Embracing Global Varieties of English in a Writing Safe Space—Exploring the Use of Comic Books in a College Writing Class with Second Language Learners

Authors

  • Shaofei Lu Case Western Reserve University

Keywords:

multimodal, communication, rhetoric, visual rhetoric, English as a Second Language, writing studies

Abstract

Over the years that I’ve been teaching second language writers and preaching the importance of “standard” language use in academic English writing, I somehow secretly feel guilty when I grade papers that fall out of “standard” academic English writing, papers that nevertheless exhibit clear features of good writing in other languages/cultures. Such guilt comes partly from my sympathy for those who use English as a second language as I do, but mostly comes from my doubt as to what a claim of “standard English” implies in a world that is becoming increasingly built upon frequent contact of varieties of English around the globe. For example, when a Chinese student writes a long introduction that seems far-fetched from the topic of her essay and we tell her that she needs to “get to the point,” what does that imply to the student? Does it mean that being straightforward is always the golden rule in any type of writing in any culture?

Author Biography

Shaofei Lu, Case Western Reserve University

I received my PhD In Education from University of Rochester and joined the English Department at Case Western Reserve University in Fall 2016. I currently teach First Year Seminars and I work especially with ESL students. My research interests include World Englishes, issues of power in teaching English as a second/foreign language, second language writers’ identify formation and negotiation.
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Published

2018-07-09

Issue

Vol. 46 No. 2 (2017): Summer/Fall 2017

Section

Roundtables

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