Rhetorical Roots

In the mid 70s Alex Haley wrote Roots which altered the perception of the African American slave experience in the United States. Haley's reasearch also demonstrated that the African oral tradition was a powerful narrative. And, Roots was credited with triggering an explosive interest in genealogical research with our country. Little did I know when I watched the televised series that I would be privileged to be part of that genealogy craze. Yet, by the mid-80s I was employed in Denver at the Rocky Mountain Region of the National Archives. Part of my duties was to assist patrons in the microfilm research room as they scrolled through rolls of census records searching for their "roots." Little did I know during that decade with the archives, that I would be engaged in anothergenealogy project as a graduate student at CSU-Pueblo!
Searching for our roots is simply another way of trying to puzzle out who we are. How we became who we become. As I see it, this rhetorical family tree is an extension of that search. We are influenced by our instructors. Who were influenced by their instructors. This is so obvious that it has become a transparent given. And, that is the purpose of this rhetorical family tree project. Taking the time to research and connect those influences which will shape our practices. Certainly, my pedagogy has been significantly altered by the theory and pedagogy of compositionists I have read in the course of this class. Now I want to know how they came to be.
My group is researching the "roots" of Dr. Patricia Trujullo's pedagogy. How fascinating to discover she has been as influenced by female family members and community activists, as she has been by members of academia.
As we come together as a classroom community of researchers, I look forward to the connections that will be revealed as we piece together this puzzle that has or will influence our individual perceptions.
My suggestion for the creative endeavor is to keep it simple and straight forward. There isn't a lot of space and let that space speak for itself.