PERSPECTIVES ON WRITING | Series Editors: SUSAN H. MCLEOD and RICH RICE | In ANTIRACIST WRITING ASSESSMENT ECOLOGIES; ASAO B. INOUE theorizes classroom writing assessment as a complex system that is "more than" its interconnected elements. To explain how and why antiracist work in the writing classroom is vital to literacy learning; Inoue incorporates ideas about the white racial habitus that informs dominant discourses in the academy and other contexts. Inoue helps teachers understand the unintended racism that often occurs when teachers do not have explicit antiracist agendas in their assessments. Drawing on his own teaching and classroom inquiry; Inoue offers a heuristic for developing and critiquing writing assessment ecologies that explores seven elements of any writing assessment ecology: power; parts; purposes; people; processes; products; and places. | ASAO B. INOUE is Director of University Writing and Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington Tacoma. He has published on writing assessment; validity; and composition pedagogy in Assessing Writing; The Journal of Writing Assessment; Composition Forum; and Research in the Teaching of English; among other journals and collections. His co-edited collection Race and Writing Assessment (2012) won the CCCC's Outstanding Book Award for an edited collection.
#851793 in Books Potomac Books Inc. 2011-10-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.97 x .53 x 6.18l; .61 #File Name: 1597977292174 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Good combination of the conceptual and practicalBy CarloThis is a unique description of how political analysis actually functions at the U.S. Department of State; written from the point of view of a highly experienced; (retired) senior practitioner. The author was a career Political Officer in the Foreign Service had during the course of his career had plum; high-profile assignments in Moscow; from which the bulk of the examples in the book are drawn; including some of his own declassified cables.Despite the Soviet/Russian focus of the material presented; the broader conceptual framework the author presents is universal; well thought out; and should be understandable to both the layman and foreign affairs professional. The central point is that political analysis in diplomacy is most akin to a craft - it is not a hard science; nor a soft science; but an informed synthesis of available facts; judicious weighing of the importance of different societal and individual power dynamics; and explanatory context. In this respect; it is a lot like intelligence analysis (about which much more has been written). The crucial difference is that the reporting officer in the field is at the same time both a firsthand witness and an analyst; rather than a "pure" analyst sitting in a cubicle in Washington trying to interpret others' reporting. In fact; what the author is talking about in this book is political reporting in a diplomatic context; but he since he emphasizes the responsibility of the reporting officer to analyze; interpret and present policy options/recommendations/implications; the book title's focus on political analysis is fair.Foreign affairs professionals who are in the early or middle phases of their careers will probably get the most practical use out of this book; which also describes in-depth the realities of Washington and how the policy sausage gets made; political reporting needs to be timely; relevant and - if not biased - at least cognizant of the policy context in which it will be received. Those readers who are not directly involved in the foreign affairs policy process and who are looking for a cogent presentation of the art of political reporting and analysis will not be disappointed; though.A few minor criticisms/observations for the reader to keep in mind:-- The example base is not broad; but is adequate enough and interesting enough even for those readers (like myself) who are not Sovietologists or Russian specialists.-- The author seems to draw almost exclusively from his own work and experience. A broader sample; for example drawing on the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) historical series; would have been welcomed. The author also seems to have toed the official line on not using any Wikileaks material; which obviously would have been of much more current relevance and interest.-- Some general allusions to internal State Department policy conflicts may sail over the heads of the reader. Readers of the Foreign Service Journal (available online) will know there has been a lot of debate about policy bias.-- This is not a memoir; but does focus almost exclusively on the author's life experience; which has the same pluses and minuses that one may find in (say) a blog. Ego is present in some fashion; even if downplayed.In summary; the incisive conceptual framework and practical observations and advice given in the book are well worth the time invested by the reader; even if they already have experience in the field.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy GodfreyGreat advice from a man who knows his craft. A must read for all foreign service officers.0 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Book rate - 1By Glenns Thaddeus Etyang EkisaThe book was and still is valuable to my studies. That's why I rate it five stars; and also for who delivers the book in the shortest time possible.Glenns
