Dr. Maria Conti Maravillas

Assistant Professor
Dr. Maria Conti Maravillas - profile photo

Dr. Maria Conti Maravillas

Assistant Professor

English & World Languages

DeBartolo Hall 241

mcontimaravillas@ysu.edu

Bio

I teach first-year writing for undergraduate students and writing pedagogy courses for graduate students at YSU. My research focuses on the transition to college, particularly through student engagement in composition courses and success programs. I have more than ten years of experience teaching composition and five years of administrative leadership experience in writing programs and writing centers.

Research Interests

Composition theory and pedagogy; Writing program administration; Assessment
Writing center theory and practice; Student success programs; Growth mindset
Diverse student populations; Basic/developmental writing; Second language writing
Rhetorical theory; Public rhetorics; Community literacies; Prison writing/activism; Grant writing

Teaching Interests

Courses taught at Youngstown State University, The University of Southern Mississippi, The University of Arizona, and Kent State University:

First-Year Writing
Writing 1
Writing 2
Honors Composition
Developmental Writing with Studio
Foundations Writing for International Students
Introduction to Composition at the Arizona State Prison

Upper-Level Undergraduate Courses
Advanced Writing
Nonfiction Narrative
Collaborative Learning and Tutoring Writing
Grant Writing
Technical Writing

Graduate Courses
Teaching of Writing

  • Education
    • 2019

      Ph D, Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of English

      The University of Arizona

      Dissertation/Thesis Title — "Funds of Knowledge in Transition: Responding to Diverse Student Populations in Summer Bridge Programs"

    • 2014

      MA, Literature and Writing

      Kent State University

    • 2012

      BA, English

      Walsh University

  • Awards and Honors
    • 2025

      Youngstown State University

      Faculty Improvement Leave

    • 2023

      Youngstown State University

      University Research Professorship

  • Professional Positions
    • 2021 -

      Youngstown State University

      Assistant Professor, English Composition

  • Intellectual Contributions
    • 2024

      "Growth Mindset"

      M. Conti Maravillas

      WAC Clearinghouse

    • 2023

      "Building Bridges and Changing the Story: Recognizing Funds of Knowledge in Summer Bridge Programs"

      M. Conti Maravillas

      Composition Studies, volume 51, issue 2, p. 42-63

    • 2021

      "Writing Center Pro Tips"

      M. Conti Maravillas

      W. W. Norton & Company, p. USM 11-13

    • 2021

      "Approaching Instructor Feedback"

      M. Conti Maravillas

      W. W. Norton & Company, p. USM 8-9

    • 2017

      "Cultivating Change from the Ground Up: Developing a Grassroots Programmatic Assessment"

      M. Conti, R. LaMance, S. Miller-Cochran

      Composition Forum, volume 37

    • 2016

      "Review of David Coogan’s Writing Our Way Out: Memoirs from Jail"

      M. Conti Maravillas

      Community Literacy Journal, volume 10, issue 2, p. 71-74