Chalking As Disruption and Dialogue: a Practical Exploration of a Rhetorical Ecology at a Southern, Rural College

CHALKING AS DISRUPTION AND DIALOGUE: A PRACTICAL EXPLORATION OF A RHETORICAL ECOLOGY AT A SOUTHERN, RURAL COLLEGE A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate School of Western Carolina University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of the Master of Arts in English By Margaret V. Williams Director: Dr. Jonathan Bradshaw Assistant Professor of English English Department Committee Members: Dr. Beth Huber, English Dr. Laura Wright, English April 2016 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I offer my warmest regards and thanks to my wife, Kim Williams Gongre, for her continued support of my graduate studies and creative ambitions. Without her love and the many, many times she made sure I had time to read, write, study, and teach, this thesis would not have happened. She believed in me, and that has made the difference. I also thank my mother, Mildred Williams, who long ago thought I should follow this path and supported my decision to return to graduate school, and thanks to her mother, Hazel McRae, who taught me to persist. And I send my thanks into the universe for my father, Max Williams, who passed almost 20 years ago but still inspires me to work hard. Thanks, too, to his mother, Gilberta Williams, who did not finish grade school but encouraged all her children and grandchildren to get a good education. I offer thanks to many family members, in fact, from my uncles and aunts to my brother and sisters. I would also like to thank my committee members and director for their assistance and encouragement. In particular, Dr. Jonathan Bradshaw introduced me to rhetoric and the possibilities of poetic world making. Dr. Laura Wright fostered my inner activist and helped me believe I could get into a PhD program. Dr. Beth Huber reminded me that I can indeed be true to myself when I write and teach. I extend sincere thanks to my grad-school cohorts, too, especially Crystal Plemmons, Kris Fulp, Craig Hawley, Jason Huber, Jarred Worley, and Scott Hufham, who have all patiently listened to me obsess over chalking and rhetoric. Finally, special thanks to Dr. Paul Worley, Ricardo Nazario-Colón, and the two students (Mac and Michael) who agreed to participate in this project as interviewees. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. v List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... vi Abstract .................................................................................................................................... vii Chapter One: Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 What is “Chalking”? ............................................................................................................ 7 Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 9 Methods ............................................................................................................................ 15 Chapters Preview .............................................................................................................. 17 Chapter Two: Maps, Actors, and Actants .................................................................................. 18 Maps in Place .................................................................................................................... 22 Writing the Space ............................................................................................................. 28 Echoes of the Past ............................................................................................................ 31 Chalking Snapshots .......................................................................................................... 35 Conclusion: Etched in Place and Time............................................................................... 45 Chapter Three: Praxis and Lived Experiences .......................................................................... 48 #ChalkToMe ..................................................................................................................... 51 Chalk Talk: Lived Experiences ......................................................................................... 54 Conclusion: Rhetorical Ecologies, Rhetorical Intentions .................................................... 74 Chapter Four: Beyond the Classroom........................................................................................ 76 Dynamic, Evolving, Ecological ......................................................................................... 78 Chalking 101 .................................................................................................................... 82 Chalking as Activism ....................................................................................................... 85 Conclusion: Chalking the Future ....................................................................................... 90 References ................................................................................................................................ 95 iii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Syverson’s Characteristics of Rhetorical Ecologies ...................................................... 4 Table 2. Expanding Syverson’s Characteristics of Rhetorical Ecology ..................................... 77 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Overview of Western Carolina University ................................................................ 12 Figure 2. WCU Commuter Parking Map .................................................................................. 23 Figure 3. Topographical Map of Cullowhee ............................................................................. 27 Figure 4. Students for Trump ................................................................................................... 33 Figure 5. Chalking Sampler 1 .................................................................................................. 37 Figure 5A: Base Camp .............................................................................................. 37 Figure 5B: My Donna’ .............................................................................................. 37 Figure 5C: Rush Week ............................................................................................. 37 Figure 6. Chalking Sampler 2 .................................................................................................. 39 Figure 6A: Repeal Dumb Rules ................................................................................. 39 Figure 6B: Debate Party ........................................................................................... 39 Figure 7. Back the Blue ........................................................................................................... 41 Figure 8. Domestic Violence Awareness ................................................................................... 42 Figure 8A: Feb. 14, 2017 ........................................................................................... 42 Figure 8B: Oct. 12, 2016 .......................................................................................... 42 Figure 9. The Upper Hand ........................................................................................................ 43 Figure 10. Proverbs................................................................................................................... 44 Figure 11. ICUP Hopscotch ...................................................................................................... 49 Figure 12. #ChalkToMe ............................................................................................................ 54 Figure 13. Love Is Love ............................................................................................................ 67 Figure 14. I Want Change ......................................................................................................... 71 Figure 15. Someone’s Supermarket........................................................................................... 72 Figure 16. The Elevator Incident ............................................................................................... 79 Figure 17. An Elevator Ecology ................................................................................................ 80 Figure 18. Spring 2016 Chalking Ecology ................................................................................ 91 Figure 19. The Chalking Ecology Now ..................................................................................... 93 v ABSTRACT CHALKING AS DISRUPTION AND DIALOGUE: A PRACTICAL EXPLORATION OF A RHETORICAL ECOLOGY AT A SOUTHERN, RURAL COLLEGE Margaret V. Williams, M.L.A.S., M.A. Western Carolina University (April 2016) Director: Dr. Jonathan L Bradshaw In this thesis, I explore how an informal form of discourse like sidewalk chalking functions as and within a rhetorical ecology, how ideas and texts circulate within such a complex system, and how this sometimes disruptive medium affects the potential for productive dialogue. By applying Margaret Syverson’s four principles of rhetorical ecologies (distribution, embodiment, emergence, and enaction), we learn that

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