The Problem and Alternatives of Diversifying College Writing Education : Focusing on Rhetorical Writing and Reading Education

This article examines the history and significance of college writing education, the aspects and issues of diversified writing education, and explores alternatives for the diversification of college writing education centered on rhetorical reading and writing education. Despite the challenges of universal discourse education, the goal of college writing education remains unchanged: rational communication. Therefore, the demand for diversity in writing education should be pursued in harmony with this goal. Assuming the goal of rational communication education, options such as elective communication courses, integrated communication, or writing by academic field have limitations for freshman writing education classes. On the other hand, uniform universal discourse education fails to meet the demand for increased diversity. As a way to address these limitations, this article proposes rhetorical writing and reading education that can cultivate multiliteracies. Teaching rhetorical writing and reading doesn’t mean teaching our students how to write in a specific genre, but rather teaching them that there are various genres of writing, and that the purpose, meaning, and methods of writing differ according to each genre. In other words, it is a writing education method that enables reflection on various purposes and methods of writing. Through this education, students are expected to acquire meta-knowledge about writing, such as how writing differs in various contexts and what roles it can play, and to apply this knowledge to writing in diverse contexts, including their future fields of study.