- Author(s): Karen Lunsford, Carl Whithaus, and Jonathan Alexander
- Source: Rhetoric Review, Volume 43, Issue 1, Mar 2024, p. 59 - 77
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07350198.2023.2286138
- Published: March 2024
A new study co‑authored by Carl Whithaus, Director and Professor in the University Writing Program, investigates what activism looks like in an era of what Whithaus and his co‑authors call “deep writing,” as well as how alumni draw on their writing practices as they move through life beyond the university. The study asks a central question: As graduates find their way across professional, personal, and civic spaces, how does writing help them orient themselves toward engagement with the world around them?
To contextualize this question, Whithaus and his co‑authors review existing scholarship on activism, noting the challenges of defining the term across different social, cultural, and political contexts. This literature provides a foundation for understanding the varied forms activism can take, from community‑based efforts to broader advocacy and social change work.
The heart of the article highlights findings from focus groups conducted with alumni. Participants described a wide range of activist orientations and reflected on the roles that writing plays within their work. For some, writing served as a tool for communication and persuasion; for others, it functioned as a reflective practice that helped them clarify their values, understand their positions, or determine how best to take action.
To analyze these patterns, Whithaus and his co‑authors draw on “wayfinding” as a conceptual framework. Wayfinding emphasizes how individuals navigate complex environments, make decisions, and orient themselves within shifting landscapes. Applied to alumni writers, this framework helps illuminate how former students understand and articulate the connections between their writing practices and the forms of activism they pursue.
By bringing together theory, alumni perspectives, and the lens of wayfinding, the article offers a nuanced look at how writing continues to shape graduates’ engagement with the world long after they leave the university. The study contributes to ongoing conversations about writing’s role in social action, public engagement, and the development of lifelong civic identities.
