Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2026
Abstract
This article provides an account of how John Carroll University redesigned the role of writing in its core curriculum to embed rhetorical pedagogy across all four years of a student’s academic career. Rather than viewing general education changes as a bureaucratic hurdle, this study demonstrates how writing program administrators can align an institution’s local identity, in this case the Jesuit traditions of purposeful communication (eloquentia perfecta) and holistic care (cura personalis), with contemporary writing stud- ies research to inspire cross-disciplinary faculty ownership. Moving beyond a basic description of requirements, I present a narrative of rhetorical advo- cacy that operates across three distinct curricular tiers. Driven by ongoing, faculty-led assessment cycles that treat data as a tool for pedagogical growth rather than mere compliance, this essay illustrates how the university systematically redesigned the role of writing within foundational, integrated, and major-level courses. This narrative, supported by cross-disciplinary rubrics and institutional frameworks in the appendices, offers a sustainable roadmap to help other program directors navigate institutional friction and build lasting writing cultures on their own campuses.
Recommended Citation
Pace, Tom, "Translating Writing Studies into Institutional Practice: Embedding Rhetorical Pedagogy in a Jesuit Core Curriculum" (2026). 2026 Faculty Bibliography. 28.
https://collected.jcu.edu/fac_bib_2026/28
Included in
Creative Writing Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Higher Education Commons, Rhetoric and Composition Commons