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From Transactional to Transformative: Supporting Students Writing Self-Promotional Genres

Erin Todey (she/her)

Assistant Director, McNair Scholars Program

Iowa State University

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eftodey@iastate.edu

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A Bit About Erin

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Agenda

  • Self-promotional genres

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  • What this looks like in practice
    • REUs
      • Personal statement
    • Graduate School applications
      • Diversity statement
      • Statement of purpose

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  • Considering the human

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Genre

“A genre comprises a class of communicative events, the members of which share some set of communicative purposes. These purposes are recognized by the expert members of the parent discourse community, and thereby constitute the rationale for the genre” (Swales, 1990, p. 58).

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Examples of academic genres include:

  • Research article
  • Thesis/dissertation
  • Book review

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Self-Promotional Genres

  • Personal statements for undergraduate admission, study abroad, scholarships, campus-based programs, REUs
  • CVs/resumes
  • Cover letters for jobs and internships
  • Statements of purpose for graduate school applications, fellowships/grants
  • Diversity statements for graduate school and academic jobs
  • Research and teaching statements for academic jobs

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Transactional to Transformative

So what?

What?

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What does this look like in practice?

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Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU): The Personal Statement

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REU Application Materials

  1. Online application
  2. CV/resume
  3. Personal statement(s)
  4. Letters of recommendation

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“The form asks three questions to take place of a personal statement: 1) How would this research experience help you meet your educational goals? 2) Please describe your previous research experiences and personal strengths that would benefit a research team.”

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Personal Statements (modified from Carroll College Career)

  1. What is your academic preparation? (Relevant coursework, lab work, projects, etc.)
  2. Do you have any previous research experience? Describe previous research experience, your role, and what you learned/skills developed from the experience.
  3. Why are you interested in the subject area? How does it align with your research interests and career objectives?
  4. What do you want to apply to this particular REU? What is interesting about the research? Which professors/labs do you want to work with and why?

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Graduate School Application: The Diversity Statement

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Diversity Statement Prompt

“Write a brief essay depicting your values and experiences regarding diversity, inclusion, and equity in your professional life and how these experiences have contributed to your personal and professional growth. Why do you think diversity is valuable in higher education settings and your discipline specifically?”

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Social Identity Wheel

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Diversity Statement Handout

  • What are your experiences with diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice? How have you contributed to these initiatives? How have you created, maintained, or prompted diverse/equitable/inclusive spaces and communities?
  • What experiences come to your mind? Some examples include extra-curriculars, clubs, coursework, campaigns, work, research, volunteer activities, mentoring activities, etc.
  • Why were these experiences meaningful? What did you learn from them? How did they extend your understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice?
  • Are there aspects of your identity that inform your approach to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice? What would you be comfortable sharing with an admissions committee?

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Graduate School Application: The Statement of Purpose

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Challenges with the Statement of Purpose

Naming issue – PS vs SOP

Lack of genre knowledge (Wang & Flowerdew, 2016)

Semi-occluded (Swales, 2009)

Novices writing for experts

Infrequent, limited use

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Challenges with the Statement of Purpose

Phase 1: Corpus compilation

Phase 2: Inductive analysis

Phase 3: Preliminary framework

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Phase 4:

Pilot coding

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Phase 5: Finalize framework

Phase 6: Corpus annotation

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Corpus Compilation

60 masters SoPs

36 doctoral SoPs

43 masters SoPs

53 doctoral SoPs

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SoP Framework

Social Sciences & Humanities

  • Apparel, Merchandising, & Design
  • Applied Linguistics
  • Architecture
  • Business & Technology
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Graphic Design
  • History
  • Human Development & Family Studies
  • Integrated Visual Arts
  • Landscape Architecture
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Rhetoric & Prof. Communication
  • Sociology
  • Urban Design

Natural & Applied Sciences

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Ag & Biosystems Engineering
  • Animal Science
  • Biomedical Science
  • Chemistry
  • Civil Engineering
  • Computer Science
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Genetics & Genomics
  • Kinesiology
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Plant Pathology
  • Soil Science
  • Statistics

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Majors

1. Experiences

    • Educational; research; professional; academic and professional success; discipline-specific knowledge

2. Motivation

    • Personal experiences/identities; research interests; goals; need for continued education

3. Fit to Program

    • Express interest; project success; conclude application

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Structure

Genre awareness

Scaffolded brainstorming

Direct explanation of parts

Annotated SoP – parts as a whole

Scaffolded brainstorming

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Student Reflection

“Rather than trying to impress the admissions team, approach your essay as if you are explaining to yourself or a close friend why this path is right for you. I found that when approaching the personal statement process as transactional, one where I’d produce something that would appease others, I began to write solely with acceptance in mind. Inauthenticity, a product of my fear of being rejected, ultimately made the writing process harder. It was when I began to lay out how my experiences and motivations led to my pursuit of OT that my writing became clear. This process also boosted my confidence and assurance because regardless of the outcome, I knew I was on the right path.”

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An Invitation to Collaborate

Interested in using the SoP OER with students at your institution in Fall 2024?

https://tinyurl.com/2bxjm8fs

eftodey@iastate.edu

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Questions?

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Writing Pedagogy

Genre Theory

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Student Wellbeing Data

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Writing Pedagogy

Genre Theory

Trauma-Informed Pedagogy

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Trauma-Informed Pedagogy (Thompson & Marsh, 2022)

"Trauma is the emotional or psychological response to an extremely stressful experience, many times can come in the form of fear with adverse effects on individual's wellbeing" (SAMHSA, 2023).

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  1. Safety
  2. Trustworthiness & Transparency
  3. Peer Support
  4. Collaboration & Mutuality
  5. Empowerment, Voice, & Choice

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Principle 1: Safety

“The physical setting is safe and interpersonal interactions promote a sense of safety” (SAMHSA, 2014, p. 11).

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In what ways can we:

    • Reduce uncertainty? 
    • Promote psychological and physical safety? 
    • Foster true belonging?

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Principle 2: Trustworthiness & Transparency

“Trust building is relational rather than transactional” (Thompson & Marsh, 2022, p. 24).

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In what ways can we:

    • Cultivate relationships based on curiosity and compassion?
    • Establish boundaries to maintain relationships?
    • Invite authenticity? 
    • Be relational rather than transactional?

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References

Thompson, P., & Marsh, H. (2022). Centering equity: Trauma-informed principles and feminist practice. In P. Thompson & J. Carello (Eds.), Trauma-informed pedagogies: A guide for responding to crisis and inequality in higher education (pp. 15-33). Palgrave Macmillan.

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https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-92705-9

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Questions?