Historical Studies of Composition
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The Department of English seeks to provide all university students with the skills of effective communication and critical thinking, as well as imparting knowledge of literature, creative writing, linguistics, speech and technical communication to students within and outside of the department.
History
The Department of English and Speech was formed in 1939 from the merger of the Department of English and the Department of Public Speaking. In 1971 its name changed to the Department of English.
Dates of Existence
1939-present
Historical Names
- Department of English and Speech (1939-1971)
Related Units
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (parent college)
- Department of English (predecessor, 1898-1939)
- Department of Public Speaking (predecessor, 1898-1939)
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Abstract
WRITING IS a technology used by people in myriad human activities for myriad purposes, from producing the grandest texts of religion, government, and science to the humblest government forms, grocery lists, and graffiti. And its history of uses reaches far beyond the subject of "composition," defined here as the conscious and explicit development of students' writing in formal education, from preschool through higher education. Some historical research on writing extends beyond this definition and will be mentioned only in brief in order to set the limits of this review and suggest the work that many historians of composition have used (or ignored).
Comments
This chapter is published as part of Research on Composition, 1983-2003, Ed. Peter Smagorinsky. Urbana, IL: NCTE. Teachers College Press, 2006. (243-263). Posted with permission.