Details
September 22, 2026
3:00PM - 4:15PM EDT
Whose Rules? Conventions, Language, and Power in the Writing Classroom
This session unpacks Domain 2 of the WPA Statement on the Five Knowledge Domains, examining how conventions and language are negotiated rather than fixed, and why instruction that privileges Standard English risks overlooking students' full linguistic assets. Presenters will ground participants in the field's current thinking on linguistic justice before turning to practical, program-level work: examining how existing SLOs do or don't attend to multimodality and disability, grounding language choices in institutional mission statements, and exploring how primary and secondary outcomes can carry different kinds of risk and possibility depending on local constraints. Throughout, presenters will highlight how Genre and Accessibility and Disability intersect with conventions work, and participants will leave with concrete strategies — and a draft outcome — suited to their own institutional context.
Presenters:
- Talisha Haltiwanger Morrison
- Al Harahap
- Bernice Olivas
- Amanda Presswood
Consultant-Evaluator Service
Expert resources to assess and improve college writing programs.
More Information
Statements and Resolutions
Position statements on issues of interest and concern to WPAs and Writing Programs.
More Information
