During the first twenty years of the new millennium, many scholars turned their attention to translingualism, an idea that focuses on the merging of language in distinct social and spatial contexts to serve unique, mutually constitutive, and temporal purposes. This volume joins the more recent shift in pedagogical studies towards an altogether distinct phenomenon: transnationalism. By developing a framework for transnational pedagogical practice, this volume demonstrates the exclusive opportunities afforded to freshmen writers who write in transnational spaces that act as points of fusion for several cultural, lingual, and national identities. With reference to recent works on translingualism and transnationalism, this volume is an attempt to conceptualize effective writing pedagogy in freshman writing courses, which are becoming more and more transnational. It also provides educators and first year writing administrators with practical pedagogical tools to help them use their transnational spaces as a means of achieving their desired learning outcomes as well as teaching students threshold concepts of composition studies. This volume will be particularly useful for first year writing faculty at colleges and universities as well as writing program administrators to create a more effective curriculum that addresses these needs in classroom settings. All scholars with a doctorate in Rhetoric and Composition, English as a Second Language, Translation Studies, to name a few, will also find this a valuable resource.
W. Ordeman is Lecturer of Business Communications at the University of North Texas and teaches a course in First Year Writing at a community college in north Texas during his summers. He is currently a graduate student in the Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design program at Clemson University. Ordeman is originally from a border community where transnationalism and pluralism played a significant role in shaping his worldview after having witnessed the values of two distinct cultures create an altogether unique border rhetoric. Through a transnational framework, he has seen the benefits of taking a pluralistic approach to seemingly competitive/polarizing ethical claims. As a teacher, Ordeman believes polarization has disincentivized students from actively participating in the study of rhetoric. He believes teaching pluralism and ethics in a writing class can help remedy polarization and encourage students to listen to one another. His students' writing has illuminated transnational structures that deserved a unique pedagogical approach. This has prompted his pursuit towards a means of using these ecologies to increase students' effectiveness as rhetoricians.
