Writing Pathways to Student Success

Teachers of first-year composition courses do essential work. Teaching argumentation and conventions of university-level writing; demystifying citation and punctuation; promoting reading comprehension and analysis. Yet such skills, as important as they are, do not reflect the full scope of our discipline. Some of the best learning in composition coursework relates to students' growth as successful individuals able to live and write in a complex world. Composition instructors demand civil discourse and respect for diversity. They coach students in time management and the creative process. They build up confidence, break down learning obstacles, and promote self-examination. The essays found in Writing Pathways for Student Success, written by and for instructors of college writing, examine life lessons that both students and instructors learn from first-year composition courses.

Contributors: Lori Brown, Kathryn Crowther, Casie Fedukovich, Rachel Anya Fomalhaut, Lynée Lewis Gaillet, Christopher Garland, Ruth A. Goldfine, Pamela Henney, Rachel McCoppin, Deborah Mixson-Brookshire, Karen Bishop Morris, Sarah O’Connor, Abigail G. Scheg, Lisa Whalen

Lillian Craton is associate professor of English and director of the Honors College at Lander University a regional, public university in Greenwood, South Carolina. While her primary research area is British literature, particularly Victorian studies, she teaches composition every semester and is deeply passionate about the work of mentoring student writers.

Renée Love is dean for Arts & Humanities at Lander University. She is also associate professor of English and a columnist; her scholarship often includes topics related to student success, civic rhetoric, faculty development, and human potential.

Sean Barnette is associate professor in the Department of English and Foreign Languages at Lander University, where he teaches first-year writing, linguistics, and rhetoric. He also serves as the internship coordinator for English majors and as a teacher and advisor within Lander's Honors College.