| The image of crossroads looms heavily in humanity's collective consciousness, signifying the liminal space in which divergent ideas, opportunities and life paths collide. Much like individuals who are faced with metaphorical (and physical) crossroads, diverse students occupy liminal spaces, simultaneously traversing paths in everyday vernaculars, digital media and academic rhetoric while maintaining rhetorics that preserve their cultural identities. While undergoing this delicate balancing act, students from this demographic require support through explicit instruction that helps them successfully navigate the different environments where they compose and speak. In addition, educators and students may want to explore how to integrate both of these rhetorics creatively and effectively in traditional classroom settings.;To facilitate those goals, Writing at the Crossroads presents five case studies that highlight the challenges diverse students face when writing and speaking in academic and media contexts. Student interviews and written text gathered from diverse college graduates were analyzed using critical pedagogy, ecocomposition, genre theory, sociolinguistics and literary arts frameworks to understand then articulate the pedagogical strategies that were most helpful for students. Action steps that arose from the data analysis are presented to serve as launch pads instructors can build upon when responding to the challenges of teaching progressive academic and digital based pedagogy to students from diverse backgrounds. |
