S. Rose

English 680 Writing Program Administration

Fall 2005

Analysis, Critique and Revision of WPA c.v.

Some Notes on Expectations for those of you doing an analysis, critique, and revision of a WPA’s c.v. (one of the projects options)

Whose c.v.’s would be good subjects for this project?

Here are some things to consider:

1. Do you have the WPA’s cooperation? Though a c.v. might be considered a public document if it’s available on the web or in print, the c.v. can be understood as an autobiographical genre. Since an administrator’s c.v. is going to include much more than a list of positions held and a list of publications, you may well be trying to describe work for which there are no standard conventions for representation/documentation. This project will probably be most productive if you can work with the WPA to learn more about the details of the work that the c.v. describes.

2. If you choose a WPA with only a few years of experience, the project will be more manageable, but you’re likely to learn less about representing WPA work than if you chose someone more experienced.

What kind of analysis?

some things you might look at:

• organization: what is the principle of organization for the c.v. and what names are chosen for it parts?
• where is administrative work placed in the c.v.—is it a separate section or is it integrated into several sections?
• how is the work described? what terms are used?
• how elaborated are the descriptions? do you think you have a clear understanding of the kind of work involved?
• how does the administrator’s c.v. differ from other c.v.’s you’ve seen?

What kind of critique?

starting from the results of your analysis, evaluate the choices the WPA made in telling a “life story” about his/her administrative work. What assumptions and values do these choices seem to suggest? How have the conventions of the c.v. genre constrained the WPA’s representation of his/her work? How have these conventions been bent/ circumvented/exploited?

How much revision?

You may decide that the c.v. doesn’t need to be revised. If so, explain why. If you do revise, explain your reasons for the changes you make. This will be most productive if you can talk it over with the WPA himself/herself.

For some ideas about administrative c.v.s, see “From Professor to Administrator” by Michael J. Bugeja in the June 20, 2003 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Questions? Suggestions for clarifications? email me (roses@purdue.edu) or ask me in class.