Final Exam, Part Three: Long-answer Essay—this is a take-home essay,  due at the time of the final.  If you are too swamped to write the exam prior to our scheduled exam time, there should be ample time in our exam period for you to write it.  If you choose this option, you may bring your course materials to the exam, in order to write the long answer essay as an "open book" question.  However, you'll have to turn in sections one and two prior to opening your materials to work on section three.  You're free, though, to compose the essay in advance and simply turn it in along with the rest of your exam. 

Instructions:  Answer the following question thoroughly, but concisely.  Though the question spans a large historical time period, and may therefore require some generalization, be concrete in your references to historical events, societal pressures, specific studies and specific authors.  Primarily, these will be drawn from the "19th and 20th Century Reading Packet."  Here's the prompt:

The Composition course, as we know it today, began in the nineteenth century.  What was the dominant pedagogy of Composition, at its inception?  How did that pedagogy reflect both the social/cultural context and the rhetorical theory of the day?  Moving forward, what twentieth century events or trends helped shape the way Comp is taught?  In your opinion (supported by course material and/or credible personal experience), what directions should Composition pedagogy be taking now?