Directory
Biography
Rachel Ihara completed her PhD at the CUNY Graduate Center, with a focus on American novels published serially. After being hired full time at Kingsborough, she shifted her research focus to align more with the eternal question of how best to teach first-year composition. Research projects include an investigation into Kingsborough students' experiences with reading and writing across the curriculum and several studies of the reading and writing practices of former students as they move on to new institutions and into careers.
Courses
Composition I and II (English 1200 and 2400)
Education
| The Graduate Center of the City University of New York | Ph.D. in English, 2007 |
| Certificate in American Studies, 2007 | |
| M. Phil. in English, 2006 | |
| Humboldt State University, Arcata CA | B.A. in English, Minor in Art History |
| Graduated Summa Cum Laude, 1999 | |
| Reed College, Portland OR |
Selected Publications and/or Other Resources
“ ‘It Kind of Helped Me but also Kind of Didn’t’: Reflections on FYC Five Years Later.” Teaching English in the Two Year College, vol. 51, issue. 3. Mar. 2024, pp 197-214..
“Why I (Mostly) Stopped Assigning Reading in FYC: A Reflection on Texts in Writing Classes.” Forthcoming in Open(ing) Access: Equity and Reading. Cheryl Hogue Smith and Joanne Giordano, Eds.
[With Ann Del Principe] “Design Challenge: An Integrated Writing and Reading Curriculum for an Equity-Oriented Two-Year College.” Forthcoming in Community College 2.0: Charting a New Future for America’s Community Colleges. Emily K. Suh and Patrick Sullivan, Eds.
“Statement on Editorial Ethics.” Conference on College Composition and Communication, April, 2023. https://cccc.ncte.org/cccc/editorial-ethics#:~:text=Editorial%20work%E2%80%94including%20every%20stage,of%20ethical%20behavior%2C%20integrity%2C%20and
“Nineteenth-Century American Women’s Serial Novels” [Review essay]. Studies in the Novel. vol. 53, no. 3, 2021.
“Basic Writing Reform as an Opportunity to Rethink First-Year Composition: New Evidence from an Accelerated Learning Program.” Journal of Basic Writing. vol. 39, no. 2, 2020, pp. 44-70. [Forthcoming republication in Best of the Journals in Rhetoric and Composition 2022, Parlor Press.]
Awards Recognition, Distinctions and Grants
Proposal selected for “Next-Gen Learning: Integrate AI, Civic Engagement, or Sustainability into Pathways initiative,” 2025 Selected for inclusion in Best of the Journals in Rhetoric and Composition 2022, Parlor Press. Awarded three PSC-CUNY Grants to support research: 2024-25; 2012-2013; 2011-2012
Institutional Affiliations/Professional Societies
Currently serving as the Assessment Coordinator for WRAC (Writing and Reading across the Curriculum); participated in the CUNY Career Success Fellows Program, 2024-25; OER Liaison to the English Department, 2024-25; previously served as Coordinator for the Composition Sequence.
Research Interests
Composition
Writing Studies