Previous Symposia

2007
2006

Communication Symposium Schedule Synopsis

The presentations for this year’s symposium aim to support the development of discipline-specific literacy abilities as students enter and complete their academic majors. Our experts in linguistics and literacy will help us contextualize the teaching and administrative challenges associated with supporting English literacy across the disciplines in the Qatar and Pittsburgh campuses.

*All scheduled events will be located in the Posner Center Boardroom of Carnegie Mellon University, unless otherwise noted

Core Content: Writing, Linguistics, and Disciplinary Literacy

This year, we are pleased to welcome Fredricka Stoller, Professor of Applied Linguistics at Northern Arizona University, Chris Anson, University Distinguished Professor of English and Director of the Campus Writing and Speaking Program at North Carolina State University, and Richard E. Young, Professor Emeritus of Rhetoric and English Literature, Carnegie Mellon University. These presentations will contextualize our discussion by helping us to define the notion of disciplinary literacy. We will build this context by addressing the following content areas: the relevance of applied linguistics in preparing students to transition from general to discipline-specific literacy in terms of both language and content learning demands (Stoller), the importance for learning and critical thinking of creative and engaging composition genres that are often considered to be irrelevant to specific disciplines (Anson), and the relevance of expert disciplinary models for writing in the disciplines (Young).

Presentation Information

Fredricka Stoller: “Developing Disciplinary Literacy Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration” (Monday June 9, 11am)

Chris Anson: “Disciplinary Conventions and Learning in the Disciplines: The Question of Genre” (Monday June 9, 1:30pm)

Richard Young: “Experts and Explorers in Writing in the Disciplines” (Monday June 9, 2:45)

Teaching Concerns and Implications

Our faculty and education-support presenters will help us examine the above concepts from linguistics, writing, and academic language proficiency within discipline-specific (and campus-specific) contexts. In particular, we will define the literacy-related concerns within the fields of English/writing across the curriculum, computer programming and computer science, logic and computation, information systems, business, as well as education support.

Presentation Information

English/Writing/Language:

- Dudley Reynolds, Marjorie Carlson, and Hope Rodefer “Changing Expectations in the Arabian Gulf” (Monday June 9, 2:45pm)

- Meaghan O’Keefe “Noticing Grammatical Forms: Advantages of Teaching in an L2 Context;”
- Rosa Bahamondes “Supporting Discipline-Specific Vocabulary in Content Courses” (Wednesday June 11, 11am)

Computer Science:

- Illiano Cervesato “On Teaching Programming Lanugages Using a Wiki;”
- Mark Stehlik “Writing About the Rise of Google in a Computer Science Course” (Tuesday June 10, 9:30am)

Logic and Computation:

- Wilfried Sieg “Computers and Computers: Making Distinctions in Writing” (Tuesday June 10, 11:30am)

Information Systems:

- Ian Lacey, Raja Sooriamurthi, Jeria Quesenberry, and Randy Weinberg “Spanning Geographical Boundaries, Cultural Differences: Student Collaborations in Information Systems” (Tuesday June 10, 1:45pm)

Business:

- Bob Monroe, Associate Teaching Professor of Tepper School of Business & Associate Dean, CMU-Q
- Starling Hunter “Developing Discipline-Specific Literacies in Business” (Wednesday June 11, 9:30am)

The Administrative Context

We will also investigate the impact of disciplinary literacy on administrative tasks and requirements, and vice versa. Particular attention will be given to the concerns of admissions, enrollment, broad-level course curriculum strategies, and the relationship between the CMU-Qatar and CMU-Pittsburgh campuses.

Presentation Information

- Indira Nair, Vice-Provost of Education and Professor of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University;

- John Lehoczky, Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Thomas Lord Professor of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University (Monday June 9, 9:30am)

Enrollment & Admissions:

- Bill Elliott, VP of enrollment; Bryan Zerbe, Director of Admissions, CMU-Q; and Mike Steidel, Director of Admissions, CMU-Pittsburgh (Monday June 9, 9:50am)

CMU-Q Campus Update:

- Bob Monroe, Associate Dean, CMU-Qatar “Lunch and learn seminar for Pittsburgh faculty” (Tuesday June 10, 12:15pm)**

**This seminar is for those Pittsburgh faculty and staff who want to learn more about research, teaching, and other work opportunities at CMU-Qatar

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