Writing program administrators (WPAs) work in constant negotiation with institutional forces outside of individual control, where the concerns of infrastructure impact writing programs continuously. In periods of transition, where new WPAs are entering a program, or the institution itself is shifting around the established program of a seasoned WPA, the ability to understand and rhetorically act in concert with one's infrastructure can often determine the success of a writing program. In this dissertation, I conduct a mixed-methods examination of the phenomenon of WPA infrastructure, situating infrastructure as a rhetorical lens for understanding writing program administrators' work as they face moments of transition in their career. Through a combination of meta-analysis of a subcorpus of WPA lore and stimulated recall interviews with current WPAs in the field, I form a picture of the phenomenon of infrastructural rhetoric and promote its use as a holistic lens to rhetorically engage with complex institutional systems. / Doctor of Philosophy / A writing program administrator (WPA) is an individual who oversees, manages, and implements a writing program on a college campus. Whether they are the organizer of a writing center or the administrator for a first-year writing program, often their job is to direct the vision and resources of the college to achieve goals in writing knowledge. Throughout their operations, WPAs must work within the constraints set down by their institution, colleagues, and physical space. However, while WPAs are often well prepared by their training and education to deal with teaching and writing issues, interactions with these surrounding "infrastructural" constraints often leave WPAs feeling blindsided. In this dissertation, I explore moments of WPA breakdown in their engagements with larger institutional forces. I do this both through a detailed examination of a wide range of personal accounts from WPAs, as well as a series of interviews with members of the field. After finding patterns in these breakdowns and gaining a deeper understanding of WPA work, I work within the accounts of these WPAs to conceptualize the term infrastructural rhetoric to understand institutional forces as relational components essential to persuasion.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/103941 |
| Date | 21 June 2021 |
| Creators | Adams, Jonathan Mark |
| Contributors | English, Dubinsky, James M., Commer, Carolyn, Mueller, Derek, Powell, Katrina M. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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