Setting forth an innovative new model for what it means to be a writing
teacher in the era of writing across the curriculum, The End of
Composition Studies urges a reconceptualization of graduate work in
rhetoric and composition, systematically critiques the limitations of
current pedagogical practices at the postsecondary level, and proposes a
reorganization of all academic units.
David W. Smit calls into question two major assumptions of the field:
that writing is a universal ability and that college-level writing is
foundational to advanced learning. Instead, Smit holds, writing involves
a wide range of knowledge and skill that cannot be learned solely in
writing classes but must be acquired by immersion in various discourse
communities in and out of academic settings.
The End of Composition Studies provides a compelling rhetoric and
rationale for eliminating the field and reenvisioning the profession as
truly interdisciplinary--a change that is necessary in order to fulfill
the needs and demands of students, instructors, administrators, and our
democratic society.