Teaching writing is both a science and art. As the field of education moves more toward inclusiveness and embracing diversity, however, the art and science of writing — and how to teach it — becomes more challenging.
Two new books by Merritt Writing Program instructor Iris Ruiz serve as resources to instructors who hope to teach writing in a way that’s culturally inclusive and relevant to students who are multilingual.
The first, “Reclaiming Composition for Chicano/as and Other Ethnic Minorities,” is a monograph. The second, “Decolonizing Rhetoric and Composition Studies: New Latinx Keywords for Theory and Pedagogy,” is a collection Ruiz co-edited with Raúl Sanchez of the University of Central Florida, offering insights to college writing instructors and researchers in the field of composition and rhetoric.
Anne Zanzucchi, interim director of the writing program, said ethnic rhetoric and multilingualism are developing fields in writing, and that Ruiz’s research makes an important impact to the UC Merced program and higher education as a whole.
“These books are at the forefront of this scholarship,” Zanzucchi said. “Iris provides a fundamental and significant contribution to engaging the needs of the fastest growing population in higher education, with first-generation and Hispanic students.”
