Anti-Racist and Feminist Pedagogy in Editing and Publishing-English 3680: Intro to Editing and Publishing

• Published in: Composition studies Vol. 52; no. 2; pp. 134 - 144
• Main Author: Richards, Rebecca S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago University of Cincinnati on behalf of Composition Studies 01.10.2024
• Subjects: College students; Community; Course Content; Course Descriptions; Creative writing; Design; Desktop Publishing; Editing; Education; English Curriculum; English Departments; Feminism; Freshman Composition; General Education; Heuristics; Humanities; Industrial Revolution; Internships; Liberal arts; Professional Training; Professionals; Publishing industry; Racism; Rhetoric; Scholarly publishing; Student Satisfaction; Theater Arts; Undergraduate Students; Undergraduate Study; Verbal communication; Writing; Writing Instruction; Writing Teachers; United States > US
• ISSN: 1534-9322

Meant to give a broad overview of the interlapping industries, theories, and practices that allow a work to be "published," the course is designated as writing-intensive, meaning that students satisfy one of their general education requirements. Because of the writing-intensive status, the class is capped at 19 students and is offered once a year. Lowell has long been a first home for immigrants, in part due to the US Industrial Revolution beginning in the mills along the Merrimack River (Lee; SEADA). [...]UML, renamed in the 1990s after the UMass system acquired it, evolved out of the Industrial Revolution era in that it is the combination of the Lowell State College (formerly the Lowell Normal School) and the Lowell Technological Institute that served the textile mill industry. [...]those students must have one of three writing prerequisite courses: introduction to creative writing, introduction to professional writing, or other sophomore-level English department writing course. Because of UMLs historical connection to the greater Lowell community, the UML mission focuses on creating a "diverse and inclusive campus" and "partnering with our community" as two of the four foundational pillars (UML "Strategic Plan"). [...]this course designed for JPW students-a variation on those identified rhetoric and composition majors-likewise strives for this balance. [...]the course routinely asks students to reflect on whether they find working with others-like authors or researchers -meaningful and something they could imagine for their lives. [...]the course asks students to consider the ways in which they could use this vocational discernment even if they do not pursue jobs or careers in editing and publishing. #PublishingSo White In 2016, Publishers Weekly ran a long-form article by Rachel Deahl, "Why Publishing Is So White," exploring the historical roots of patriarchal whiteness in the U.S. publishing industry.