Reading, Writing, Rhetoric: A Rhetorically Emplaced Study of Writing Education in an Appalachian Region Katie Beth Brooks Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Rhetoric and Writing Sheila Carter-Tod, Chair Katrina Powell Jennifer Sano-Franchini Carolyn Commer Emily Satterwhite May 10, 2021 Blacksburg, Virginia Keywords: Rhetoric, Composition, Appalachia, Place-Based Pedagogy, Rhetorical Emplacement, Stereotypes READING, WRITING, RHETORIC: A RHETORICALLY EMPLACED STUDY OF WRITING EDUCATION IN AN APPALACHIAN REGION KATIE BETH BROOKS ABSTRACT This dissertation, Reading, Writing, Rhetoric: A Rhetorically Emplaced Study of an Appalachian Region, explores the themes of ideology, stereotypes, and rhetorical emplacement through a study of education in Southwest Virginia. In this project, I used two methods of data collection: historical research and interviewing. These two methodologies employed together construct a sweeping scope of Appalachian Virginia’s experiences with rhetorical emplacement in relation to educational practices and ideologies by encountering some of the earliest stories told about the region and contemporary accounts of teachers who currently work in Appalachian Virginia. My main research questions ask how stories told about Appalachia have affected educational practices within the region, and to answer that question I sought out the history of the stories told about Appalachia through historical research, then, in order to attend to the present realities of the region, I interviewed high school English teachers who identify as Appalachian and work in Appalachian Virginia high schools. The historical and ethnographic methods I employed in this dissertation study allowed me to understand the circulation and variances of particular stories placed onto and developed within (Hsiung) the Appalachian region by first examining the historical interaction of the region with the stories about the region and then understanding how those narratives exist in the world today. By using grounded qualitative coding, I created codes from the historical data set—the codes were: isolation, language, education, expectations, culture, and literacy—and compared them to the interview transcripts, I conclude that while illiteracy has long been a stereotype of the region and one that Appalachians will likely combat for the foreseeable future, the teachers in my study build their pedagogies to support rhetorical thinking and rhetorical situation. READING, WRITING, RHETORIC: A RHETORICALLY EMPLACED STUDY OF WRITING EDUCATION IN AN APPALACHIAN REGION KATIE BETH BROOKS GENERAL AUDIENCE ABSTRACT This dissertation, Reading, Writing, Rhetoric: A Rhetorically Emplaced Study of an Appalachian Region, explores themes of ideology, stereotypes, and place through a study of writing education in Southwest Virginia. In this project, I used two methods of data collection: historical research and interviewing. These two methods construct a sweeping scope of Appalachian Virginian’s experiences with stereotypes that are tied to place by encountering some of the earliest stories told about the region and contemporary accounts of teachers who currently work in Appalachian Virginia. My main research questions ask how stories told about Appalachia have affected educational practices within the region, and to answer that question I sought out the history of the stories told about Appalachia through historical research, then, in order to attend to the present realities of the region, I interviewed high school English teachers who identify as Appalachian and work in Appalachian Virginia high schools. The historical and ethnographic methods I employed in this dissertation study allowed me to understand the circulation and variances of particular stories placed onto and developed within the Appalachian region by first examining the historical interaction of the region with the stories about the region and then understanding how those narratives exist in the world today. I conclude that while illiteracy has long been a stereotype of the region and one that Appalachians will likely combat for the foreseeable future, the teachers in my study shape their classrooms to support students in combatting stereotypes of Appalachia by employing critical thinking activities in their classrooms. iv Acknowledgments Many people have helped me create this dissertation. First, I want to thank Sheila Carter-Tod for encouraging me to look to the mountains when I began my graduate study. I’m so very thankful for everything that I’ve learned from you, but I am most thankful for how you have helped me grow as both a scholar and a person. You’ve helped me become a more confident researcher and teacher. My committee members— Jennifer Sano-Franchini, Katy Powell, Carolyn Commer, and Emily Satterwhite— provided such thoughtful and substantive feedback and suggestions on this project. I am so thankful for your guidance and your support of me and my work. Thank you for saying yes when I asked you to be on my committee! To the teachers who took the time out of their busy, pandemic year to meet with me and participate in this project, I thank you. I learned so much just listening to your stories. Your time and your knowledge are truly a gift for which I am forever grateful. I also need to thank Marla Weitzman who, although her role as my advisor ended when I graduated from UVA Wise in May of 2014, has helped me so much during graduate school. Your friendship and guidance mean so much to me. I would also like to thank my friends and mentors who study Appalachia in the field of Rhetoric and Writing. Your validation and support of my work has meant so much to me since I first attended the Appalachian Rhetorics and Literacies Special Interest Group’s CCCC meeting in Portland in 2015. I’m so thankful for your mentorship and friendship. To my PhD program friends—Janet Hanks, Luana Shafer, Chloe Robertson, Alexis Priestly, Megan Bronson, and Jon Adams—thank you for reading through my work, listening to my work, helping me figure out the best ways to write certain sections, and hyping me up at every chance you got. Kelly Scarf and Katie Randall, you have been the best cohort during this weird time of pandemic nonsense. v Maggie Fernandes and Julie Mengert, thank you so much for being my friends. The past few years have been difficult in varying ways, and I don’t think I could have gotten to this point without your kindness, friendship, and love. Thanks for sharing your energy and letting me complain, rant, and/or gush over the different events of the last couple of years. Thank you for being my friends. Kelsey Dorton, Chelsea Polly, and Danielle Stoffelen, you are the best friends a girl could ask for. I am so thankful for you and your friendship. Not many people would be willing to sit through a mock job talk or ask random questions about a field they aren’t in. Thank you for being here for me and for constantly reminding me that I used to be, and still am, fun. Jacob Brooks, thank you for never really asking me how writing was going but hyping me up every time I mentioned my work. Zoe Brooks, thank you for reading parts of my dissertation, keeping me in reality with your nihilistic Gen Z humor, and for listening to many iterations of this work. Pop, you’ve always been my number one supporter from little league to graduate school, and I’m so thankful for you! Mamaw, thanks for your constant prayers and for random FaceTime calls that gave me much needed breaks from writing. To my dog, Gatsby, and my cat, Loki, you both kept me from completely sinking under the weight of working during a pandemic. To Gatsby, thanks for being my best friend for the last seven years. Grad school wouldn’t have been bearable without you. And, most importantly, to my mom and dad. Mom and dad, thank you for supporting me in everything that I do. You raised me to value learning, to think for myself, and to believe in myself. From sports to scholastics, you’ve been such a consistent force for good and constant support in my life. I am so blessed to have you as my parents. Also, thanks for not being too mad that I decided to get a PhD instead of a Law Degree. vi Dedication To Dolly Rebecca Parton, whose magical lyricism brings me much needed peace vii Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction to Appalachia and Rhetorical Emplacement ...................................... 1 Defining the region .......................................................................................................................... 4 Positionality ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Purpose of Study ............................................................................................................................ 12 Conceptual Framework .................................................................................................................. 13 Methods/Methodology ................................................................................................................. 16 Archival Methods .............................................................................................................................................. 17 Interview Methods ...........................................................................................................................................