“Opportunity/Exploitation”

by Tom Polk, Alisa Russell, and Allie Sockwell Johnston, Writing Across the Curriculum Graduate Organization (WAC-GO) | Xchanges 15.1, Spring 2020

About the Authors

Thomas Polk is a doctoral student in Writing and Rhetoric at George Mason University where he also serves as the Acting Director of Mason’s WAC Program. He has conducted research on writing assignments, faculty development, and failure pedagogies. His current research focuses on student writing development in general education courses and undergraduate research programs.

Alisa Russell is an incoming Assistant Professor of English at Wake Forest University and Co-Chair of the WAC Summer Institute. Her research interests are based in rhetorical genre studies, writing across the curriculum, and public writing, and her work has appeared in journals such as Composition Forum, The WAC Journal, and Pedagogy. Alisa’s most recent project focuses on the relationship between writing and access in local government.

Allie Sockwell is a doctoral candidate in the University of Tennessee’s Rhetoric, Writing, and Linguistics program. Her primary research areas include writing center scholarship, first-year writing, and multimodality. Her motivation for research is centered around her students and how they can best be supported. When not in the classroom or writing center, you can find Allie with family, playing the piano, or lounging in a sunny spot, preferably the beach.