vita
Education
Ph.D. candidate in English with a specialization in Writing Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (anticipated completion: April 2008)
Dissertation:
Reassembling Writing Technologies: Historical and Situated Studies of Rhetorical Activity
My dissertation uses disruptions encountered by writers in historical and contemporary contexts to trace the ways computer technologies, people, and ecologies mediate, and respond to, situated writing practices. Creating a framework for linking materiality, practices, and ideologies of writing, it addresses computing practices and artifacts integral to writing in digital environments, yet often neglected in rhetorical studies.
Dissertation Committee: Gail E. Hawisher (Chair), Bertram C. Bruce, Peter Mortensen, Paul A. Prior.
M.A. in English with a specialization in Writing Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (May, 2003)
B.A. in English
Drake University, summa cum laude (May, 2001)
Publications
“Computing Attachments: Engelbart’s Controversial Writing Technology.” Computers and Composition (forthcoming, 34 manuscript pages).
“Data-Palace: Modern Memory Work in Digital Environments.” Kairos: Rhetoric, Technology, Pedagogy 11.3 (2007). <http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/11.3/>
Prior, Paul, Janine Solberg, Patrick Berry, Hannah Bellwoar, Bill Chewning, Karen J. Lunsford, Liz Rohan, Kevin Roozen, Mary P. Sheridan-Rabideau, Jody Shipka, Derek Van Ittersum, and Joyce R. Walker. “Re-Situating and Re-Mediating the Canons: A Cultural-Historical Remapping of Rhetorical Activity.” Kairos: Rhetoric, Technology, Pedagogy 11.3 (2007). <http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/11.3/>
Research and Teaching Interests
computers and writing |
histories of writing and technology |
rhetoric |
new media technologies |
cultural-historical activity theory |
literacy |
memory practices |
composition theory |
ethnography |
Teaching
Rhetoric Program, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign: 2001-2007
Course Instructor:
- Composition I (Rhetoric 105), “Principles of Composition,” 7 sections
- Composition I (Rhetoric 108), “Forms of Composition”
- Composition I (Rhetoric 105), “Ethnography of the University,” 3 sections
- Advanced Composition (Rhetoric 233), “Writing Ethnographically”
All courses after 2004 taught in computer classrooms.
Writers’ Workshop, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign: 2005-2006
Consultant
- Conducted one-on-one 50-minute sessions with undergraduate and graduate students
- Facilitated introduction of computers to workshop through observation of consulting sessions and recommendations of best practices during training meetings and orientation
- Created internal website for consultants with Drupal management software
Writers' Workshop, Drake University: 2000-2001
Tutor
- Conducted one-on-one 30-minute sessions with undergraduates on a drop-in basis
- Served as designated course tutor for one section of basic writing
Academic and Professional Service
Assistant Editor. Kairos: Rhetoric, Technology, Pedagogy, Praxis section. 2006-present.
Associate Editor. Gaming Lives in the Twenty-First Century: Literate Connections, Hawisher & Selfe (Eds), Palgrave Macmillan. 2007.
Organizer, Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities “Qualitative Inquiry” Reading Group (focused on qualitative research on language and literacy). 2007.
Rhetoric Advisor: Worked with a small group of new rhetoric instructors throughout the academic year, advising them through weekly meetings on assignment construction, grading, and other aspects of teaching. With other advisors, planned and conducted annual week-long orientation for new instructors. 2003-2005.
Rhetoric 105 Textbook Selection Committee. Reviewed textbooks and selected the standard text to be used by new first-year composition instructors. Spring 2003 and Spring 2005.
Assistant Editor. College Composition and Communication. September 2002.
Presentations
“Spending Time to Save Time: Situating Writers' Uptake of Innovative Computer Tools.” To be presented at the Conference on College Composition and Communication. New Orleans LA. 2008
“Computing Innovation: Writing Technologies in Development and Diffusion.” Computers & Writing. Detroit MI. 2007.
“Hypertext Revisited: Examining the History of Failed Technologies.” Computers & Writing. Lubbock TX. 2006.
“Hyperspace of the Mind: Computer Technology and the Remediation of Memory.” Conference on College Composition and Communication. Chicago IL. 2006.
“Teaching Ethnographic Writing: Relevance, Resources, Reflections,” a half-day workshop conducted (with Jessica Bannon, Kory Ching, Kim Hensley Owens, Kevin Roozen, and Amy Wan) at the Conference on College Composition and Communication. Chicago IL. 2006.
“Five Finger Inscription: Examining the Relationships Between Hardware and Software Interfaces.” Computers & Writing. Palo Alto CA. 2005.
“Ethnography of the University,” Writing Across the Curriculum symposium sponsored by the Center for Writing Studies. Urbana IL. 2004.
“Resisting the Web: How Conventions Shape Web Authorship.” Computers & Writing. West Lafayette IN. 2003.
Professional Memberships
Conference on College Composition and Communication
National Council of Teachers of English
Modern Language Association
Awards and Honors
Gragg-Barr Dissertation Fellowships,
Department of English, University of Illinois, 2006-2007, 2007-2008
University of Illinois English Summer Fellowship, travel support for visit to Douglas Engelbart Archive, Stanford University, 2005
List of Instructors Ranked as Excellent by their Students, University of Illinois, Fall 2001, 2003; Spring 2005, 2007 (maintained by the center for teaching excellence.)
Phi Beta Kappa, 2001
Sheslow Prize for Leadership and Achievement, 2000
Ethel R. Taylor Scholarship, 1999
Drake University Trustee Scholarship, 1997
Technology Skills
Web Design: HTML, CSS, Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, ImageReady
CMS: Drupal, Moodle, Blackboard, WebCT, Webboard
Images: Photoshop, Fireworks
Digital Audio/Video: Audacity, iMovie, Studio 9
References
Gail Hawisher, Professor and Director of the Center for Writing Studies
Department of English
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
608 S. Wright Street, Urbana IL 61801
office: 217.333.3251 hawisher(at)uiuc.edu
Bertram C. Bruce, Professor
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
501 E. Daniel Street, Champaign IL 61820
chip(at)uiuc.edu
Peter Mortensen, Associate Professor and Associate Provost Fellow
Department of English
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
608 S. Wright Street, Urbana IL 61801
office: 217.333.7014 pmortens(at)uiuc.edu
Paul Prior, Associate Professor and Director of Rhetoric and Academic Writing Program
Department of English
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
608 S. Wright Street, Urbana IL 61801
office: 217.333.1006 pprior(at)uiuc.edu
Contact
home: (preferred) |
work: |
idvan(at)uiuc.edu
217.390.6709