1977 is an excellent history of the composition program at Penn State, which they argue is a justified history to tell because too often histories of composition are more national and told in grand narratives. In a way, the history of Penn State's composition program in the 1970s "mirror[s:] (and complicate[s:])" the national debate in composition studies (86).

Henze, Selzer, and Sharer begin by providing cultural and social context for their history (Chapter 2), and then pro More...

Excellent example of what I see as a cultural materialist critique. But I'm a a little confused by this. Instead of trying to understand a phenomenon, structure, or object, this book seems to work toward articulating a moment and understanding how various historical threads (social, political, economic, disciplinary, etc.) have come together to construct a given moment. It's comprehensive, but a bit unwieldy.

If you're interested in Comp history, or cultural materialist critique, this More...