This essay analyzes the rhetorical function of partnership in the creation and administration of three first-year composition MOOCs taught at institutions that were recipients of grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2012-2013. Specifically, the author analyzes partnerships with MOOC developers Coursera and teams of academics at Duke, Georgia Tech, and Ohio State. These composition MOOCs are examples of problematic partnerships, or collaborations between academics and powerful groups, individuals, or companies that may have interests related to, but not necessarily in step with, academics' own disciplinary agendas. Ultimately, the author argues that despite significant risks, problematic partnerships can be potentially productive sites of research, teaching, and collaboration. Moreover, problematic partnerships can also potentially function as vital pockets where practitioners can leverage institutional collaborations to create new knowledge about writing and writing pedagogy and ultimately keep the field engaged in important public issues related to writing.
