Transdisciplinary writing teacher development in a Sino-US joint-venture university in China

This chapter reflects the professional development initiatives undertaken at the Language and Culture Center (LCC) at Duke Kunshan University (DKU) through a transdisciplinary lens (Matsuda, 2013, 2021). This lens was particularly pertinent, given that LCC faculty involved in teaching undergraduate English for Academic Purposes (EAP) writing, undergraduate English composition, and graduate EAP writing courses brought diverse academic backgrounds to the table, including second language (L2) writing, rhetoric and composition, creative writing, applied linguistics, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), second language acquisition (SLA), and literature. To foster a deeper understanding of EFL/L2 writing pedagogies and support writing teacher development, we facilitated open discussions on core themes within EFL/L2 writing studies, such as disciplinarity and feedback. Reflecting on these discussions revealed how adopting a transdisciplinary perspective allowed LCC faculty to exchange knowledge and insights more effectively, thus enhancing their understanding of each other’s pedagogical approaches. This, in turn, set the stage for more fruitful collaborations.

Duke Scholars

Author Yachao Sun DKU Faculty

Author Kristin Elisabeth Hiller DKU Faculty