A Multimodal Approach
Decolonizing the Composition Classroom
A Multimodal Approach
This website is the culmination of a semester-long investigation into composition pedagogy in ENGL 780: Advanced Theory and Practice in Composition at Wichita State University. Here you will find my thoughts on incorporating multimodality into composition courses as well as my approach to teaching in general.
What is Decolonial Composition?
"Decolonial Composition" is an approach to composition curriculum design that embraces diverse ways of knowing, traditional cultural practices, and original forms of expression created by Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). The aim of this approach is to shift the conversations within the composition classrooms to focus on issues faced by the marginalized, the oppressed, and the subaltern in order to encourage understanding and connection among individuals, communities, and cultures.
Decolonial Syllabus Guide
Learn about diversifying your course syllabus
Creating a decolonial curriculum begins with a diverse and inclusive syllabus, which requires not only assigning readings from marginalized voices and perspectives in the course texts, but also offering students a diverse set of options for and approaches to their writing assignments...
Why "Decolonial"?
Following Linda Brodkey's call to move away from composition pedagogy centered on white, middle-class values and experiences and deeply informed by the work of various Latinx/Latine scholars such as Iris D. Ruiz, Raúl Sánchez, Damián Baca, and Victor Villanueva, my approach to composition is "decolonial" in the sense that it prioritizes reading and composition as a social practice that has the ability to equip students for the deconstruction and reversal of colonial beliefs, practices, and institutions. It is my strong belief that decoloniality is vital to global progress and, as such, should be the center of any meaningful action. The immediate effect of this is to amplify marginalized voices and build community where needed.
Example Assignments
Ideas for Diversifying Low-Stakes Writing Assignments
Do you know of any BIPOC cultures that traditionally produce five-paragraph essays? I don't, but I do know of cultures that practice rich oral poetic traditions, dynamic embodied storytelling in dance, and inventive expression through mural painting. So why shouldn't we welcome these practices into the so-called multimodal and social turn of composition pedagogy?
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