This thesis will examine ways of teaching college composition through a
lens where civility, citizenship, and community are the focus of the composition
classroom. By drawing from critical composition pedagogy scholars and rich
examples of civil/civic dialogue from the media, I will construct a series of
actionable strategies to foster civil dialogue in the multimodal college composition
classroom. Using scholarship in the field of rhetoric and composition, this
classroom-based research project will seek to answer questions such as: “How
can a first-year college composition class teach civil dialogue and promote
understanding in a society where the loudest, shrillest voices win?” and “How can
a university implement and assess civility awareness?” This study adds to the
conversation regarding the need to work toward a more civil society and explores
ways to work toward this by way of the first-year college composition classroom.