, Donald A. Daiker, & Edward M. White: I hope to talk about this book in my next post! 

m. Perspectives on Plagiarism and Intellectual Property in a Postmodern World (1999) edited by Lise Buranen & Alice M. Roy: This book also had an article that I wanted to incorporate for my seminar paper, though it ultimately didn't make the cut. This is still such a cool book and definitely one that I want to feature on the blog at some point. 

n. Textual Carnivals: The Politics of Composition (1991) by Susan Miller: A classic! I tried to read this book but it was actually quite challenging. I need to give myself more time and cultivate a patient state of mind before attempting it again. 

Overall, my biggest takeaway after compiling this list is the plight of any academic, in that I have a lot of things that I want to read and not enough time to read them all.