Abstract

As political polarity and social divisiveness increase in the United States, more organizations and scholars are calling on institutions of higher education to rise to the occasion and incorporate into their objectives the development of competent citizenship (The National Task Force). Writing classrooms are particularly suited to these kinds of objectives as writing already proposes relationships between rhetor and audience that have ethical dimensions and require mutual honesty, accountability, and respect (Duffy, "The Good Writer"). Additionally, the Framework for Success, a document that has become central to shaping the goals of writing classrooms, articulates habits of mind, like openness and engagement, that lend themselves to healthy, productive citizenship and civic interactions. However, the inherence of these qualities and potential in writing classrooms is not always recognized or actualized. Instructors need a reliable pedagogical framework to guide their objectives and choices so that students develop citizenship competencies through their writing experiences. The theory of experiential learning (EL) is one promising avenue for such a pedagogical method. This thesis explains keys to understanding EL theory and implementing them in traditional classrooms and details lived examples from two classrooms that illustrate how EL in practice can help students develop habits of mind that in turn contribute to citizenship competencies.

Degree

College and Department

Humanities; English

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/