Equity and Inclusion: Using Autoethnography in First Year Writing Classrooms

Video Presentation

Authors:

• Sarah Ghasedi, English, UW Seattle
• Arna Elezovic, History, UW Seattle

Abstract:

We understand and use autoethnography as a process of research and composition in which the author connects personal experience with the cultural, social, and/or political. Research by Laura Ellingson, Carolyn Ellis, Melissa Tombro, and others shows autoethnography’s “transformative” potential to enable inclusion, build empathy, and promote a deeper understanding of one’s positionality within a given community or culture and a better understanding of the positioning of others. Yet despite its pedagogical potential, this research method has been surprisingly underutilized in first-year writing courses. Why do proponents of autoethnography argue that this method uniquely benefits students in first-year writing classrooms, and what are some of the factors that have prevented instructors in these settings from widely incorporating it? One primary barrier to using autoethnography in the writing classroom is that scholars possess a variety of opinions about the value of personal writing in general; such conflicts have prevented autoethnography from “being analyzed and studied in a way that allows its definitions to expand and evolve” (Tombro 3). Another major barrier is how meanings and uses of autoethnography have evolved widely across disciplines in ways that “make precise definition difficult” (Ellingston and Ellis 2008). Drawing from our research and personal teaching experiences, this poster presentation will outline the case for using autoethnography in the writing classroom. We will also share evidence-based teaching practices that have worked for us in overcoming barriers involving scholarly consensus on the application of this method to the writing classroom and conflicting definitions of autoethnography, as well as examples of student work from previous courses. We would like to promote opportunities for writing instructors to properly theorize, define, and demonstrate the importance of this work. Ultimately, we hope to increase the use and practice of autoethnography in first-year classrooms that teach writing and composition across the disciplines.

Poster PDF

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Comments

The presenter for this poster will be available to respond to comments during Poster Session 2 on April 20, 3:45-4:30 p.m.