discourse analysis & tutoring

[Susan Wolff Murphy]

Dear WC and Discourse Studies colleagues:

I am beginning to gather data for a dissertation on tutors'
discourse/tutoring discourse in a writing center (the tutors are paid
graduate students and the clients are students of Texas A&M).  I have
already finished a pilot study, for which I used mostly sociolinguistic
tools/strategies of analysis (speech accommodation, politeness,
conversational maxims, and studies of institutional interactions).  I am
planning to expand my analysis into broader "rhetorical" issues as well,
maybe looking at identity & authority construction, gender issues, etc.  I
want to see what arises from my data.

I am currently constructing a prelim. exam reading list.  I am asking for
(1) suggestions of research and articles that might give me more tools with
which to work, and (2) anyone working in this area or a closely related
area to email me so that we might exchange articles and/or discuss our
projects.  (I will be at 4C's BTW so we might be able to meet).

Thank you for your time and attention,

Susan Wolff Murphy
Dept. of English--MS 4227
Texas A&M Univ.
College Station, TX 77843-4227
(409) 845-3452 ext. 36

swm5351 at unix.tamu.edu