3. Writing Happens Socially—In, with, and for Communities

How Do Communities Shape the Way We Write and Communicate? 

As we have begun to see, our writing styles reflect our ways of knowing and being, which are shaped by our interactions and experiences with various communities. In this module, we’ll explore the work of writing with and for communities. Though we often experience writing as a solitary and context-free task (such as in school assignments), writing in the world actually emerges to do something, often with or for others. Writing serves to share information, certainly, but it also has the power to change opinions and discuss or advocate for various actions a group might take. Writing happens in many media, including emails, letters, and newspapers. All of these forms of writing exist to address a need, or exigence, within a community. That need might be small, like sharing information via a text message, or it might be substantial, like advocating for a new policy for inclusive teaching practices at the university. In each case, writing happens in, with, and for communities, which we will refer to as “publics.”

In this chapter, we explore the idea that writing is not just a solitary exercise, but a form of social engagement in, with, and for publics. As an extended example, we will practice observing the campus around you to see what issues your communities are talking about and how you might contribute. We hope you will recognize that, as writers, we’re part of a larger conversation, and our words can impact the communities we interact with.

In this module, we will hear from Dr. Ashley Holmes, a writing studies scholar and Associate Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning at Oregon State University. In this section, we share the first part of a chapter from Dr. Ashley Holmes on writing for publics. Holmes introduces the idea of being academic citizens—individuals who use their research, arguments, and ideas to serve others. This approach aligns with our school’s Jesuit mission, asking us to think of ourselves as people for others, using our knowledge and skills to address social justice issues, challenge inequities, and contribute thoughtfully to community conversations.

Holmes’ chapter goes on to talk about genre and circulation, which we have pulled out into the next module. Here, we focus more extensively on the moment of invention, or coming up with an idea, and understanding the issues and stakeholders before moving on to consider contributing your own voice.

What Are We Doing in This Module?

In this module, we draw on Holmes’ chapter “Public Writing for Social Change” to establish the importance of exigence, or motivation, as a critical consideration for analyzing and producing arguments. We focus on writing in and for communities to establish the authority and value of the knowledge their members hold. This is different from—but just as important as—the expertise and authority of scholars and other published experts that you will engage with elsewhere in this text. We will use the diverse perspectives of communities as sources to practice the important skills of listening to and synthesizing diverse perspectives, which are foundational skills for intellectual inquiry.

How Will We Do It?

You will read an extended portion of Holmes’ chapter “Public Writing for Social Change,” beginning with the idea of academic citizenship, and engage in an activity she outlines for identifying a reason for writing. We will pause periodically throughout the reading of Holmes’ text to explore and apply what she is discussing to small assignments and tasks related to studying our own campus and community. Recognizing the multiplicity of publics even in our own community, we will dedicate the second part of this chapter to identifying, mapping, and synthesizing diverse perspectives. We do this not only to understand complex issues, but also to prepare you to contribute to ongoing dialogues in the communities you interact with, which you will do in the next module.

Why Does It Matter?

This module develops critical and analytical skills for writing in the real world, including identifying motivations for others’ arguments as well as your own. What arguments are being made, and who is making them? What does it mean to advocate for positive change in this context?

Module Goal and Learning Outcomes

Over the course of this chapter, you will learn to:

• Summarize a range of perspectives on complex issues
• Identify real-world contexts of writing for public audiences
• Use writing to foster understanding, bridge differences, and advocate for social justice and change
• Use writing as a collaborative, community-building practice (part of cura personalis)