Faculty
Kathryn Valentine
Associate Professor
Writing Center Director
Email:
kvalent@nmsu.edu
Writing Center Website:
http://www.nmsu.edu/~english/resources/writingcenter.html
Address:
New Mexico State University
Department of English
P.O. Box 30001, MSC 3E
Las Cruces, NM 88003
Office Phone:
(575) 646-2603
Fax:
(575) 646-7725
Biographical Statement
Kathryn Valentine earned her Ph. D. in Rhetoric and Technical Communication from Michigan Technological University, where she worked and researched in a nationally recognized writing center. She joined New Mexico State University's Department of English as an Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Professional Communication and Writing Center Director in August 2003. She completed her M.A in English with honors at California State University, Chico in 1998 and her B.A. with honors at University of California, Santa Barbara, CA in 1994.
Research Interests
Her research interests include qualitative studies of literacy, particularly ethnographic approaches to understanding literacy instruction in educational institutions. A related interest is how constructions of students’ and teachers’ subjectivity and identity affect the work of literacy educators in a variety of contexts.
Teaching Emphases
Her teaching emphases include literacy, composition, qualitative research, and writing center studies.
Courses Commonly Taught
- ENGL 601: Qualitative Research in Composition
- ENGL 571: Composition Theory and Pedagogy
- ENGL 550/650: Gradute Study in Literacy
- ENGL 549/649: Advanced Study of Writing
- ENGL 417/517: Critical Theories of Race
- ENGL 311: Advanced Composition
- ENGL 111: Rhetoric and Composition
Publications
"Interactional Diversity in Border Colleges: Perceptions of Undergraduate Students." Co-authored with Eduardo Casillas Arellano and Mónica F. Torres. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education. (Forthcoming).
"'Acting Out' or Acts of Agency: WPA and 'Identities of Participation.'" Interrupting the Program: Critical Questions in Writing Program Administration. Editors Donna Strickland and Jeanne Gunner. Forthcoming: Boynton-Cook, 2009.
"The Potentials and Perils of Expanding the Space of the Writing Center: The Identity Work of Online Student Narratives." Writing Center Journal. 28.1 (2008): 63-78.
"Plagiarism as Literacy Practice: Recognizing and Rethinking Ethical Binaries." College Composition and Communication. 58.1 (September 2006): 89-109.
"Noticing Disagreement: Reflecting on Relationships to Understand How Literacy Practices Shape Identities." Social Change in Diverse Teaching Contexts: Touchy Subjects and Routine Practices. Editors Nancy Barron, Nancy Grimm, and Sibylle Gruber . New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2006. 73-84.
Professional Statement
Two of my deeply held beliefs about learning are that 1) learning is a social process which becomes very personal through the relationships of learners to teachers, and 2) the way in which students are addressed affects not only their responses to teachers but also the learning opportunities they see or do not see for themselves (Ellsworth). With this in mind, I work to connect with the identities and interests students bring to school, particularly as they intersect with learning and acquiring multiple literacies. My role as a teacher is to address students in ways that support their connection to the university and to their learning. In constructing strong relationships with students, I hope to create opportunities for them to learn multiple ways of communicating both inside and outside of school. In addition, my research is often related to my overarching interest in how individuals and groups approach literacy, learning, and issues of identity.