Asao B. Inoue

Asao B. Inoue (born 1970) is a Japanese American academic writer and professor of rhetoric and composition in the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts at Arizona State University Inoue has written extensively on the subject of contract grading.

In 2019, Inoue was elected the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Chair. He delivered the keynote presentation for the 2019 CCCC Annual Convention, entitled "How Do We Language So People Stop Killing Each Other, Or What Do We Do About White Language Supremacy?" Inoue is the recipient of multiple disciplinary and institutional academic awards, including the 2017 CCCC Outstanding Book Award,

Biography

Early life and education Inoue attended elementary school in North Las Vegas. He received his B.A. in English Literature with a minor in writing studies from Oregon State University (OSU). He also received his M.A from OSU. He went on to receive his PhD at Washington State University.

Teaching career Inoue worked at Chemeketa Community College in a tenure-track position, before deciding to pursue his PhD at Washington State University. In the early to mid 2010s, Asao worked at California State University, Fresno as an associate professor, where he served as the Special Assistant to the Provost for Writing Across the Curriculum. From 2019-2021, he served as the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Equity and Inclusion at Arizona State University in the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts.

Professional contributions

Research Inoue's research focuses on anti-racist educational methods broadly, with an emphasis on the teaching and assessment of postsecondary writing and language. His work on the theory and method of writing assessment calls for more locally-grounded practices that attend to the complex ecologies of the classroom.

Inoue's 2021 book Above The Well: An Antiracist Argument From a Boy of Color examines intersections of race, language, and literacy education by combining academic scholarship, personal anecdotes and auto-ethnography, and elements of fiction. By exploring his own background and education, Inoue highlights racial biases within English language standards perpetuated in educational institutions. A central theme of Inoue's research revolves around the pervasive phenomenon of individuals being evaluated and categorized based on implicit racialized linguistic norms. He coins the term "White language supremacy" to describe this phenomenon, contending that it plays a significant role in perpetuating racialized violence in contemporary society. Inoue has also donated all royalties for his book Above the Well (2021) to the endowment. Selected publications Books Inoue, Asao B. (2015). Antiracist Writing Assessment Ecologies: Teaching and Assessing Writing for A Socially Just Future. Fort Collins: Parlor Press/WAC Clearinghouse. Inoue, Asao B. (2019). Labor-Based Grading Contracts: Building Equity and Inclusion in the Compassionate Writing Classroom. Fort Collins: WAC Clearinghouse/University Press of Colorado. Inoue, Asao B. (2021). Above The Well: An Antiracist Argument From a Boy of Color. The WAC Clearinghouse/Utah State University Press.

Articles & book chapters Inoue, Asao B. (2004). “Community-Based Assessment Pedagogy.” Assessing Writing 9.3, pp. 208–238. Inoue, Asao B. (2012). “Grading Contracts: Assessing Their Effectiveness on Different Racial Formations.” In Asao B. Inoue and Mya Poe (editors), Race and Writing Assessment, (peer-reviewed through the press). New York: Peter Lang. pp. 79–94.

Notable awards 2014 CWPA Outstanding Scholarship Award for "Theorizing Failure in U.S. Writing Assessments" published in Research in the Teaching of English (48.3) 2014 CCCC Outstanding Book Award in the Edited Collection Category (Race and Writing Assessment)