Ecocomposition
Encyclopedia
Ecocomposition is a way of looking at literacy
using concepts from ecology
. It is a postprocess theory of writing instruction that tries to account for factors beyond hierarchically defined goals within social settings; however, it doesn't dismiss these goals. Rather, it incorporates them within an ecological view that extends the range of factors affecting the writing process beyond the social to include aspects such as "place
" and "nature
." Its main motto, then, is "Writing Takes Place" (also the title of one of Sidney I. Dobrin's articles on ecocomposition).
The theory for ecocomposition dates back to Marilyn Cooper's 1986 essay "The Ecology of Writing" and Richard Coe's "Eco-Logic for the Composition Classroom" (1975). More recently, Dobrin and Weisser (2002) have assembled a more detailed theory of ecocomposition, placing it in relation to ecofeminism
, ecocriticism http://www.asle.umn.edu/archive/intro/estok.html, and environmental ethics
. Other scholars (e.g., Reynolds, 2004) have shown its close proximity to social geography
. According to ecofeminist scholar Greta Gaard
(2001), "at its most inclusive, ecocomposition has the potential to address social issues such as feminism, environmental ethics, multiculturalism, politics, and economics, all by examining matters of form and style, audience and argumentation, and reliable sources and documentation" (p. 163).
Ecocomposition is one area of scholarly study discussed at the Conference on College Composition and Communication
(CCCC), a national forum for writing instructors and scholars. As an educational endeavor, it is linked most closely with progressive education (Dewey, 1915), critical education (Giroux, 1987), and place-based education (Sobel, 2004).
Ecocomposition asks what effects a place has (or different places have) on the writing process. In what ways is our identity influenced by place, and what bearing does this have on our writing? What sets of relationships help us define our place—including, but not limited to, the relationship between writer and reader? How do the sometimes contradictory sets of relationships in which we write allow us to see certain possibilities and foreclose others? How do these relationships define reality for each of us in different ways?
"Ecology," in the wide sense in which it was used by Coe and Cooper, includes both natural and social relations. Hence, ecocomposition instructors emphasize not only the writer's relationship to physical place but also the social relations among writers and readers. In the classroom, this translates into pedagogical practices that "emphasize the value of fostering community and collaboration throughout the writing process" (Gaard, 2001, p. 166). As a post-process method of writing instruction, ecocomposition attends not only to the process of writing but also what happens to texts after they are written. Thus, ecocomposition instructors focus not only on the process of composition but also on its purpose, encouraging students to write for specific audiences, adapting their style and content to match their purpose and audience.
While a primary concern has been the relationship between the writing process and natural places, concepts of spatiality also apply to cyberspace and online writing—in MUD
s, MOO
s, Internet Relay Chat
, Instant Messages, and e-mail
(Syverson, 1999; Yagelski, 2002. Ecocomposition instructors may use blogs or other means by which to allow students to interact with one another and/or write for a real audience beyond the classroom (see, e.g., Jones, 2008).
Eocomposition should not be confused or conflated with other systemic approaches to writing such as activity theory
, which do not account for the dynamic relationship between writing and place but posit a transcendent "context" that affects writing.
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
using concepts from ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
. It is a postprocess theory of writing instruction that tries to account for factors beyond hierarchically defined goals within social settings; however, it doesn't dismiss these goals. Rather, it incorporates them within an ecological view that extends the range of factors affecting the writing process beyond the social to include aspects such as "place
Location (geography)
The terms location and place in geography are used to identify a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere. The term 'location' generally implies a higher degree of can certainty than "place" which often has an ambiguous boundary relying more on human/social attributes of place identity...
" and "nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
." Its main motto, then, is "Writing Takes Place" (also the title of one of Sidney I. Dobrin's articles on ecocomposition).
The theory for ecocomposition dates back to Marilyn Cooper's 1986 essay "The Ecology of Writing" and Richard Coe's "Eco-Logic for the Composition Classroom" (1975). More recently, Dobrin and Weisser (2002) have assembled a more detailed theory of ecocomposition, placing it in relation to ecofeminism
Ecofeminism
Ecofeminism is a social and political movement which points to the existence of considerable common ground between environmentalism and feminism, with some currents linking deep ecology and feminism...
, ecocriticism http://www.asle.umn.edu/archive/intro/estok.html, and environmental ethics
Environmental ethics
Environmental ethics is the part of environmental philosophy which considers extending the traditional boundaries of ethics from solely including humans to including the non-human world...
. Other scholars (e.g., Reynolds, 2004) have shown its close proximity to social geography
Social geography
Social geography is the branch of human geography that is most closely related to social theory in general and sociology in particular, dealing with the relation of social phenomena and its spatial components. Though the term itself has a tradition of more than 100 years, there is no consensus on...
. According to ecofeminist scholar Greta Gaard
Greta Gaard
Greta Claire Gaard is an ecofeminist writer, scholar, activist, and documentary filmmaker. Gaard's academic work in the realms of ecocriticism and ecocomposition is widely cited by scholars in the disciplines of composition and literary criticism...
(2001), "at its most inclusive, ecocomposition has the potential to address social issues such as feminism, environmental ethics, multiculturalism, politics, and economics, all by examining matters of form and style, audience and argumentation, and reliable sources and documentation" (p. 163).
Ecocomposition is one area of scholarly study discussed at the Conference on College Composition and Communication
Conference on College Composition and Communication
The Conference on College Composition and Communication is a national professional association of college and university writing instructors in the USA. Formed in 1949 as an organization within the National Council of Teachers of English, CCCC currently has about 7000 members...
(CCCC), a national forum for writing instructors and scholars. As an educational endeavor, it is linked most closely with progressive education (Dewey, 1915), critical education (Giroux, 1987), and place-based education (Sobel, 2004).
Ecocomposition asks what effects a place has (or different places have) on the writing process. In what ways is our identity influenced by place, and what bearing does this have on our writing? What sets of relationships help us define our place—including, but not limited to, the relationship between writer and reader? How do the sometimes contradictory sets of relationships in which we write allow us to see certain possibilities and foreclose others? How do these relationships define reality for each of us in different ways?
"Ecology," in the wide sense in which it was used by Coe and Cooper, includes both natural and social relations. Hence, ecocomposition instructors emphasize not only the writer's relationship to physical place but also the social relations among writers and readers. In the classroom, this translates into pedagogical practices that "emphasize the value of fostering community and collaboration throughout the writing process" (Gaard, 2001, p. 166). As a post-process method of writing instruction, ecocomposition attends not only to the process of writing but also what happens to texts after they are written. Thus, ecocomposition instructors focus not only on the process of composition but also on its purpose, encouraging students to write for specific audiences, adapting their style and content to match their purpose and audience.
While a primary concern has been the relationship between the writing process and natural places, concepts of spatiality also apply to cyberspace and online writing—in MUD
MUD
A MUD , pronounced , is a multiplayer real-time virtual world, with the term usually referring to text-based instances of these. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, player versus player, interactive fiction, and online chat...
s, MOO
MOO
A MOO is a text-based online virtual reality system to which multiple users are connected at the same time.The term MOO is used in two distinct, but related, senses...
s, Internet Relay Chat
Internet Relay Chat
Internet Relay Chat is a protocol for real-time Internet text messaging or synchronous conferencing. It is mainly designed for group communication in discussion forums, called channels, but also allows one-to-one communication via private message as well as chat and data transfer, including file...
, Instant Messages, and e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
(Syverson, 1999; Yagelski, 2002. Ecocomposition instructors may use blogs or other means by which to allow students to interact with one another and/or write for a real audience beyond the classroom (see, e.g., Jones, 2008).
Eocomposition should not be confused or conflated with other systemic approaches to writing such as activity theory
Activity theory
Activity theory is a psychological meta-theory, paradigm, or theoretical framework, with its roots in Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky's cultural-historical psychology. Its founders were Alexei N...
, which do not account for the dynamic relationship between writing and place but posit a transcendent "context" that affects writing.
Further reading
- Coe, R. (1975). "Eco-Logic for the composition classroom." College Composition and Communication 26.3: 232–237.
- Cooper, M. (1986). "The Ecology of writing." College English 48: 364–375.
- Dobrin, S. and C. Weisser. (2002). Natural discourse. Albany; SUNY Press.
- Hothem, T. (2009). "Suburban Studies and College Writing." Pedagogy 9(1):35-59. (DOI:10.1215/15314200-2008-016)
- Marx,S. (2008). "Think Global, Write Local: Sustainability and English Composition." UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability Conference, August 2, 2008.
- Reynolds, N. (2004). Geographies of writing: Inhabiting places and encountering difference. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.
- Sobel, D. (2004). Place-based education. Great Barrington, MA: Orion Society Press.
- Syverson, M. (1999). The Wealth of reality: An ecology of composition. Carbondale, IL: SIU Press.
- Weisser, C. and S. Dobrin, Eds. (2001) Ecocomposition: Theoretical and pedagogical approaches. Albany: SUNY Press.