Summary:
In the article, "Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces," Elizabeth Wardle educates readers on how it affects one's writing when they are put into a new community. To do this, she uses an example, a man named Alan. Alan is put into a discourse community that he is not fully a part of, and therefore feels left out, showing that being part of a discourse community is more than just knowing about it.
Synthesis:
Like others writers we've read, not only does Wardle discuss discourse communities but puts a different spin on it. She stresses the importance of identity in a discourse community, which is something that neither Swales, Gee, or Devitt et al have done. However, she agrees with Swales six points, and she briefly touches on genre like Devitt et al.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Reading Response #16 / Project 3
Summary:
In the article "Materiality and Genre in the Study of Discourse Communities," Amy Devitt, Anis Bawarshi, and Mary Jo Reiff discuss why genre and ethnomethodology are important when regarding discourse communities. Each writer does this in their own way. Devitt uses it in context with a jury during a court case. Bawarshi uses patient medical history forms, and Reiff explains why it is important to teachers and students.
Synthesis:
This article obviously goes along with the Gee article, but also with the Swales article. All discuss discourse communities, which is what ties them together, but each puts different emphasis on certain ideas of said communities. Gee believes that you are only truly part of one Discourse, while Swale thinks that you can be in multiple communities. Then Devitt, Bawarshi, and Reiff throw a new wrench into it with their discussion of genre.
Personal Response:
This article was very, very difficult for me to read. It seems that the farther we get into the semester, the more dense the articles become. However, I did enjoy the way Devitt compared genre with the jury scenario. It offered a more interesting way to look at the argument.
Project 3 Proposal
The community that I would like to research for my project is a choir that I was involved in during high school, an advanced women's choir called the Baronettes. I chose this community because I believe that the way that people interested in music communicate with each other is very interesting and I think it would definitely be something that requires a closer look. I invested a lot of time (over 3 years) and effort in the group, but never really thought about how we communicated. Once we started discussing discourse communities in class, I realized that the way we talked to each other in Baronettes was truly unique, and that, strangely, we could be considered a discourse community.
With this project, I hope to find out more about the way we communicated in the past three years, and hopefully relate it to other communities in the hopes of establishing one giant discourse community. I am curious to see if we use the language that we used with each other in other situations, or if it was only in that class that we used the language we did. I am curious to learn what others would think if thrust into our small bubble, if they would catch on quickly or be forever lost in our constant string of lingo and slang.
In terms of how Baronettes qualifies as a discourse community, I believe it meets all six of Swales’ criteria.
1.) A discourse community has a broadly agreed set of common public goals.
Well, obviously we have this. Our goals were to make music, to let people hear us and hopefully develop an emotional connection with not only us, but what we were singing about. Also, it was always nice to make some money, or just be able to sing for an audience.
2.) A discourse community has mechanisms of intercommunication among its members.
As for methods of communication, we had everything. A Facebook page, a Twitter page, a newsletter, each other’s’ phone numbers. We used these methods to keep in touch with each other, let each other know what was going on, and, of course, let the public know what we were up to.
3.) A discourse community uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback.
As previously stated, we used our methods to keep in touch with each other and let each other know important information. We also used them to alert each other to certain events or problems we were having with any specific piece of music we may have been working on, or simply to just let each other know that we were thinking of each other. We also posted videos or comments for all to see. This resulted in feedback from each other, which resulted in the greater success of the group.
4.) A discourse community utilizes and hence possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims.
Each girl involved in the choir brings, with her, her own genre. We all also brought different skills to the table. Some of us were stronger in areas like keeping a handle on our part, no matter what. Others, myself included, brought our strong sight-reading skills that helped the group when it came to competitions.
5.) In addition to owning genres, a discourse community has acquired some specific lexis.
As you may guess, when a group of twenty or so girls get together, there are bound to be crazy stories, cute nicknames, and lots of inside jokes that become stipulations of conversation. These, combined with the musical lingo that all of us already used, gave us our own individual language.
6.) A discourse community has a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relative content and discoursal expertise.
We all knew what we were doing; we were advanced enough in our musical knowledge that we were almost always on the same page. However, it was always made blatantly obvious if you did not know what you were doing, and the members that showed this were usually relegated to smaller parts, less solos, etc.
As for who I plan on interviewing, I would like to interview my choir director, of course, since she put us all together. I also plan on interviewing several girls who were part of the choir. I plan to pull excerpts from our Facebook page conversations, and maybe some text message conversations.
In the article "Materiality and Genre in the Study of Discourse Communities," Amy Devitt, Anis Bawarshi, and Mary Jo Reiff discuss why genre and ethnomethodology are important when regarding discourse communities. Each writer does this in their own way. Devitt uses it in context with a jury during a court case. Bawarshi uses patient medical history forms, and Reiff explains why it is important to teachers and students.
Synthesis:
This article obviously goes along with the Gee article, but also with the Swales article. All discuss discourse communities, which is what ties them together, but each puts different emphasis on certain ideas of said communities. Gee believes that you are only truly part of one Discourse, while Swale thinks that you can be in multiple communities. Then Devitt, Bawarshi, and Reiff throw a new wrench into it with their discussion of genre.
Personal Response:
This article was very, very difficult for me to read. It seems that the farther we get into the semester, the more dense the articles become. However, I did enjoy the way Devitt compared genre with the jury scenario. It offered a more interesting way to look at the argument.
Project 3 Proposal
The community that I would like to research for my project is a choir that I was involved in during high school, an advanced women's choir called the Baronettes. I chose this community because I believe that the way that people interested in music communicate with each other is very interesting and I think it would definitely be something that requires a closer look. I invested a lot of time (over 3 years) and effort in the group, but never really thought about how we communicated. Once we started discussing discourse communities in class, I realized that the way we talked to each other in Baronettes was truly unique, and that, strangely, we could be considered a discourse community.
With this project, I hope to find out more about the way we communicated in the past three years, and hopefully relate it to other communities in the hopes of establishing one giant discourse community. I am curious to see if we use the language that we used with each other in other situations, or if it was only in that class that we used the language we did. I am curious to learn what others would think if thrust into our small bubble, if they would catch on quickly or be forever lost in our constant string of lingo and slang.
In terms of how Baronettes qualifies as a discourse community, I believe it meets all six of Swales’ criteria.
1.) A discourse community has a broadly agreed set of common public goals.
Well, obviously we have this. Our goals were to make music, to let people hear us and hopefully develop an emotional connection with not only us, but what we were singing about. Also, it was always nice to make some money, or just be able to sing for an audience.
2.) A discourse community has mechanisms of intercommunication among its members.
As for methods of communication, we had everything. A Facebook page, a Twitter page, a newsletter, each other’s’ phone numbers. We used these methods to keep in touch with each other, let each other know what was going on, and, of course, let the public know what we were up to.
3.) A discourse community uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback.
As previously stated, we used our methods to keep in touch with each other and let each other know important information. We also used them to alert each other to certain events or problems we were having with any specific piece of music we may have been working on, or simply to just let each other know that we were thinking of each other. We also posted videos or comments for all to see. This resulted in feedback from each other, which resulted in the greater success of the group.
4.) A discourse community utilizes and hence possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims.
Each girl involved in the choir brings, with her, her own genre. We all also brought different skills to the table. Some of us were stronger in areas like keeping a handle on our part, no matter what. Others, myself included, brought our strong sight-reading skills that helped the group when it came to competitions.
5.) In addition to owning genres, a discourse community has acquired some specific lexis.
As you may guess, when a group of twenty or so girls get together, there are bound to be crazy stories, cute nicknames, and lots of inside jokes that become stipulations of conversation. These, combined with the musical lingo that all of us already used, gave us our own individual language.
6.) A discourse community has a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relative content and discoursal expertise.
We all knew what we were doing; we were advanced enough in our musical knowledge that we were almost always on the same page. However, it was always made blatantly obvious if you did not know what you were doing, and the members that showed this were usually relegated to smaller parts, less solos, etc.
As for who I plan on interviewing, I would like to interview my choir director, of course, since she put us all together. I also plan on interviewing several girls who were part of the choir. I plan to pull excerpts from our Facebook page conversations, and maybe some text message conversations.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Reading Response #15 (Gee)
Getting Ready to Read
Two activities that I participate in are my classes and singing. For the most part, they remain very separate from each other. School requires a lot of thought, of course, but when I'm singing, it almost requires more, mostly because it's something that I rarely do anymore. I have to think more about what I'm doing, and sometimes it's frustrating.
Summary
In his article "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics," Gee explains the differences between Discourses, grammar, and linguistics. He specifically puts an emphasis on how Discourse can shape a person.
Synthesis
This article is very similar to the Swales article that we read, mostly because of the fact that it deals with discourse. However, the two have differing opinions, because while Swales believes that it is we who make the discourse community, Gee believes that Discourse makes us.
QDJ
Gee is saying what I essentially say in my Project 1 paper: grammar only matters in a specific context. Naturally, we were not taught this in school; we were always taught that grammar is very important and should be attended to.
Synthesis
I thought this article proved very interesting, especially since we read it right after reading the Swales piece. I also really find it interesting that Gee believes that Discourse is a natural part of us, and it will definitely make me think before picking a discourse community for Project 3.
Two activities that I participate in are my classes and singing. For the most part, they remain very separate from each other. School requires a lot of thought, of course, but when I'm singing, it almost requires more, mostly because it's something that I rarely do anymore. I have to think more about what I'm doing, and sometimes it's frustrating.
Summary
In his article "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics," Gee explains the differences between Discourses, grammar, and linguistics. He specifically puts an emphasis on how Discourse can shape a person.
Synthesis
This article is very similar to the Swales article that we read, mostly because of the fact that it deals with discourse. However, the two have differing opinions, because while Swales believes that it is we who make the discourse community, Gee believes that Discourse makes us.
QDJ
Gee is saying what I essentially say in my Project 1 paper: grammar only matters in a specific context. Naturally, we were not taught this in school; we were always taught that grammar is very important and should be attended to.
Synthesis
I thought this article proved very interesting, especially since we read it right after reading the Swales piece. I also really find it interesting that Gee believes that Discourse is a natural part of us, and it will definitely make me think before picking a discourse community for Project 3.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Reading Response #12 (Baron)
Pre-Reading
The technology I use to write is mainly a pen. Occasionally I may use a computer, and in high school I would sometimes use an old typewriter I had, but most of the time, I just use a pen and paper.
Summary
In his article "From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies," Dennis Baron talks about the various types of technology that are used in the writing world, whether it is a pencil, pen, typewriter, or computer. He discusses the fact that every type of new technology is debated for a while, even the pencil, but is eventually accepted by the writing community.
QDJ
2. I don't know if I believe that Baron "shrugs" at technology in his article. I believe that he simply accepts the fact that technology will keep on changing, regardless of whatever else happens. I do believe, however, that despite all the changes with technology, writing will fundamentally remain the same. No matter what you are using to do the writing, you're still writing.
Synthesis
This actually reminded me of a piece I read for my junior composition class, though I can't remember the title or author. It discussed technology in general and talked about how eventually, all types of "new" technology would become obsolete. Baron's article drew strong comparisons with the other piece, in that they both used examples like the typewriter and just a plain old pencil.
Thoughts
I really enjoyed this article. I have always been fascinated by how quickly society goes through things, especially technology, so I like to read about it. I had never thought to look at how this works in writing though, and I liked getting to see how technology affects every aspect of society, even writing.
The technology I use to write is mainly a pen. Occasionally I may use a computer, and in high school I would sometimes use an old typewriter I had, but most of the time, I just use a pen and paper.
Summary
In his article "From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies," Dennis Baron talks about the various types of technology that are used in the writing world, whether it is a pencil, pen, typewriter, or computer. He discusses the fact that every type of new technology is debated for a while, even the pencil, but is eventually accepted by the writing community.
QDJ
2. I don't know if I believe that Baron "shrugs" at technology in his article. I believe that he simply accepts the fact that technology will keep on changing, regardless of whatever else happens. I do believe, however, that despite all the changes with technology, writing will fundamentally remain the same. No matter what you are using to do the writing, you're still writing.
Synthesis
This actually reminded me of a piece I read for my junior composition class, though I can't remember the title or author. It discussed technology in general and talked about how eventually, all types of "new" technology would become obsolete. Baron's article drew strong comparisons with the other piece, in that they both used examples like the typewriter and just a plain old pencil.
Thoughts
I really enjoyed this article. I have always been fascinated by how quickly society goes through things, especially technology, so I like to read about it. I had never thought to look at how this works in writing though, and I liked getting to see how technology affects every aspect of society, even writing.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Reading Response #11 (Brandt)
Pre-reading:
-TV commercials
-Radio commercials
-Local library reading programs
I haven't really seen many programs that sponsor writing, but growing up I saw/heard a lot of commercials that emphasized the importance of reading, usually with some celebrity telling me why I should read more, and my local library always had reading programs to encourage kids to read more.
Summary:
In her article "Sponsors of Literacy," Deborah Brandt explains the concept of literacy sponsors, who are the people that inspire (or sponsor) others to read and write more. She puts this into three different categories, Sponsorship and Access, Sponsorship and Appropriation in Literacy Learning, and Sponsorship in the Rise of Literacy Standards.
Compare/Contrast:
It was hard for me to compare this to other articles we've read, but it did remind me of the various articles I've read in magazines and newspapers about the decline of literacy in the country.
AED
1. My literacy sponsors were probably my parents and various teachers that I had, especially in elementary school. They didn't specifically try to steer me in any direction, but their guidance was very helpful and has helped me immensely.
Thoughts:
I liked this article a lot, if only because I have always been fairly interested in literacy. It is very hard for me to imagine not being able to read, because reading is such a big part of my life. I like the idea of literacy sponsors, but it makes me sad to know that certain people didn't have them.
-TV commercials
-Radio commercials
-Local library reading programs
I haven't really seen many programs that sponsor writing, but growing up I saw/heard a lot of commercials that emphasized the importance of reading, usually with some celebrity telling me why I should read more, and my local library always had reading programs to encourage kids to read more.
Summary:
In her article "Sponsors of Literacy," Deborah Brandt explains the concept of literacy sponsors, who are the people that inspire (or sponsor) others to read and write more. She puts this into three different categories, Sponsorship and Access, Sponsorship and Appropriation in Literacy Learning, and Sponsorship in the Rise of Literacy Standards.
Compare/Contrast:
It was hard for me to compare this to other articles we've read, but it did remind me of the various articles I've read in magazines and newspapers about the decline of literacy in the country.
AED
1. My literacy sponsors were probably my parents and various teachers that I had, especially in elementary school. They didn't specifically try to steer me in any direction, but their guidance was very helpful and has helped me immensely.
Thoughts:
I liked this article a lot, if only because I have always been fairly interested in literacy. It is very hard for me to imagine not being able to read, because reading is such a big part of my life. I like the idea of literacy sponsors, but it makes me sad to know that certain people didn't have them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)