How many of us have difficulty remembering specific moments of learning in classrooms but vividly recall gaining knowledge through experiences outside our college or university walls? In the long term, how distinctive and memorable are the courses that remain within traditional spaces and follow a well-worn path toward teaching and learning?

Public Pedagogy in Composition Studies demonstrates how theories of public pedagogy can help composition specialists relocate teaching and learning within local public contexts beyond the classroom or campus, where true learning and transformation take place through the dissonances between people and places. Ashley J. Holmes argues for public approaches to pedagogy and administration based on comparative analyses of three case studies conducted within the writing programs at Oberlin College, Syracuse University, and the University of Arizona.

After analyzing competing theories of public pedagogy, she highlights specific composition pedagogies that invite students to go public, provides administrative strategies for going public in writing programs, demonstrates the value of drawing on institutional histories to support public pedagogies, and addresses some of the affective responses that may arise for students, community partners, and teachers when we situate our pedagogies in public sites beyond the classroom, suggesting a model of reciprocal care.

In a cultural context that questions the relevance of much college instruction, Holmes recognizes that “we need to demonstrate our worth in material ways that positively impact our communities and that publicly document our efforts."