Project 1: Journal Review

WRA 885 // Jack Hennes

1. Inrtoduction2. Overview of Journals3. Findings About the Articles4. Findings About the Journals 5. Implications

Introduction

• rhet/comp • “multimodal public rhetoric” • multimodal pedagogy,

professional writing, community action

Steve Parks

Linda Flower

Jenny Rice

Ellen Cushman

Jeff Grabill

Melanie Yergeau

Geoffrey Sirc

Amy C. KimmeHea.

Each journal presents a different, yet vital area of focus:

• Composition Theory // JAC• Professional Writing // JBTC• Community Writing // Reflections

JAC: A Journal of Rhetoric, Culture, and Politics

JAC is centered on featuring interdisciplinary scholarship in composition theory, broadly conceived, and is published four times a year.

• Lynn Worsham, Editor

• Julie Jung, Senior Editor

• Founded in 1980

• Quarterly

Journal of Business and Technical Communication

JBTC is a peer-reviewed and published quarterly, covers the latest communication practices, problems and trends in both business and academic settings, including written, oral and electronic communication in all areas of business, science and government.

• David R. Russell, Editor

• Founded in 1987

• Sage Publications

• Quarterly

Reflections: A Journal of Public Rhetoric, Civic Writing, and Service Learning

“Reflections publishes a lively collection of scholarship on public rhetoric and civic writing, occasional essays and stories both from and about community writing and literacy projects, interviews with leading workers in the field, and reviews of current scholarship touching on these issues and topics.”

• Christina Kirklighter, Editor

• Founded in 2000

• Published about twice a year

Article Findings // JAC

• Both articles are carefully and thoroughly argued, and are incredibly dense as a result

• Both use theoretical frames to approach their pieces, in turn presenting arguments that contribute to a body of theory

• Their data include symbols and artifacts, analyzed to unpack their meaning and contribute to their arguments

• Schell, Eileen. “Transnational Environmental Justice Rhetoricsand the Green Belt Movement: Wangari MixtaMaathai’s Ecological Rhetorics and Litericies.” 33.3-4 (2013). Print.

• Abraham, Matthew. “Recognizing the Effects of the Past in the Present: Theorizing A Way Forward on the Israel- Palestine Conflict.” 33.1-2 (2013). Print.

Article Findings // JBTC

• Both articles are clearly and concisely written, and they also expose how artifacts produced for public audiences can be unpacked to expose how they operate rhetorically

• While these practices and approaches are not exclusive to business and technical writing, the investigation of scientific and environmental artifacts help align these articles within the focus of business and technical communication

• Neil Lindeman. “SubjectivizedKnowledge and Grassroots Advocacy: An Analysis of an Environmental Controversy in Northern California.” 2013, 27.1: 62-90.

• Miriam F. Williams. “Reimagining NASA: A Cultural and Visual Analysis of the U.S. Space Program.” 2012, 26.3: 368-389.

Article Findings // Reflections

• Both pieces are critical-reflective of their experiences engaging in projects and present an outline of what they accomplished/hope to accomplish in the future

• Both articles are accessible to read and present ways that academics and community members have worked together in actual projects.

• Their methods are reflective and help display how others can enact community projects for themselves.

• Eva M. Moya, & Guillermina G. Núñez. “Public Art, Service-Learning, and Critical Reflection: NuestraCasa as a Case Study of Tuberculosis Awareness on the U.S-Mexico Border.” Latin@s in Public Rhetoric, Civic Writing, and Service Learning (Spec. Issue). 13.1: 127-151 (Fall 2013).

• Catherine Girves, Lorrie McAllister, Dickie Selfe, and Amy Youngs. “Reflections on Community Future Casting: Digital Storytelling to Inspire Urban Solutions.” 12.1: 152-159 (Fall 2012).

Journal Findings

Each journal serves as a space for

• the critical analysis of multimodal artifacts -AND/OR-• analyzing or reflecting on the production, reflection, or circulation of

multimodal artifacts in public spaces -AND/OR-• revealing the rhetoricity of artifacts –AND ALWAYS-• finding a way to place that analysis, reflection, or investigation within the

conversations of a subfield (composition theory, community writing, business and technical communication)

Despite the considerable overlap with elements of multimodal public rhetoric, there were significant silos that the journals attempted to adhere to in their focus that the articles sought to fight against.

These silos were amplified by the citation policies for each journal.

Implications

• Each journal presents a vital area of focus (comp theory, professional writing, community writing)

• Rhet/comp presents an enormous amount of institutional and cultural thrust, one that shapes and guides the methodologies writers take in these publications

• This analysis has enabled me to gain a greater understanding of how journals feature work that crosses and blurs the boundaries of professional writing, community writing, and multimodal pedagogy, sometimes in ways that push against each journal’s traditional area of focus

I hope to do work that complicates these boundaries, and my focused study of these publications helped me gain an understanding of what I must do rhetorically to contribute to specific conversations in these sub-fields, further showing how that work truly does traverse the borders represented by these journals.

Questions?