ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the goals of the curriculum and the instruction that takes place are designed to propel students towards privilege. Writing pedagogy complements these goals by inviting “novice” writers to decode the “rhetorical situation” with awareness of how the skills “transfer” across academic contexts. Offering incarcerated students the opportunity to extend the feedback loop throughout the term is both humanizing and pedagogically sound. Inclusivity as a pedagogical goal implies that teachers can teach more effectively by considering the changing needs of diverse student populations. The prison classroom is situated within the punishment industry, which discourages agency and critical reflection. Introducing the post-secondary privilege-industry goals and values into the prison has risks. Prisoners can seek little to no relief for their personal troubles. A prison writing course should investigate the rhetorical situation and employ “academic genres” and “prison genres.”
