Program Committees

To foster the work of PWR, standing committees made up of small groups of instructors focus on particular issues and then bring proposals forward to the larger group for discussion, revision, and approval. During the orientation at the beginning of the academic year, all PWR lecturers and Teaching Fellows join the committees that most interest them. PWR committees then develop a plan for each year’s work; committees might offer workshops during Program Meetings, meet with Program Directors to discuss progress on a Program initiative, or organize activities for teaching staff. 

Curriculum Committee
This committee helps advance the curricular effectiveness of PWR by working with the program directors to develop and revise assignment sequences, to track student responses to PWR 1 and PWR 2 courses, and to create proposals for curricular improvements in the program as a whole. Members of this committee have played a vital role in designing and revising the new PWR 2 course, which has now been fully implemented as a sophomore requirement.

Professional Activities Committee
This committee serves as an advocate for lecturer concerns by collaborating with the directors on annual review and reappointment procedures, suggesting criteria for clear and effective evaluation of lecturers’ performances, and meeting with the directors to discuss changes in terms of employment. The Professional Activities Committee helps develop guidelines for working in the Buddy and Mentor programs. Moreover, this Committee responds to requests for meeting with search candidates, represents Lecturer concerns during times of office space reconfiguration, negotiates for travel budgets, and helps accomplish the administrative work of the Program.

Program Events Committee
This new committee will develop a range of Program events, including presentations of lecturers’ research and work-in-progress; brown bag lunch discussions on rhetoric and other subjects of interest; guest speakers; and Program reading groups. This committee will also collaborate with the teaching practices committee to plan workshops and seminars to encourage professional development among the PWR instructional staff. Topics might include development of teaching portfolios, briefings on major conferences, and workshops on trends in the discipline. Finally, this Committee might organize some social and family events to build community in PWR.

Program Publications and Websites Committee
This committee works to develop publications about the teaching staff as well as about the students of PWR. The Committee’s work includes writing content for and designing the online PWR newsletter (at http://www.stanford.edu/group/pwrnewsletter); coordinating the preparation and editing of program publications such as the Boothe Prize essays*; and assisting with the revisions of A Guide for Instructors. This year, this Committee will also help develop the Website content for the PWR instructor pages online.

* The Editor of the Boothe Publication Committee is responsible for coordinating most aspects of the publication; details include establishing contact between instructors and student winners to ensure the submission of an edited, finished essay and instructors’ introductory paragraphs. The editor also establishes an editorial team of two PWR instructors per quarter, who will continue the editorial process begun by the student/instructor; the editor will be responsible for any final editorial changes. The editor will serve as a liaison with the editorial committee of IHUM and interact directly with the printer and publication designer to ensure that all materials are submitted according to periodic deadlines. Finally, one member of the Boothe Editorial Committee can sit on the Boothe Prize Committee each quarter to help with the judging of essays.

Teaching Practices Committee
This committee works with the PWR instructional staff and directors to develop a series of workshops and seminars focused on pressing pedagogical issues related to writing, research, and technology. Topics might include responding to and evaluating student writing, student portfolios, attending to students with disabilities, university research and human subjects requirements, teaching oral communication and multimedia presentation skills, and the tandem writing requirements of IHUM and PWR. Moreover, this committee helps advise the directors and the graduate assistant instructor on development of the pedagogy seminar and workshops for graduate student instructors.

Technology in Teaching Committee
This committee addresses the needs of all PWR instructors with regard to multimedia technologies for teaching. It aims to develop pedagogical innovations and merge electronic communication into rhetorical domains. The Committee holds regular “Teaching with Technology” workshops in Wallenberg Hall and Meyer’s Flex Classroom; it raises proposals for acquiring new software in tech classrooms and instructor computers; and it works closely with the Academic Technology Specialist and Associate on improving teacher training in technology.