I'm feeling fairly accomplished this weekend.
While I have not completed my draft, I have made quite a few edits to my initial draft and feel confident in the concluding pages I have to come. I added to my introduction as well and feel it has helped to tie the full ideas I tried to express in the paper together.
Feeling accomplished after this weekend is a good thing.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
Friday Goals/Accomplishments
Between Wednesday and Today I have completed a lot of my draft. I am currently at 6 pages - I am, however, worried a bit about my draft and that I may be shifting my focus a bit. I think I intended for my focus to shift coherently through the paper, but my goal for today will be to re-read my draft and make sure I'm still on target with my purpose. From there I still have some writing to do about the implications of my research for teachers - my ultimate audience. This work I think will be saved for later today and over the weekend.
In re-reading my work I have decided I need to address the privilege I feel is associated with academic discourse. My thesis and over all concern with this paper I want to focus on is how while academic discourse is a source of power and privilege that acts as a source of opporession of minority students, for the time being there may not be a way to overcome this source of power but there is a way to engage minority students in the discourse and bring them up in the hierarchary present in academic writing.
Along with this decision - I wrote a few more paragraphs (at 7 pages now) and penciled in some edits and questions to my draft.
In re-reading my work I have decided I need to address the privilege I feel is associated with academic discourse. My thesis and over all concern with this paper I want to focus on is how while academic discourse is a source of power and privilege that acts as a source of opporession of minority students, for the time being there may not be a way to overcome this source of power but there is a way to engage minority students in the discourse and bring them up in the hierarchary present in academic writing.
Along with this decision - I wrote a few more paragraphs (at 7 pages now) and penciled in some edits and questions to my draft.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Wed. goals/accomplishments
Today's goal is to get the foundation for part II of my seminar paper written. I am about half to 3/4 of the way through, so I should be able to finish it.
... and I did it! I also filled in some missing quotes from earlier paragraphs along with the 3 full paragraphs written. (I think I have more than just a foundation done for parts I-II now because I actually spent some time revising those today.)
I will try to work a few hours later today and complete part III of my outline.
... and I did it! I also filled in some missing quotes from earlier paragraphs along with the 3 full paragraphs written. (I think I have more than just a foundation done for parts I-II now because I actually spent some time revising those today.)
I will try to work a few hours later today and complete part III of my outline.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Seminar Paper - Update
Today I worked on creating an outline and updating my annotated bibliography more. As far as writing pieces of my seminar paper - I pasted quotes into my outline from sources I wanted to use and wrote some key statements about different parts of my outline.
From here, I need to go through and begin pulling together my thoughts and the sources I have pasted into the outline into paragraphs and eventually ... the paper.
I feel like this process (which is new for me) will be much more beneficial to ensuring I have all the information included in my paper I want to .
My outline - without the sources and thoughts included - looks like this :
I. There are many voices in writing
II. The Academic Voice
a. Comprehension – Humphries
b. What is it? – Bartholomae
c. History - Rose
III. The Minority Voice
a. Royster
b. Melix
c. Lu
IV. Meshing of the minority and academic voices
a. Lydia
b. Glau
c. Majidi
d. Lu
e. Royster
f. What doesn’t work / What does work
V. Teaching – Engaging the minority in academic discourse
a. Northedge
b. Lu
c. Bizzell (Outer-directed theory)
My current Thesis reads:
The academic voice is one often misunderstood or not understood altogether by many students. For minority students for whom English is a second language and/or academic discourse is not represented in their day-to-day lives, engaging in academic discourse communities is particularly difficult and teaching these students to engage in the community requires particular attention.
From here, I need to go through and begin pulling together my thoughts and the sources I have pasted into the outline into paragraphs and eventually ... the paper.
I feel like this process (which is new for me) will be much more beneficial to ensuring I have all the information included in my paper I want to .
My outline - without the sources and thoughts included - looks like this :
I. There are many voices in writing
II. The Academic Voice
a. Comprehension – Humphries
b. What is it? – Bartholomae
c. History - Rose
III. The Minority Voice
a. Royster
b. Melix
c. Lu
IV. Meshing of the minority and academic voices
a. Lydia
b. Glau
c. Majidi
d. Lu
e. Royster
f. What doesn’t work / What does work
V. Teaching – Engaging the minority in academic discourse
a. Northedge
b. Lu
c. Bizzell (Outer-directed theory)
My current Thesis reads:
The academic voice is one often misunderstood or not understood altogether by many students. For minority students for whom English is a second language and/or academic discourse is not represented in their day-to-day lives, engaging in academic discourse communities is particularly difficult and teaching these students to engage in the community requires particular attention.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Annotated Bibliography Revision Plan
My revising plan will be to:
1. Classify Sources
2. Find more sources – Probably will use Lu, Bartholame and Royster and complete survey of students.
3. Relate sources to each other
1. Classify Sources
2. Find more sources – Probably will use Lu, Bartholame and Royster and complete survey of students.
3. Relate sources to each other
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Annotated Bibliography
Humphries, Stella. "On Language as a Mirror." Reflections, vol. 1, no. 1: 87-90.
Humphries uses her article to relate her experience in the sciences to writing. In Humphries experience, which I think relates to academic writing, "intellectual elites" have a tendency to write in what she calls a "disembodied voice". This type of writing often results in incomprehension by many both within the "intellectual elite" community and outside it. Humphries argument is relevant because she points out how people within certain communities can get wrapped up in their particular style of writing and forget the original purpose of the writing. I think academic discourse communities are guilty of this, especially when it comes to minority students.
Rose, Mike. "The Language of Exclusion: Writing Instruction at the University." College English, Vol.47, No. 4. (Apr., 1985), pp. 341-359.
One of the most beneficial pieces of Rose's article is the history of writing he gives. Rose brings an understanding of literacy and what it has to do with writing and the instruction of writing, particularly at the university level. When studying the different ways cultures learn, Rose's article will be useful to determine if the ways teachers are teaching match up with the ways students learn how to be part of the discourse community.
Humphries uses her article to relate her experience in the sciences to writing. In Humphries experience, which I think relates to academic writing, "intellectual elites" have a tendency to write in what she calls a "disembodied voice". This type of writing often results in incomprehension by many both within the "intellectual elite" community and outside it. Humphries argument is relevant because she points out how people within certain communities can get wrapped up in their particular style of writing and forget the original purpose of the writing. I think academic discourse communities are guilty of this, especially when it comes to minority students.
Rose, Mike. "The Language of Exclusion: Writing Instruction at the University." College English, Vol.47, No. 4. (Apr., 1985), pp. 341-359.
One of the most beneficial pieces of Rose's article is the history of writing he gives. Rose brings an understanding of literacy and what it has to do with writing and the instruction of writing, particularly at the university level. When studying the different ways cultures learn, Rose's article will be useful to determine if the ways teachers are teaching match up with the ways students learn how to be part of the discourse community.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Inquiry Project - 'Factness'
Whom could I talk to who could provide me with information that has factness about this question?
I could talk with Roger Moreano, Director of Intercultural Student Affairs - who works on a regular basis with students of differing social and economic status. Also, Kathy Rust, a coordinator for the Intercultural Studies Program, or Ann Frank Wake, a coordinator for the Intercultural Studies Program and Chair of the English department. Also Ron Wiginton who is well versed in writing as well as topics related to people of differing social and economic status. I would also like to talk with students who may have experiences with writing in academic discourse and how their social or economic status has benefited or hindered their education and access to the discourse community.
What could I read that would provide me with information that has factness about this question?
There are several areas I could turn to for reading on this topic. Newsletters or magazines related to issues of diversity might be particularly interesting to get a feel for the experience of the individuals I am most interested in understanding the experiences of. Also composition theorists, but also work by scholars in other academic discourse communities, such as science or maths. These scholars in particular may help me to gain a better understanding of the broad spectrum of how people of differing social and economic status are affected when it comes to academic discourse.
What else could I do besides talk to people and read to acquire information or factness about this question? (Jolliffe 75)
Observation. Observing people in their comfort-zones of discourse (both talk and writing) could be important. How do people talk or write differently within their own communities outside the academic discourse community? Are there differences between the social/economic groups?
I could talk with Roger Moreano, Director of Intercultural Student Affairs - who works on a regular basis with students of differing social and economic status. Also, Kathy Rust, a coordinator for the Intercultural Studies Program, or Ann Frank Wake, a coordinator for the Intercultural Studies Program and Chair of the English department. Also Ron Wiginton who is well versed in writing as well as topics related to people of differing social and economic status. I would also like to talk with students who may have experiences with writing in academic discourse and how their social or economic status has benefited or hindered their education and access to the discourse community.
What could I read that would provide me with information that has factness about this question?
There are several areas I could turn to for reading on this topic. Newsletters or magazines related to issues of diversity might be particularly interesting to get a feel for the experience of the individuals I am most interested in understanding the experiences of. Also composition theorists, but also work by scholars in other academic discourse communities, such as science or maths. These scholars in particular may help me to gain a better understanding of the broad spectrum of how people of differing social and economic status are affected when it comes to academic discourse.
What else could I do besides talk to people and read to acquire information or factness about this question? (Jolliffe 75)
Observation. Observing people in their comfort-zones of discourse (both talk and writing) could be important. How do people talk or write differently within their own communities outside the academic discourse community? Are there differences between the social/economic groups?
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