Riki Thompson, Ph.D.

My scholarship and teaching reflect an interest in the problems generated by the dynamic nature of language, technology and ideology, specifically how people negotiate identity and communities through language and technology. My current research focuses on how people find connection and belonging through digital discourse.

In the classroom, I engage students through active learning, reflection on learning and integration of new technologies that provide tools to evaluate and employ language effectively. I use a "just in time" approach in all my classes so I can make adjustments based on student needs.

I teach undergraduate and graduate level courses on research and argument, as well as special topics in Writing Studies. My classes take an active-learning approach, using learning to learn pedagogy to engage students through multimodal learning styles. If you observe my class, you will see a frenzy of activity; groups collaborating, papers shuffling, tables moving, students talking and writing. A typical day in my classroom includes small group work, class discussion, writing workshops, and online collaborative writing. 

Below is a list of courses I have taught and independent study projects I have supervised.

• GRADUATE COURSES
  • TIAS 514 : Teaching Writing: Theory & Practicum
  • TIAS 513 : Graduate Research & Writing
  • TIAS 505 : MAIS Capstone
     
• UNDERGRADUATE COURSES
  • TWRT 464 : Teaching Writing
  • TWRT 330 : Visual & Written Rhetoric
  • TWRT 333: Writing through Comics
  • TWRT 211: Argument & Research in Writing
    • Technology & Transformation
    • Literacy & the Digital World
    • Connecting Digitally
  • TCORE 101: Introduction to Composition
    • Blog me! All about m/e-stories
    • What is America(n)?
    • (Trans)Forming Identity & History
    • Writing in the Rain: Debating Climate Change
       
• INDEPENDENT STUDY MENTORING
  • Critical Discourse Studies
  • The Visual Rhetoric of the Border Wall
  • Special Education Legislation And Teaching Writing
  • Teaching Writing K-12
  • Porn, Power, & Discourse
  • Hip Hop Poetry & Teaching Writing
  • The Discourse of Mental Health And The Productive Member Of Society
  • A Critical Analysis of Homeless Discourse In America

Teaching: Work Featured

• "Whole class feedback on written assignments" - Introducing Canvas: Collaboration during class (June 2013)
• "Providing feedback to support learning" - Putting Learning First: How Students Learn and How Technology Can Help (April 2013)
• "Ditching the red pen for personalized video 'veedback' on student writing" - Innovators Among Us: How UW Faculty are Enhancing Teaching with Technology (March 2013)

Teaching and Learning Grants

• Washington Student Achievement Council Educators for the 21st Century Professional Development Grant (2013-2015)
  • Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC)
  • "CCSS Professional Development for Washington High-Need Schools"
     
• Founders Endowment Grant
  • Office of Academic Affairs, UW Tacoma
  • "Web-based Assessment Toolkit" (2009-2011)
  • "Writing in the Web 2.0 World" (2008)
     
• Practical Pedagogy Lecture Series
  • Simpson Center for the Humanities, UW Seattle
  • Liberating Pedagogies: Locating Freedom in the Classroom (2004-2005)
  • Engaging the Culture of Power In and Out of the Classroom (2003-2004)