Theory Re/Building Project

Final Project (Theory Re/Building Project + Presentation)
There are many ways to "build theory," but what I have in mind to complement the investigative nature of our course is for you to reread, revisit, and re-synthesize. In fact, what I have in mind is that you might rebuild a critical strand or cut a new pathway through the course, and you could do this in different ways. You might identify an approach to historicizing composition that has been sorely neglected. You might argue for the regeneration of a neglected term based on how that term has taken on new intellectual capital. You might offer a new or enhanced reading of a single text or textual conversation by applying a different methodology to it. You might reset the conversation on a particular phenomenon by locating that phenomenon in a different starting point. If you are feeling very ambitious, you might even proffer a new micro-history for composition studies. Whatever you decide, you should do more than simply explain a complex problem or its causes. You are also strongly encouraged to draw on our reading lists as you complete this project, as I want this to be an opportunity for you to re-combine our theoretical "turns" in new ways.

In terms of the genre, it might be best to think of this theory re/building project as an extended conference-length text—a longer paper from which you would cull a shorter presentation, and which you could submit to the published proceedings of a particular conference. To be viable, the project needs to be situated; to be conference-worthy, the project needs to be salient. In other words, you must invent a reason for writing it! Because the emphasis of this project is on the focused articulation of a greater promise, your text need not be longer than ~7 single-spaced pages, including works cited. However, I will also ask you to transform it into a dynamic presentation (~20 minutes in length, including Q&A), whose format and content will be determined by you. We will share presentations on the last class day, so you should provide a handout or digital component for us to take away. 

In Week 12, I will ask for a ~2 page (single-spaced) prospectus, and a list of sources. In the true sense of the word (pro-spect-um), this is intended to be a projecting forward of the question(s) guiding your project—a statement of proposed aims or objectives, operating within a specific context, and accompanied by a detailed outline of your argument. Unlike a proposal, which often reflects the first step in planning a project, the prospectus typically forecasts the project and begins to lay out its course. Please look ahead to our required and supplemental reading lists, and know that I am happy to meet with you at any point throughout the semester to talk through ideas for this project. It is never too early to do this.