Unbound: A First-Year Writing Anthology
Volume 3
Under the Microscope of Forensic Science
Winner of Outstanding Essay Award
Author: Makenna Bergerson
Course: WR 121
Instructor: Samantha Morgan
Abstract: An interview-based analysis of the writing, research, and genre conventions involved in forensics. The author considers how forensic scientists are used in the criminal justice community, some of the general protocols, as well as the specific fields one can pursue in forensics.
Keywords: STEM, forensic science, discourse community, genre analysis
Writing is Right the First Time
Winner of Outstanding Essay Award
Author: Laticia Garcia
Course: WR 121
Instructor: Samantha Morgan
Abstract: Reflects on the myth that writing is right the first time, when in reality it is important to make errors to improve one’s writing ability.
Keywords: Writing construct, error, drafting
Grasping My Fragile Heart
Author: Addie Floyd
Course: WR 121
Instructor: Tandy Tillinghast
Abstract: A literacy narrative in which the author describes the transformative power of reading and writing in her life. In particular, she describes the emotional feelings she had while reading The Book Thief.
Keywords: Literacy narrative, reading, powerful authors, pathos
Going The Distance: Cohesion’s Relationship to Discourse Communities
Winner of Best Essay Award
Author: Katie Chapman
Course: WR 122
Instructor: Dr. Leigh Graziano
Abstract: Original inquiry project examining the role of cohesiveness in the WOU cross country team. The author concludes by arguing that cohesion is a characteristic that should be added to Swale’s (1990) list of discourse community criteria.
Keywords: Discourse community, cohesion, primary research, cross-country
Language in Vaccine Hesitancy and Anti-Vaccination Ideology
Winner of Best Essay Award
Author: Emmaline O’Donnell
Course: WR 122
Instructor: Tandy Tillinghast
Abstract: An original inquiry project, exploring the role of language in vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccination beliefs through primary and secondary research.
Keywords: STEM, language, discourse community, public health
Values and the Glorification of True Crime Fandoms
Author: Malissa Brooks
Course: WR 122
Instructor: Dr. Leigh Graziano
Abstract: True-crime walks the line between education and glorification, but how can a podcast assert specific values on its listenership? This essay analyzes the longest-running comedy true-crime podcast, Last Podcast on The Left. By examining the themes and strategies the hosts of LPOTL use, this essay shows how the hosts strategically imprint their values upon their listeners and the Reddit community page.
Keywords: Online discourse community, corpus textual analysis, true crime, ethos and value adherence
Smart-Ass Women: The Rhetoric and Culture of an Online ADHD Support Group
Author: Ashlynn Norton
Course: WR 122
Instructor: Dr. Leigh Graziano
Abstract: This study focuses on a women-only ADHD online discourse community using observations to analyze their rhetoric and culture with the goal of bringing more attention to studying women-only online disability support groups and their importance to society.
Keywords: Online discourse community, textual analysis, observation, ADHD, disability support groups, safe spaces, rhetoric
Dancing with Inclusivity: The Importance of Integrating Genderless Terminology into Swing Dance Spaces
Author: Guinievere R. Olander
Course: WR 122
Instructor: Dr. Leigh Graziano
Abstract: This original inquiry project examines the nature of gender-inclusivity in swing dance spaces and reflects on whether or not gender neutral language, rather than gendered language, has an impact on the feelings of acceptance for dancers regardless of gender identity or conformity. This project uses primary research gathered from the WOU Swing Dance Club.
Keywords: Discourse community, primary research, gender, language, identity, inclusivity, noncomformity, swing dance
Volume 2
Can Different Community Groups Inform the Way We Communicate?
Winner of Outstanding Essay Award
Author: Justin Davis
Course: WR 121
Instructor: Dr. Casie Moreland
Abstract: This essay examines how personal social constructs and discourse communities influence literacy development and language practices for a Black individual living in a predominately white society.
Keywords: Literacy, Discourse Communities, Social Constructs, Race
African American Vernacular should be Included in Learning About Writing and Reading
Winner of Outstanding Essay Award
Author: Caprice M. Massey
Course: WR 121
Instructor: Wesley Snyder
Abstract: This essay presents primary and secondary research to illustrate why African American Vernacular English (AAVE) should be treated like other foreign languages in the teaching and learning of Standard Written English (SWE). The author argues that AAVE is not just bad English but it’s own vernacular that has importance within the African American culture.
Keywords: AAVE, Writing Construct, Literacy, Linguistics, Race
Multiliteracy and Online Discourse Community: How SENG Meets the Needs of the Dispersed Gifted Community Over a Lifespan
Winner of Outstanding Essay Award
Author: Sara Cash
Course: WR 122
Instructor: Wesley Snyder
Abstract: Discusses the use, and benefit, of online genre by dispersed, isolated members of the gifted community via the agile discourse community, Serving Emotional Needs of the Gifted.
Keywords: Genre Analysis, Literacy, Online Discourse Communities
A Genre Analysis of Facebook Mormon Stories Podcast FB Community
Winner of Best Essay Award
Author: Rachel Nye
Course: WR 122
Instructor: Wesley Snyder
Abstract: This paper delves into the literary tool kits or grief processing tools for those transitioning out of Mormonism. Community members communicate through personal posts, commentary on live FB podcasts where members/scholars are interviewed in the group. Genres mobilized within the Mormon Stories Podcast Community are used as a literary tool kit that collectively works to aid them through a faith transition into healing.
Keywords: Genre Analysis, Literacy, Discourse Community
Federal Disconnect: The Navajo Nation’s Sovereignty and Justice Must Be Respected
Winner of Best Willamette Promise Essay
Author: Skye Grubb
Course: WR 122
Instructor: David Howell, Jefferson High School
Abstract: This essay argues that the damaging practices of both historical and modern colonialism, particularly in terms of our criminal justice system, continue to harm the Navajo Nation’s relationship to its people and its culture and ignores the important role Navajo practices of restorative justice are to their community.
Keywords: Native American Sovereignty, Colonialism, Restorative Justice, Research-Based Argument
Genres Within a Day of Nursing
Author: Miaja Spensley
Course: WR 121
Instructor: Samantha Morgan
Abstract: Want to become a nurse? Throughout the workplace of professional nurses, they use many different genres of writing documentation to obtain the best patient care. This essay examines each documentation a nurse must write and understand on a daily basis and explains how one becomes a nurse in such a changing and flexible environment.
Keywords: Genre Analysis, Workplace Writing
A Shift From Rules to Tools
Author: Samila Sevugan
Course: WR 121
Instructor: Tandy Tillinghast
Abstract: Reflects the importance of the role writing constructs hold against a writer’s ability to expand and further the discovery of their writing identity and purpose.
Keywords: Writing Construct, Academic Writing, Writer’s Block
How to Bend the Rules on Writing
Author: Andrew Ashley
Course: WR 121
Instructor: Wesley Snyder
Abstract: An essay exploring the autor’s early teachings of writing constructs, and the contradicting teachings of writing constructs utilized in higher level education. The author urges the audience to rethink strict rules of writing and learn when it is appropriate to break the rules of writing constructs in certain situations.
Keywords: First Person, Writing Constructs
Discourse Community of Servers: The Environment’s Effect on Behavior and Lexicon
Author: Becca Brooks
Course: WR 122
Instructor: William “Matt” Haas
Abstract: A detailed look into the front of house customer service discourse community, including its curated lexicon and conduct.
Keywords: Discourse Community, Lexicon, Workplace Writing
Unearthing Identity: Characteristics Restricting Female Leadership in the Evangelical Church
Author: Faith DeVyldere
Course: WR 122
Instructor: Wesley Snyder
Abstract: Identifies the prescribed characteristics of females in the U.S charismatic evangelicalchurch, as well as common rationales for these gendered expectations. Connects these ideals to the disparities between women and leadership in these communities.
Keywords: Discourse Community, Identity, Literacy, Gender
How Telenovelas Function in the Latino Community
Author: Yaritza Marquez Camacho
Course: WR 122
Instructor: William “Matt” Haas
Abstract: How telenovelas Function In the Latino Community is a brief essay justifying how telenovelas have affected the hispanic community. The text analyzes various ways on how the hispanic community feels connected to telenovelas and how telenovelas use language or writing.
Keywords: Discourse Community, Latinx, Identity
Volume 1
Projecting Into the World of Dungeons and Dragons
Winner of Outstanding Essay Award
Author: Alex Decknadel
Course: WR 122
Instructor: Samantha Morgan
Abstract: Projecting into the World of Dungeons and Dragons is an argument about the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) as a discourse community and how players of D&D project themselves as characters within an imaginative setting shared by the players. Through the D&D sessions I participated in and articles I’ve read, I discovered that players have to interact with one another to project themselves as their characters.
Keywords: Dungeons and Dragons, Lexis, Character Interactions, Identity, Performance, Discourse Community
How “Big A Little A” Alludes to Britain’s Instability During the 1980’s
Winner of Outstanding Essay Award
Author: Bo Moskal
Course: WR 121
Instructor: Wesley Snyder
Abstract: A brief look into how social and political unrest created a boom in punk rock’s popularity in Britain. This essay is a rhetorical analysis of “Big A Little A” by British punk rock band Crass and how it is relevant to the climate of the 1980’s.
Keywords: Rhetorical Analysis, Historical Context, Punk Rock, Rhetorical Situation
Barista Lexicon and Its Effects on Customer Interactions
Winner of Outstanding Essay Award
Author: Jenifer Webb
Course: WR 122
Instructor: Dr. Leigh Graziano
Abstract: Through the use of both primary and secondary research, this essay addresses the major ways in which barista lexicon influences customer interactions. The results conclude that barista lexicon influences customer interactions by creating a barrier between the two, enhancing customer experience, and by providing a learning experience.
Keywords: Lexis, Workplace Literacy, Barista, Customer Interactions, Discourse Community
Immigration Reform: The Influence of Nativism in Political Rhetoric and its Impact on Immigration Policy-Making
Winner of Best Willamette Promise Essay
Author: Alayna Gilliland
Course: WR 122
Instructor: Kari Bloomquist
Abstract: Examines the political rhetoric surrounding the President’s “Build the Wall” campaign, the effectiveness of the wall in solving southern immigration concerns, and the negative impact the campaign’s rhetoric has on attitudes towards Latinx communities in the United States
Keywords: Political Rhetoric, Nativism, Immigration, Rhetorical Analysis
Smartphone Effects on Literacy and Language
Author: Brandi Grunberg
Course: WR 121
Instructor: Dr. Casie Moreland
Abstract: This text analyzes how the development of phones over the course of their existence have influenced language and literacy. The convenience, efficiency, and mobility of phones are addressed in the ways in which they have connected people, created a global community, and increased proficiency with the tools people through which people are exercising literacy.
Keywords: Technology, Smartphones, Literacy, Community
The Let’er Buck Spirit
Author: Jenni Kannier
Course: WR 122
Instructor: Dr. Leigh Graziano
Abstract: Examines the significance of code switching when speaking to consumers versus coworkers in a retail setting. This essay analyzes the impact of body language, tone of voice, and establishing authority and illustrates the influence different lexises may have on consumers.
Keywords: Code Switching, Retail, Authority, Nonverbal Communication, Lexis, Workplace Relationships, Discourse Community
Genres Keep a Law Firm Moving Forward
Author: Fengqi Li
Course: WR 122
Instructor: Dr. Leigh Graziano
Abstract: An analysis of the main genres used by a law firm in China. This essay examines the work those genres perform and their relationships with each other.
Keywords: Genre, Genre Analysis, Law firm, Workplace Efficiency, Discourse Community
Je Ne Sais…Meh
Author: Gracie Meives
Course: WR 121
Instructor: William “Matt” Haas
Abstract: This narrative shares the writer’s personal adventure with literacy. It covers her struggles and successes with reading and writing, and reflects on the significance of her literacy journey and the change she experienced from her own perseverance.
Keywords: Literacy Narrative, Literacy Sponsors
