Composition: History & Theory: 1920 - 1929
Current Traditional vs. Expressionistic Rhetoric
Description
In Rhetoric and Reality: Writing Instruction in American Colleges, 1900-1985 (1987), James Berlin outlines a series of conflicts and changes in the composition classroom beginning in the 1920s and carrying into the 1940s. According to Berlin, current-traditional rhetoric was challenged by expressionistic rhetoric (psychological, individualistic) and social (communal) rhetoric during this time period. Berlin makes use of the work of Lawrence Cremin to better describe (and understand) the progressive attitude of the 1920-1940 time period by defining progressivism as “the optimistic faith in the possibility that all institutions could be reshaped to better serve society, making it healthier, more prosperous, and happier” (58). Progressivism was strongly influenced by the political progressive movement of the time. It was also influenced by the sciences in that the idea was to “apply the findings of science to human behavior” (59). The empirical method of studying writing was popular, e.g. using intelligence tests, grammar tests, and organizational tests to place students within writing programs. There were two calls for the abolishment of freshman composition courses: both advocated for more discipline-specific writing courses. Two surveys conducted during this time by H. Robinson Shipherd (1926) and Warner Taylor (1927-28) reflected the face of freshman composition courses. These surveys examined, among other things, trends in teaching current-traditional rhetoric in required first-year writing courses, teaching literature in composition classrooms, modes of discourse, staffing patterns, and the use of placement testing. The findings of these surveys showed, particularly at the more elite universities in the eastern U.S., a decrease in the use of traditional rhetorical texts and handbooks in the composition classroom, favoring instead to incorporate literature and theme writing. A few results from these surveys follow: the average class size was 27.6 students; less than 25% required revision; most courses required literature texts; advanced writing classes focused more on writing about literature, while the less advanced courses focused on sentence-level correctness; 47% of large schools used graduate students to teach courses; and research papers became a staple of the course (61-65). The use of the library for research was also popularized at this time.
Date of Upload
3/13/09