"Getting Things 'Alt' Enough": A Rhetorical Analysis of Composition Scholars' Use of Hybrid Academic Discourse

Abstract

Much writing studies research addresses the benefits of undergraduates’ application of hybrid academic discourse in the composition classroom, but there has not been research on scholars’ use of it. This thesis analyzed two composition scholars’ use of hybrid academic discourse in their publications by a rhetorical analysis through the lens of Mikhail Bakhtin and James Paul Gee, and text-based interviews with the scholars themselves. Hybrid academic discourse is utilized by these scholars to attract a more diverse audience, incite audience awareness, and also allow individuals to self-reflect more in academic work. Implications for this use in research and teaching are discussed.