In this Book

summary

In the course of research, most scholars have known moments of surprise, catastrophe, or good fortune, though they seldom refer to these occurrences in reports or discuss them with students. Serendipity in Rhetoric, Writing, and Literacy Research reveals the different kinds of work scholars, particularly those in rhetoric, writing, and literacy, need to do in order to recognize a serendipitous discovery or a missed opportunity.

In published scholarship and research, the path toward discovery seems clean and direct. The dead ends, backtrackings, start-overs, and stumbles that occur throughout the research process are elided, and seems that the researchers started at point A and arrived safely and neatly at point B without incident, as if by magic. The path, however, is never truly clear and straight. Research and writing is messy. Serendipity in Rhetoric, Writing, and Literacy Research features chapters from twenty-three writing scholars who have experienced moments of serendipity in their own work—not by magic or pure chance but through openness and active waiting, which offer an opportunity to prepare the mind.

Serendipity in Rhetoric, Writing, and Literacy Research illustrates the reality of doing research: there is no reliable prescription or one-size-fits-all manual, but success can be found with focused dedication and an open mind.

Contributors: Ellen Barton​, ​Zachary C. Beare​, ​Lynn Z. Bloom​, ​Jennifer Clary-Lemon​, ​Caren Wakerman Converse​, ​Gale Coskan-Johnson​, ​Kim Donehower​, ​Bill Endres​, ​Shirley E. Faulkner-Springfield​, ​Lynée Lewis Gaillet​, ​Brad Gyori​, ​Judy Holiday​, ​Gesa E. Kirsch​, ​Lori Ostergaard​, ​Doreen Piano​, ​Liz Rohan​, ​Ryan Skinnell​, ​Patricia Wilde​, ​Daniel Wuebben

Table of Contents

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  1. Cover
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  1. Title Page, Copyright
  2. pp. i-iv
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  1. Contents
  2. pp. v-viii
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  1. List of Figures
  2. pp. ix-xii
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  1. Stumbling into Wisdom in Rhetoric, Writing, and Literacy Research: An Introduction
  2. Maureen Daly Goggin and Peter N. Goggin
  3. pp. 13-24
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  1. Part I. Intersections of Personal and Political
  1. 1. “Oh, My God! He Was a Slave!” Secrets of a Virginia Courthouse Archive
  2. Shirley E. Faulkner-Springfield
  3. pp. 27-37
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  1. 2. Making Sense of Disaster: Composing a Methodology for Place-Based Visual Research
  2. Doreen Piano
  3. pp. 38-53
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  1. 3. Death, Dying, and Serendipity in the Scholarly Imagination
  2. Gale Coskan-Johnson
  3. pp. 54-66
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  1. Part II. Intersections of Personal and Professional
  1. 4. Fortuitous Happenstance: Serendipity in Archival Research
  2. Lynèe Lewis Gaillet
  3. pp. 69-79
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  1. 5. Pre-Sentence: Researching, Reporting, and Writing
  2. Caren Wakerman Converse
  3. pp. 80-89
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  1. 6. Echoes in the Archives
  2. Liz Rohan
  3. pp. 90-101
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  1. 7. Serendipity and Memory: The Value of Participant Observation
  2. Kim Donehower
  3. pp. 102-110
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  1. Part III. Stumbling into the Unknown
  1. 8. The Serendipity of (Mis)Timing in Research
  2. Maureen Daly Goggin
  3. pp. 113-126
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  1. 9. Setting Out for Serendip: Of Research Quests and Chance Discoveries
  2. Ryan Skinnell
  3. pp. 127-138
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  1. 10. The Art of the “Accident”: Serendipity in Field Research
  2. Peter N. Goggin
  3. pp. 139-147
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  1. 11. Reading between the Power Lines: How “Nikola Tesla Corner” Enhanced the Wireless Signals in a Rhetorical Analysis of Electricity and Landscape
  2. Daniel Wuebben
  3. pp. 148-160
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  1. Part IV. Methodology and Serendipity
  1. 12. Prepare to Be Surprised: How Flexible, Methodical, and Organized Research Practices Lead to Serendipity in the Archives
  2. Lori Ostergaard
  3. pp. 163-173
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  1. 13. Playing the Name Game: Exploring Name Variations in Archival Research
  2. Patty Wilde
  3. pp. 174-184
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  1. 14. Serendipity and Methodological Willingness in Team Science
  2. Ellen Barton
  3. pp. 185-199
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  1. 15. The Sunshine of Serendipity: Illuminating Scholarship of Genre (a New Canon) and Generosity (Yes You Can)
  2. Lynn Z. Bloom
  3. pp. 200-214
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  1. 16. Serendology, Methodipity: Research, Invention, and the Choric Rhetorician
  2. Jennifer Clary-Lemon
  3. pp. 215-228
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  1. Part V. Trusting the Process
  1. 17. The Ethics of Serendipity: Rare Events and a Need to Act
  2. Bill Endres
  3. pp. 231-246
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  1. 18. Creating Kismet: What Artists Can Teach Academics about Serendipity
  2. Brad Gyori
  3. pp. 247-256
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  1. 19. Coordinating Chaos and Befriending a Fuzzy Focus: Reflections of a Serendipitist
  2. Judy Holiday
  3. pp. 257-266
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  1. 20. The Strange Practices of Serendipitous Failure: Considering Metanoia as an Alternative to Kairos
  2. Zachary Beare
  3. pp. 267-276
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  1. Afterword: Serendipity and Ethics in Rhetoric, Writing, and Literacy Research
  2. Gesa E. Kirsch
  3. pp. 277-284
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  1. About the Authors
  2. pp. 285-288
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  1. Subject Index
  2. pp. 289-296
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  1. Name Index
  2. pp. 297-300
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