A Field of Dreams

One of the first collections to focus on independent writing programs, A Field of Dreamsoffers a complex picture of the experience of the stand-alone. Includedhere are narratives of individual programs from a wide range ofinstitutions, exploring such issues as what institutional issues led totheir independence, how independence solved or created administrativeproblems, how it changed the culture of the writing program and facultysense of purpose, success, or failure.Further chapters build larger ideas about the advantages anddisadvantages of stand-alone status, covering labor issues,promotion/tenure issues, institutional politics, and others. Aretrospective on the famous controversy at Minnesota is included, alongwith a look at the long-established independent programs at Harvard andSyracuse.Finally, the book considers disciplinary questions raised by thegrowth of stand-alone programs. Authors here respond with critique andreflection to ideas raised by other chapters-do current independentmodels inadvertently diminish the influence of rhetoric and compositionscholarship? Do they tend to ignore the outward movement of literacytoward technology? Can they be structured to enhance interdisciplinaryor writing-across-the-curriculum efforts? Can independent programs play amore influential role in the university than they do from the Englishdepartment?