Ms. Angela Shetler is an Associate Lecturer (Instructor) in the Writing Hub at the University of Sydney. With extensive experience and expertise in Professional Writing, Angela's research interests include copyright across cultures and the intersection of content, authorship, and algorithms in digital publishing models. An English language instructor with international teaching experience, Angela coordinates 
Dr. Susan Thomas is the Founding Director of the Writing Hub and Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) at the University of Sydney. Her current research interests include History and Theories of Rhetoric, Writing Across the Curriculum, Writing Program Administration, and Writing Center Theory. She is currently leading a longitudinal study of writing at the University, as well as long-term consultancy and research projects involving schools and the professional community. Susan serves on the Editorial Board of the WAC Clearinghouse and is a co-editor of its new International Writing Studies series. The recipient of University and Faculty teaching awards, Susan coordinates the Writing Hub's graduate courses in 
Dr. Frances Di Lauro is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the Writing Hub at the University of Sydney. Frances' research interests include the rhetoric of food and the influence of institutional and religious rhetorics on contemporary communication. An expert in eLearning and intellectual property, Frances serves on the University's eLearning committee and is currently collaborating with Wikimedia Australia on educational initiatives. Frances coordinates 
Dr. Benjamin Miller is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the Writing Hub at the University of Sydney. Ben's current research interests include "Australian Rhetoric", using rhetorical theory to identify styles of communication and argumentation that typify contemporary Australian society. The recipient of a Faculty teaching award, Ben coordinates WRIT3001 and contributes to Multimodal Writing Instruction in a Global World
Designer & Co-Author: Angela Shetler
Co-Authors: Susan E. Thomas, Frances Di Lauro
Contributor: Benjamin Miller
The University of Sydney Writing Hub was established in 2009 as the teaching and research home of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Writing (WRIT) Program and Writing Centre. Since “centre” in Australia carries a different connotation from that in North America, the name Hub was chosen to reflect Kenneth Burke’s (1973) idea of communication (arguably the highest form of human action) as spokes radiating from a wheel, thus implying multiple pathways and modalities that undergird, shape, and define the writing process.
However, the Writing Hub is different still from North American writing centers in that it administers seven credit-bearing courses (five undergraduate and two graduate), as well as drop-in writing assistance for students enrolled in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences or in one of our courses. While most North American writing centers are located in academic departments, the Writing Hub is an independent unit that sits within the Teaching and Learning Network of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
In addition to courses and peer tutoring, the Writing Hub offers writing workshops for faculty, often with international experts, and two seminar series: "How I Write" (borrowing from Stanford University's Program in Writing and Rhetoric), featuring high-profile writers discussing their craft; and "Rhetoric in the Real World," featuring presentations on applications of rhetoric outside the academy. The Writing Hub also offers consultancy services to area business, with all profits re-invested in the Hub to support student programs.
Before the Writing Hub was created, the Faculty offered only two undergraduate writing courses: one housed in English (developed by Susan Thomas) and the other in Linguistics (developed by William Foley, a sociolinguist), with no writing support services for undergraduates. When the Hub was created, Thomas and Foley redesigned these two existing courses as the pilot WRIT courses, which have now undergone several iterations.
The Hub represents a departure from the way writing is usually conceived of and taught in Australia, in that it emphasizes writing as a discipline with a classical rhetorical framework. There is a particular focus on invention or discovery in the writing and research processes.
For us, rhetoric in a multimodal world means the art of communicating effectively across disciplines, cultures, technologies, and countries. We have joined Aristotle's (classical) definition of "finding the available means of persuasion in a given situation" with Andrea Lunsford's 20th century definition of New Rhetoric as the study of human communication in order to help students bridge the gaps between present and past and find an appropriate rhetorical theory for contemporary writing environments.
This website will offer a brief overview of the Writing Hub. Through preliminary longitudinal data from our Sydney Study of Writing as well as student interviews and program feedback, we demonstrate how and why a rhetorical approach best supports the development of student writing in multimodal contexts. (The longitudinal study began in 2012 as part of a grant-funded project on writing across the curriculum and is due to finish in 2015.)
We have organized our approach around five central modes that inform our work: audience, contexts, discovery, conversation, and collaboration. These modes have shaped our philosophy, our glossary of thematic terms in this piece, our courses, and our writing fellowships for students, culminating in lessons we’ve learned in the coda. The references are linked here.
Join the conversation and explore the multimodal University of Sydney Writing Hub through our "hub" of modes.