Dewey's The Public and Its Problems
The Public and Its Problemsurges readers to (re)consider purposeful, mindful, and logical uses of power; historical notions of membership and democracy; and the meaning of political participation in a community. Dewey expands some previous notions of being a member of a democracy: his definition includes 1. Actual directing, informing, and determining social possibilities/activities in a community and 2. An ongoing possibility for community participation if the need arises, according to the values a community works to maintain. His construction works against the rigid ideas of culture, community, identity, and political power, acknowledging the fluid nature of publics and opening up discussions to the members of a community. (Check out my info-sketch of Dewey below.)
Throughout this text, Dewey’s frames, applies, and explores the concepts of public, state, government, society, language, and action (just to name a few themes). BUT, in this blog post as a member of a public, I seek to engage others in a form of political discourse (rather than wasting time with modern distractions) to explore Dewey’s ideas on a more local and personal level. Specifically, I am considering a metaphor to compare Dewey’s definitions of experts, citizens, public, state, democracy, society, and industry to writing instruction within and across the disciplines. It is my hope that this metaphor could offer a heuristics to discuss how writing program administrators (WPAs), writing instructors, and others can discuss social and academic possibilities and activities to create/maintain a culture of ongoing possibility for established, new, and emerging participants in WAC/WID communities. (It’s a bit lofty, I know. But I’m just beginning to think through this idea, so any revisions, criticism, additional ideas are welcomed!)
My proposed metaphor*: Teaching writing in the disciplines is like a democracy of praxis. While Dewey’s democracy is optimistic, it also faces many obstacles and critics. WAC/WID also comes from a positive place (as a grassroots effort, support for all writers/teachers of writing, collaboration within and beyond disciplines…), WPAs regularly face many challenges and obstacles within and beyond their institutions. Both Dewey’s idea(s) of public(s) and WAC/WID work can benefit from 1. Working toward improved communication, 2. Acknowledging modern distractions, but 3. Using technology to their advantage.
Here are some possible directions in which this metaphor could go. I have been thinking about the following elements of Dewey’s ideas applied to WPA WAC/WID work:
<I’ve already started reconsidering all of this…>
Dewey’s text also offers some possible perspectives/ideas for the Content Curation Projects (CCPs) that writing instructors from across the disciplines create as a final product for ECU’s WAC Academy. For example, I have been thinking about CCPs as a way to
In an attempt to synthesize all of this, I would like to make some direct connections between CCPs and Dewey’s publics. Both consider the troubles and opportunities of…
*I realize this is actually a simile, but a simile is a type of metaphor. :)
Throughout this text, Dewey’s frames, applies, and explores the concepts of public, state, government, society, language, and action (just to name a few themes). BUT, in this blog post as a member of a public, I seek to engage others in a form of political discourse (rather than wasting time with modern distractions) to explore Dewey’s ideas on a more local and personal level. Specifically, I am considering a metaphor to compare Dewey’s definitions of experts, citizens, public, state, democracy, society, and industry to writing instruction within and across the disciplines. It is my hope that this metaphor could offer a heuristics to discuss how writing program administrators (WPAs), writing instructors, and others can discuss social and academic possibilities and activities to create/maintain a culture of ongoing possibility for established, new, and emerging participants in WAC/WID communities. (It’s a bit lofty, I know. But I’m just beginning to think through this idea, so any revisions, criticism, additional ideas are welcomed!)
My proposed metaphor*: Teaching writing in the disciplines is like a democracy of praxis. While Dewey’s democracy is optimistic, it also faces many obstacles and critics. WAC/WID also comes from a positive place (as a grassroots effort, support for all writers/teachers of writing, collaboration within and beyond disciplines…), WPAs regularly face many challenges and obstacles within and beyond their institutions. Both Dewey’s idea(s) of public(s) and WAC/WID work can benefit from 1. Working toward improved communication, 2. Acknowledging modern distractions, but 3. Using technology to their advantage.
Here are some possible directions in which this metaphor could go. I have been thinking about the following elements of Dewey’s ideas applied to WPA WAC/WID work:
- Experts = WID instructors
- Citizens = students in WI course
- Public = local, academic community (department)
- State = broader but still local community (university)
- Society = academic discipline or field on broader level – professional organizations, publications, professional conferences…
- Industry = ETA, textbook companies, certain “academic” societies…
<I’ve already started reconsidering all of this…>
Dewey’s text also offers some possible perspectives/ideas for the Content Curation Projects (CCPs) that writing instructors from across the disciplines create as a final product for ECU’s WAC Academy. For example, I have been thinking about CCPs as a way to
- Disrupt the “expert” [and exclusive] voice often associated with professors, providing an opportunity for faculty to embody the position of public intellectual and clearly articulate their content knowledge to the masses (20);
- Adapt, respond to, and (possibly) empower a community of peers and students while subverting/changing disciplinary/institutional situations in a less direct, non-political manner (86);
- Reflect on, explore, and curate common disciplinary rhetorical situation(s), values, and genres (89); and
- Inquire into common, everyday habits and conduct to discover the social and organic disciplinary conditions to which we are, otherwise, indifferent (108) or consider “normal” (97).
In an attempt to synthesize all of this, I would like to make some direct connections between CCPs and Dewey’s publics. Both consider the troubles and opportunities of…
- Action, decision-making, conflict… and consequences;
- Habit, everyday, custom, traditions… and associated behaviors (or conduct)… and individualism;
- Inquiry, experiment, discovery… and change; and
- Experts, publics, citizens, state, government… and language/communication
*I realize this is actually a simile, but a simile is a type of metaphor. :)