Why do we teach composition? (I'm sick, so I apologize if this is overly cynical)

Linchpin!

Well, (I think) it stems from left over 19th century education where all university (college) students were instructed in classically Graeco-Romanesque subjects. I think composition survived mostly as because it guaranteed graduate teaching positions and financial longevity for English departments which otherwise struggle to prove their worth to increasingly bottom line oriented administrations.

The university/administration/other departments continue to live with comp as a requirement because they expect it to produce students who can write essay tests, lab reports, resumes, etc., etc., etc.

(Some) English/Rhet-Comp/Instructors teach it because they view it as a one-stop shop to drop some knowledge on unsuspecting freshmen. Critical thinking, composition, cultural studies, technological literacy, t-shirt design, literature, audio/video editing all fall under someone’s definition of comp.

I think I teach composition to try and give my students the basic tools for communicating their ideas clearly and effectively (mostly) in the university setting. For me this is mostly about the written word, but I’m struggling to achieve a balance between technological instruction and composition instruction.