MAKING WRITING PUBLIC
Introductory Composition at Purdue 2009 Showcase
Purdue University has one of the most innovative English composition programs in the country. Students are not only taught to write papers but to think rhetorically in all kinds of media, from websites to video to podcasts. The showcase is a yearly event that invites both students and graduate student instructors to present their work, regardless of its original format, in a poster session. Graduate and undergraduate students, faculty and administrators all attend the showcase and interact with the presenters, asking questions and sharing the way in which they understand and are affected by the posters.
This documentary focuses on the testimony of 13 graduate and undergraduate presenters, as well as the experiences of student attendees and how they related to the work they witnessed. By allowing the students to explain their work and what they learned from their participation, Making Writing Public provides a personal and in-depth look not only at the ICaP showcase but at the Purdue English composition program itself.
A documentary film by Alexandra Hidalgo
20 minutes