COMPOSITION STUDIES BY DIANE K. OLSON, PHD, WRITING, TEACHING AND CRITICISM

WE NEED COMPOSITION COURSES THAT TEACH  RIGHTEOUS, HOLY FIRE, HOLY SPIRIT WRITING THAT CHALLENGE AND RESIST THE CORPORATIZATION AND INSTITUALIZATION OF OUR STUDENTS' EDUCATIONS AND LIVES. WE NEED TO TEACH CREATIVE WRITINGS SUCH AS MICHELLE CLIFF'S "IF I COULD WRITE THIS IN FIRE, I WOULD WRITE THIS FIRE" THAT CHALLENGES AND RESISTS THE OPPRESSION THAT OCCURS IN MANY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND CORPORATIONS.  WHEREVER THERE IS CREATIVE AND IMAGINATIVE RESISTANCE TO OPPRESSION IN THE WORLD TODAY, THERE IS THE HOLY SPIRIT MIGHTILY MOVING ON BEHALF OF LORD JESUS AND OUR ALMIGHTY HEAVENLY FATHER TO CREATE A BETTER WORLD AND BETTER EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES THAT EMBRACE THE CREATIVE ARTS AND THE GENERATIVE IMAGINATIVE CAPACITY OF OUR STUDENTS AND US, AS TEACHERS, TO RE-ENVISION A WORLD THAT WELCOMES DIVERSITY AND RESISTS OPPRESSION WHEREVER THAT OPPRESSION OCCURS, INCLUDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION TODAY AS IT HAS INCREASINGLY BECOME CORPORATIZED AND WRONGLY PLACES ECONOMIC PROFIT AND SCHOLARSHIP AND RESEARCH ABOVE AND BEYOND THE FAR MORE SIGNIFICANT, IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE WORK OF TEACHING AND ENCOURAGING THE LEARNING AND CREATIVITY OF STUDENTS.  THERE IS SO MUCH THAT NEEDS AND DEMANDS IMPROVEMENT AND REFORM IN OUR UNIVERSITIES TODAY, INCLUDING THE VALUING OF TEACHING AND STUDENTS' LEARNING OVER AND ABOVE ECONOMIC PROFIT AND THE CORPORATIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION, WHICH MANY IN COMPOSITION STUDIES HAVE TRIED TO CALL ATTENTION TO AND CHALLENGE AND WHICH MANY, ESPECIALLY IN THE SUNY ALBANY PROGRAM IN WRITING, TEACHING AND CRITICISM HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT AND TAUGHT AGAINST IN THEIR COURSES.   MORE YET TO COME ON THIS BLOG ON THESE ISSUES WHICH ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO ME, AS A UNIVERSITY TEACHER OF COMPOSITION STUDIES AND CULTURAL STUDIES, AND OTHER COMPOSITION TEACHERS WHO HAVE TRIED ADAMANTLY TO SHED LIGHT ON THE PROBLEMS WITH THE CORPORATIZATION AND INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF LEARNING AND THE TEACHING OF WRITING IN HIGHER EDUCATION TODAY.   SINCERELY, DIANE K. OLSON