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<\/i><\/p>\nIn this interview, Dr. Webb-Sunderhaus discusses her past experiences getting into her current field at Miami University and her research on literacy studies and Appalachian literacy.<\/i><\/p>\n
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How did you get into the writing and composition field? What experiences led you to your position as Director of Composition here at Miami?
\n<\/b>“I started at Miami in July 2018. I love my job, and it\u2019s actually been full circle since I got my master\u2019s here at Miami in 2001. I have taught at the college level for about 20 years now, and I\u2019m always learning new things and rediscovering my passion for why I teach.<\/p>\n
“My undergraduate degree was a very traditional, literature-focused English program. I thought initially I was going to be an English high school teacher, and after switching from Human Resources, I found a very motivating job at University of Cincinnati as a classroom-based tutor within first-year writing courses. I worked very closely with the students the university placed within these courses, as the course I aided in at UC was for students who weren\u2019t ready for the ENG 111 equivalent there just yet. I also worked part-time at the writing center there. The professors I worked with in these courses recommended I go back to get my Master\u2019s, so I decided to enroll in Miami\u2019s English MA program with a focus on composition and rhetoric. All the factors I was exposed to were just a very kairotic moment and made sense to my interests.”<\/p>\n
What has your research focus over the years been?
\n<\/b>“My research focus is on the literacy practices and beliefs of Appalachians. The students I worked with at UC from 1997-1999 were those, I noticed, that had been placed there without a say. They were all African American and\/or had ties to Appalachia. I was born in Cincinnati but my parents were born in Appalachia, and with this tie I became especially interested in the choices by the institution as to why students from Appalachia were there. These students were designated by the university as \u201cdeficient\u201d writers, and they were similarly subject to cultural bias. This classroom experience and thinking about how students are othered and why, particularly with regard to writing and literacy, are the root of the questions which led to my research focus.<\/p>\n
What advice do you have for those in the undergraduate level looking to find those academic questions necessary for potential graduate level or professional work?
\n“<\/b>For Professional Writing at the undergraduate level, the biggest things I would recommend are to develop and maintain your intellectual curiosity, take advantage of resources, and strengthen your cultivation of mentors. To get further in the field of research, you have to find passion and joy in learning more about the interests you discover. To find those interests, I would begin early in finding the topics that drive you. I feel as though students get locked on the \u201cwill this help me get a job\u201d track which can detract them from exploring other aspects that resources such as study abroad, extracurriculars, or speakers\/events on campus could give them. Take advantage of those resources. Alongside that, to prevent from getting locked into a narrow path, really read and write as much as you possibly can. Push yourself because you\u2019ll need those skills.<\/p>\n
“Developing the skill of finding mentors can bring light to new information one might not initially think of. For those who are job focused, I think it is never too soon to start thinking about and cultivating mentors. I strengthened that throughout my experiences and I believe it\u2019s something essential. For example, a mentor I still have today, was someone I met as a prospective grad student. He was doing the same job I am doing now but at the University of Kentucky, where I considered going for M.A. Don\u2019t limit yourself to just mentors as in direct professors, but those you find in activities outside of class, internships, working at the writing center, etc. Look for different avenues and strengthen it because it truly is a valuable trait. Don\u2019t wait around, it\u2019s on the person who wants a mentor to pursue a mentoring relationship.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In this interview, Dr. Webb-Sunderhaus discusses her past experiences getting into her current field at Miami University and her research on literacy studies and Appalachian literacy. How did you get into the writing and composition field? What experiences led you to your position as Director of Composition here at Miami?… Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2560,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-177","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/professional-writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/professional-writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/professional-writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/professional-writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2560"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/professional-writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/professional-writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/177\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/professional-writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}