Award Date

1-1-2007

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

First Committee Member

Jeffrey A. Jablonski

Number of Pages

86

Abstract

The growth of composition has led to competing rhetorical and pedagogical theories within the discipline. Pragmatic philosophy supplies a conceptual basis for beginning to reconcile seemingly disparate composition theories. I begin this thesis by surveying pragmatism and identifying key traits that characterize new and hopeful developments in the philosophy. Next, I review composition pedagogics, notably expressivism and cultural studies, as I begin to question their division. I then consider current work in composition theory to justify a pragmatic mediation of binary thought among competing theories, bridging the personal and the social in thought and action. I analyze The New Humanities Reader as an example of a pragmatic approach to composition coursework, and I note the classroom reading anthology's strengths and limitations. Finally, I explore the implications of a pragmatic turn in composition as a means of beginning to bridge the theoretical divides that threaten the discipline.

Keywords

Bridging; Composition; Divides; Philosophy; Pragmatic; Theory

Controlled Subject

Rhetoric; Philosophy

File Format

pdf

File Size

2365.44 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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