Thursday, November 19, 2009

CCR 691 Project Proposal

Nicole C. Howell
Eileen Schell
October 12, 2009
CCR 691 Project Proposal Final Draft
Overview:
· Scope- In this project I intend to take a general survey of current work by and about Latinos in the field of Composition/rhetoric. I will begin with a brief general history and then transition to the current environment. Although I will begin with a broad survey of work I do intend on focusing on Chicana scholars and specifically their current representation in our field. Inevitably I would like this work to investigate why there is a large discrepancy between the number of Chicanas entering the Academy and those largely informing the field of Composition rhetoric.
· Parameters- I will focus my research by including only the most prevalent voices in Latino rhetoric, those that informed them, and those concerned with Latino rhetoric. I will also map the framing subjects of their research. In other words I will look at the fields most heralded theorists and then determine what and who they study (ex. classroom practices, communities, high theory, literature, published texts, cultural artifacts, etc).
· Key Questions-
o How have Latino/as (in general) been represented in the field of Composition/rhetoric?
o How has the research conducted so far represented Latino/a’s as a whole and/or to what cause?
o Where do Latino/a’s figure into the field of Composition/rhetoric?
o What kinds of issues/challenges arise from the several cultures represented by “Latino?”
o How are Chicanas (specifically) represented in the field?
Rationale:
· Importance- I find this work important for several reasons. First I am a Mexican-American female entering into the field and I do not “see” very many scholars that “look” like me. In other words, although “Hispanics” account for over 25% of the U.S. population the percentage of Hispanics that hold graduate degrees is much smaller. Second, because Composition is a required course at most universities our teachers are quite visible to the general student body. This point is particularly important as the university setting becomes more diverse and our teachers do not accurately “represent” that diversity. Third, because literacy narratives vary by culture and experience it is imperative to consider what kind of narratives are informing our field and if they remain exclusionary. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, this work has not been done before.
· Contribution- This research “of research” will help situate the current state of Latino scholars in the field of Composition rhetoric. As I compile information about the fractured state of Latino scholarship (fractured primarily because of the variation within the description of “Latino”) I hope to draw some conclusions about how to make our field inviting to the Chicana population. In other words, this work will help form a foundation for a call to action.
· Further plans- In addition to this project I intend at looking at the qualities of academic authorship and how it relates to the Chicana population. I see this initial mapping as a starting point for my authorship inquiry which will be explored for CCR 720. In addition, I will further situate and uncover the theories and scholars informing current Latino rhetors by creating a “genealogy” map of citations for CCR 601. Although I am only in my first year of the PhD program I anticipate this line of inquiry as one of my exam areas and therefore hope to gather as much information as possible.








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