... in order to not forget a thought ...
I think, at this moment, that academic discourse is a joke. All it really does is reinforce boundaries between "educated" and "uneducated", but only in terms of those who are educated or uneducated in certain ways - ie "book smart". I think having all of these audiences and means of discourse just complicate writing further and keep our society separated.
I could go on, and probably contradict my own view... but I'll wait.
Any thoughts?
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4 comments:
I agree, mostly. The thing is, education itself isn't really what it seems to be. What I mean by that is like you said, education and the discourse that follows it is only measurable in terms of 'book smarts'. In reality, it has nothing to do with the many connected levels of who is educated and who isn't. The only thing it really seems to be, is a good way to measure who works hard and who doesn't divided by literal academic capabilities.
Yes, Susan. I think Academic Discourse is a joke inasmuch as it is not so much sincere exploration of knowledge, but more so an exclusionary tool, designed to keep out those who "do not belong." It's human nature to protect out own Ivory Towers (when we read "Diving In..." the author has some cool metaphors). Scholars (usually) are not interested in collaboratively creating knowledge; they just want to protect their positions--and they do it with words. So that only a cretain population can access, engage, andhave even the possibility of refuting their precious ideas.
No! But what I meant to say is that Academic Discourse is like a spinning, radiant wall of words (like a force-field of words)protecting the treasure inside; only those who can understand and respond with the same words concepts and commonplaces have access to the treasure.
Okay, honestly. What's with all the metaphors? I cannot control it. Katie started it! Is this going to be one of the key components of our (401's) discourse community language? Mataphors? (I like it)
Here's another one I just thought of as i was going to push the "Publish your comment" button. Okay, I was reading how in non-western (eastern) thought, knowledge and wisdom is imparted encryptically (not a word, I'm sure), like a parable or a riddle, hidden from the common folk, accessable only to those who (deservingly) spend the time to crack the nut's shell and get the meaning inside. In out linear, western thinking, we usually impart knowledge and wisdom directly--instantly gratifying--and spurn any effort to get there. You tell me exactly what you mean! Poets, however, from both eastern and western thought traditions understand the value of hiding your meaning in a cocoon or idiosyncratic language.
I think Academic Discourse, then, can be seen as a mode of encryption, like a poem (but not exactly, of course); it makes certain knowledge accessible to certain people--those who will spend the time to crack it-- to negotiate their way into Academic Discourse. (this was supposed to be just a short holla)
Yes, Ian's right: academic discourse is SUPPOSED to be cryptic and riddle-like! Composition research as Zen koan. . . David Bartholomae as Zen master. . . and you are student, Grasshopper, Karate Kid (to mix my pop culture references).
Seriously, though, academic discourse does serve a gatekeeping function in colleges and universities. Susan's right about that, and it's no joke. That fact has real consequences for people outside the gates who do not have access to this privileged discourse community of experts.
I guess my question is, "So what?" Do we throw out the baby with the bathwater? (Another hackneyed metaphor.) Do we simply declare that any discourse is just as good as any other? We're all equal here. Except, of course, for the fact that I assign grades. Which, as some of you have pointed out, is a form of power that has "real" consequences in the "real" world.
And, of course, those "scare quotes" really mean that you and I know that "reality" is socially constructed. (Susan uses quotes to mark "educated" and "uneducated" the same way.) The consequences of grades are "real" to the extent that we collectively decide they are. And perhaps we consent to the value of grades to the extent that we, as contestants in a competitive society, agree that ranking, grading, and judging are the best ways to motivate individuals to excel.
Again, so what? So, you've spent years and big bucks acquiring an education that you may suddenly see as a joke. You realize that your level of education may serve to justify and reinforce existing social boundaries. What do you do with that?
I'd like to think that there's some option other than cynicism, so I'll leave you with a link to a student's reflections:
http://www.hampshire.edu/cms/index.php?id=5479
I can see your point and I noted in one of my blogs that I disliked some of the terms that were used by the authors. I think that if you want to look at the positive side of academic discourse you can remember the example in one of the earlier readings where people were encouraged to interact with the community. Sure part of the interaction was research but in the YMCA example the students also worked to help "struggling" writers. To some degree the tutoring is helping writers less experienced in academic discourse become more familiar with it. Maybe a goal for our class (or the next class) could be to find/develop ways to take academic discourse and make it less restrictive.
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