Etymologically, “compendium” is derived from the Latin “compendĕre,” meaning that which is weighed together, from com (together) and pendĕre (to weigh). Definitions of “compendium” are numerous, but this online community resonates especially with the definition provided by Oxford Languages: “a collection of concise but detailed information about a particular subject, especially in a book or other publication.”
Programmatically, the compendium is a familiar framework for EWP instructors: each quarter we ask students to build a compendium to highlight their work across the course.
In framing this online space as a compendium, we hope to evoke the shared teaching context that connects our community and create a collection of the work happening in our classrooms and research projects, all centered around our commitment to critical, equitable, and antiracist writing praxis.
Compendium seeks to support the English Department’s Strategic Plan to create a departmental culture committed to building intellectual community, encouraging collaboration, and nurturing professional growth. In hosting this blog, the Expository Writing Program additionally hopes to make visible and celebrate the extraordinary work being done throughout the program by our many graduate students, instructors, faculty, and staff. This blog also exists to support instructors teaching throughout the department by sharing resources, spotlighting exemplary classroom practices and curricular designs, and providing access to publications, conferences, and workshops on issues of composition theory.