Errors in Our Expectations

In 1977, Mina Shaughnessy published Errors and Expectations, transforming how educators understood the writing of students who had previously not had access to higher education. Half a century later, we gather at the institution where she taught — The City College of New York — to assess her legacy, question what basic writing means today, and outline future directions of the field of composition studies.

In an era of corequisite mandates, accelerated timelines, and shifting language ideologies, this conference brings together scholars, teachers, administrators, and students to reckon honestly with the past and imagine more just futures for writing instruction.