ABOUT INQUIRY
INQUIRY is edited, written, and designed by faculty and staff of the English Department and Pearson Library at Cal Lutheran.
Thank you for reading Inquiry.
Your comments and questions may be directed to Dr. Jolivette Mecenas, Associate Professor of English: jmecenas@callutheran.edu
Complete List of Nominated Essays
Natalia Bejarano: “Reparations Are Necessary”
Instructor: Scott Chiu
Jeremy Camba: “Rhetorical Strategies in The Case for Reparations”
Instructor: Jolivette Mecenas
Anthony Carrion:“How to Forgive Cruelty”
Instructor: Kim Lewis
Alisha Cramm: “Inequalities in the US”
Instructor: Jolivette Mecenas
Lupita Lanuza: “Racism, A Never-Ending Cycle”
Instructor: Sareene Proodian
Logan Marks: “‘The Case for Reparations’ Argumentative Essay”
Instructor: Linda Olson
Shelby Orman: “The Case for Reparations”
Instructor: Ryan Harriston
Dylan Schreibfeder: “Case for Reparations Argumentative Essay”
Instructor: Kim Lewis
Lillian Sepulveda: “Coates’ Argument it is Complementary”
Instructor: Sareene Proodian
Congratulations to all nominated students and to their professors for your outstanding accomplishments in writing, researching, and teaching!
ABOUT THE ENGLISH 110 OUTSTANDING ESSAY SELECTION PROCESS
During the fall semester of 2020, students in all English 110 sections studied written argumentation by reading journalist and writer Ta-Nehisi Coates’ well-known essay, “The Case for Reparations.” Originally published in The Atlantic in 2014, Coates’ lengthy ten-section essay incorporates narrative, oral history, archival research, government statistics, multimedia and more to support his passionate and devastating argument that the United States must reckon with its economic success built on the labor of enslaved people, and that systemic racism continues to exploit and violently subjugate Black American descendants of enslaved people.
The Spring 2021 issue of Inquiry recognizes student writers who engaged with Coates' argument with curiosity and an open mind, while creating their own argument by voicing their perspective on the topic of reparations. Faculty and judges also considered the extent to which writers brought in other credible voices into their writing, drawing primarily on sources from the Pearson Library English 110 reading guide and databases.
SPRING 2021 ISSUE FACULTY BIOS
SCOTT CHIU is Director of the Writing Center and Associate Professor of English at California Lutheran University. He leads the planning and implementation of the Writing Center programs, which emphasize multi-literacy practices, translingual writing, international writing, community writing, and research on writing center pedagogies. He teaches First-Year Writing, Writing Center Theory and Practice, Language & Linguistics, and Introduction to TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). His current research focuses on L1/L2 writing transfer, Translingual pedagogies, Writing Center Studies, and Community Literacies.
JOLIVETTE MECENAS is Associate Professor of English. She leads first-year writing initiatives in placement, assessment, curriculum development, and faculty development with a focus on culturally relevant and antiracist pedagogy. She is also the Faculty Chair of Cal Lutheran's Project CHESS (Collaborative for Hispanics in Higher Education & Student Success).
SPRING 2021 FACULTY AND GUEST JUDGES
Rona Koe
Assistant Director:
The Writing Center
Rona Koe (she/her/hers) prides herself on leading a team of young minds to reach for the stars above and beyond their academic work. Her background is in teaching writing in various contexts especially to multilingual writers in California and abroad, and her current focus is on promoting equity and inclusion in writing center work. Rona is also passionate about her cultural non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve, perpetuate, and protect the Hawaiian culture. She is also engaged in exploring the history of her Asian indigenous roots.
Christina Nation-Corriveau
English Department faculty
Christina Nation is a senior adjunct faculty member at Cal Lutheran, teaching creative writing and freshman composition courses. When not teaching, she spends as much time as possible reading, writing, and enjoying adventures locally and around the world.
Brenda Solis
Writing Across the
Curriculum Coordinator:
The Writing Center
Brenda Solis (she/her/hers) is a Spanish/English Bilingual Specialist, and holds an MA in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) from Cal State University, Northridge. Her knowledge of linguistics and TESL theory and methodology has helped her assist students understand language structures and context. Brenda has mostly worked with high school and college students both as a tutor and as an ESL adjunct professor. She has a passion for linguistics and an affinity to learn about the many different disciplines within a university. Brenda thrives in an environment that fosters the growth, development and ultimately, the success of students.