Today@Sam Article
Senior Uses Prestigious Workshop Experience To Explore College Writing Courses
Oct. 7, 2015
SHSU Media Contact: Chelsea Keller
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| Because of her interest in technical writing and research, when Paige Odegard became one of 30 students across the nation to be accepted for the prestigious Naylor writing studies workshop, she used the opportunity to expand upon her honors thesis topic, which explores the way first-year composition classes address writing and students express themselves through their class assignments. —Photo by Brian Blalock |
When students head to college, one of the things they typically look forward to is taking classes that truly interest them, the classes that actually pertain to what they want to study.
But when students arrive, they realize there are other required classes they have to take, and they may find themselves asking, “Why does my math degree require so many writing classes?”
With the research that senior English major Paige Odegard is doing for her optional honors thesis, she is hoping to change the way Sam Houston State University incorporates writing into the core curriculum and change the way students look at writing and how they express themselves.
Odegard’s interest in helping students stems from the work she does as a writing tutor in the Academic Success Center, more commonly known as the SHSU writing center.
Working there has given her a unique opportunity to see how students from different academic backgrounds either have an appreciation for writing or are uncomfortable putting pen to paper.
“If a student has difficulty transferring her thoughts into a discussion, we diagram her ideas and use a form of communication beyond the typical essay structure,” Odegard said.
While Odegard became interested in writing as a potential career through the English classes she has taken over the years, recently, her favorite type of writing has leaned toward research based, leading her to minor in technical writing.
“I like looking up facts and researching about things and seeing how different pieces of writing from my years can come together to be one big research paper,” Odegard said.
After taking technical writing classes with Carroll Nardone, associate professor of English, Odegard’s eyes were opened to how writing is not just about research; it is also about the design of how you write and communicate with your audience.
As they began working together through SHSU’s Writing Across the Disciplines initiative, Nardone saw the potential Odegard has for success and suggested she apply to an esteemed writing studies workshop in Pennsylvania.
“Over the years I have come to see Paige as a wonderfully engaged student,” said Nardone. “What impresses me most is her ability to use theory to question very practical points at the intersection of traditional English studies and rhetoric, and I think that is something she should share with the academic community.”
The Naylor Workshop for Undergraduate Research in Writing Studies, which took place Sep. 25-27 at York College, accepts only 30 select students from 17 colleges across the country, including Odegard, who was the first person to represent Sam Houston State University.
Not only does the workshop feature faculty from 13 different institutions, who acted as mentors to the students, but this year’s keynote speaker was Joyce Kinkead, a well-known expert in undergraduate research-in-writing studies.
When Odegard applied for the workshop, she was not aware of how significant it was.
“At first it was just a research symposium to me. But when I told Dr. Nardone I got accepted, she was really excited. She told me this would be a huge feather in my cap,” Odegard said.
“That her project was chosen for the respected Naylor workshop is a sign that other writing researchers think her study will provide new insights,” Nardone said. “Having this honor will create many opportunities for her in academic and professional writing; but, more importantly, we’ll see that her research will inform other writing research projects across the academy.”
Naylor participants are required to bring in a research topic that they work to develop. Odegard chose to work on her honors thesis as a means of going one step further in her academic studies.
After presenting a research proposal, Odegard spent the weekend narrowing her topic, establishing a research question and purpose, exploring the methods of research relative to her goal, and becoming a more confident researcher, all with the help of peer collaboration and guidance from the mentors.
“I started the workshop wanting to combine my interest in cross-disciplinary writing, the powerful influence that visual rhetoric has on individuals and society, and the methods of teaching first-year composition English classes,” she said.
“Attending the Naylor workshop gave me the leg up that I needed to ensure that I had a well-rounded thesis,” Odegard said.
A large portion of her proposal ties into her work at the Academic Success Center, and one of the goals she hopes to achieve with her thesis and the work she did at the Naylor workshop is to help those who do not always express themselves best through an essay.
“I hope to encourage different ways of incorporating writing across the different subjects, in order to increase a student’s writing capability, without using only essay-based assignments,” Odegard said. “I also gained a better understanding of how research in writing is extremely beneficial to society, and this workshop helped me discover who I am as a researcher.”
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