Abstract
This thesis serves as a pedagogical introduction to the theory of social-expressivism, or the convergence of two main composition theories: expressivism and social constructivism. The author conducted a textual analysis of Peter Elbow and Pat Belanoff’s Being a Writer: A Community of Writers Revisited using Thomas Huckin’s context-sensitive method of examination to trace social-expressivist patterns throughout the textbook. The author’s analysis of her course syllabus, writing assignment prompts, and peer workshop scripts verify the value of social-expressivism as a theory and classroom pedagogy that develops students’ “composing flexibility,” or the ability for students to compose private and public texts while recognizing the natural intersections of personal and academic discourses.