Wow here we are at the end of the quarter and submitting our last blog of the quarter, and what does it get to be about except the good luck getting a job position that Robbins begins his article. When I began reading this article I was a little bothered by the way Robbins chose to position himself to start. It certainly expressed all the fears I have of not being able to get a job once I get out there and begin looking. So I was a little turned off from the beginning of the article.
I did like how Robbins spoke of Literature in relation to cultural studies. I was an American Studies major prior to changing to English Lit. I changed to English Lit because there really are no jobs in American Studies at the community college level so I had to think about what one thing we used in American Studies to study culture that I loved the most. That one thing was Literature. As Robbins says "Literature is social experience, and literature is also the dissolution or evasion or problematizing of social experience" (316). We used literature to look at the culture of the time in relation to the type of people that were written about and the time written about as well as the people who were doing the reading at the time. We also used Western Lit to look at the American West and regional literature to look at areas such as the Midwest during the pioneering times, etc. So there was always a strong tie between the two and I felt that was where I needed to head so that I can have a specialization.
I was also troubled by the assertion that Robbins made that Literature was losing its value in secondary schools and that many were discussing removing it from the curriculum. Had I not been exposed to literature in high school I probably would not have learned to appreciate it the same way that I do today. I know there are many people that take literature courses in high school and do not have the same reaction that I do but I just feel it is important that we expose our children to literature and let them make the decision for themselves whether they like it or not. I know as Robbins says we could never change the world but I hope to begin teaching and maybe my love of a subject will be contagious with my students. That I would get to have the privilege of helping students to learn about the classics or how to write an academic essay, whatever I get to teach I want students to know that I love what I do and I will hopefully have the opportunity to spread that enthusiasm to at least one student.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Translation Studies-Defined
I thought Translation studies was just about translating a text from one language to another. I had no idea that so much went into this process. Or that there was more to look at than the printed word.
When translating a text things such as the time period of original publication is very important. What was the culture of that time period like at the time? Did the author mean this word that could be translated in two different ways to mean this or that?
The fact that there is an entire theory surrounding the translation of texts is also a new concept to me. Things like equivalence (the varying concepts of adequacy, correspondence, fidelity, identity, or resemblance) and shifts brought on by the "structural differences between languages and the cultural differences between audiences" (296 297). All of these things have to be taken into account when translating texts.
It is something that is sounds like very detailed and time consuming work but to me very exciting as well.
When translating a text things such as the time period of original publication is very important. What was the culture of that time period like at the time? Did the author mean this word that could be translated in two different ways to mean this or that?
The fact that there is an entire theory surrounding the translation of texts is also a new concept to me. Things like equivalence (the varying concepts of adequacy, correspondence, fidelity, identity, or resemblance) and shifts brought on by the "structural differences between languages and the cultural differences between audiences" (296 297). All of these things have to be taken into account when translating texts.
It is something that is sounds like very detailed and time consuming work but to me very exciting as well.
Feminism and other studies-Cause and Effect
Feminism seems to be an area of study that is tied highly to emotions. Many women feel that they do not get a fair shake in life because they are women. The areas that Donadey and Lionnet touch on are areas that are convoluted by other problems. In other words the areas of feminism studies that they are speaking of are complicated by the fact that the women in question are both women and of color, or of an alternative life style or have disabilities.
In the section on "US Third World Feminisms" the discussion is about women of color and how now instead of just looking at the women of color within the United States there is a tendency towards "transnational perspectives" (227) which allows the study to include the original culture from which these women come from to form their sense of identity and thus to exert for their rights based on their cultural as well as their feminine perspectives.
In post colonial studies of feminism it appears that they find it important to study our past and the ways in which women have been discriminated against in order to not forget the past so that it will not repeat itself.
The study of feminists with disabilities is so much today like feminists of color studies used to be at one time, it is almost non-existent. It was good to read that their are efforts being made to make that different and to include this group in the feminist studies of the present day.
I personally am not a feminist. I believe that I am just as good at what I do as a lot of men, I feel that I work harder many times than my husband :-) but never once have I felt discriminated against. In the way I have felt discriminated in, whether it be in a career or when I was trying out for parts in plays in college or whatever I have done in my life, it was more about my weight. So am I being discriminated against because I am overweight or because I am an overweight female? Are women of color discriminated against because they are of color or because they are also women? I sometimes think that in our society today women are held on a much more even plane with male counterparts unless there is an "other" issue besides being a female. Whatever that "other" may be from sexual lifestyle to the size of clothes you wear. I am not sure which brings it about more. Again this is just the perspective from my experience.
In the section on "US Third World Feminisms" the discussion is about women of color and how now instead of just looking at the women of color within the United States there is a tendency towards "transnational perspectives" (227) which allows the study to include the original culture from which these women come from to form their sense of identity and thus to exert for their rights based on their cultural as well as their feminine perspectives.
In post colonial studies of feminism it appears that they find it important to study our past and the ways in which women have been discriminated against in order to not forget the past so that it will not repeat itself.
The study of feminists with disabilities is so much today like feminists of color studies used to be at one time, it is almost non-existent. It was good to read that their are efforts being made to make that different and to include this group in the feminist studies of the present day.
I personally am not a feminist. I believe that I am just as good at what I do as a lot of men, I feel that I work harder many times than my husband :-) but never once have I felt discriminated against. In the way I have felt discriminated in, whether it be in a career or when I was trying out for parts in plays in college or whatever I have done in my life, it was more about my weight. So am I being discriminated against because I am overweight or because I am an overweight female? Are women of color discriminated against because they are of color or because they are also women? I sometimes think that in our society today women are held on a much more even plane with male counterparts unless there is an "other" issue besides being a female. Whatever that "other" may be from sexual lifestyle to the size of clothes you wear. I am not sure which brings it about more. Again this is just the perspective from my experience.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Research-talking with others-Definition
It seemed obvious to me before beginning this course what research was and how to do it. Hadn't I done so much of it already in my undergraduate career? Well I guess I can say a resounding NO! I have to admit when I read Mann's book I think "Oh yeah I knew that", however had I used it or perfected it? Again a resounding NO! I learned a lot in American Studies about things called Oral Histories. It is very similar to what Mann is talking about when he discusses talking to others who are experts in their fields. The only difference is that Oral Histories are usually dealing with some major event and then interviewing a person who experienced it, like a survivor of 9/11. But Mann is suggesting to call someone who is an expert in or for whatever reason my have the information you are looking for or have answers to the questions you are asking. I have to admit I am one of those who would be in the category of being afraid to bother someone. I guess it would be a good exercise in getting outside of my box:-)
TSIS Past/Future
In the past academic writing has been held to some pretty strict standards. Today as I am learning in my 612 course Composition as a field is opening up to dialects being allowed more often. That as a whole the field of Composition is changing and growing is a wonderful thing. I think there are still some old school profs out there who will not ever change their way of thinking but we can hope.
I love how Graff and Birkenstein have positioned this article. They articulate exactly what I have been trying to all quarter. There needs to be some standards, but that a student should be welcome to bring in words or phrases that express who they are as a person. I love the way they have posed this, it is so clear and concise. I hope that as we progress further into the future that more and more composition teachers will be on board with this.
I love how Graff and Birkenstein have positioned this article. They articulate exactly what I have been trying to all quarter. There needs to be some standards, but that a student should be welcome to bring in words or phrases that express who they are as a person. I love the way they have posed this, it is so clear and concise. I hope that as we progress further into the future that more and more composition teachers will be on board with this.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Comparative Literature-Fenus/Species
Comparative Literature has always been a field of interest to me. I have however mostly been exposed to the World Literature side of the discipline. I was amazed at the history of this discipline and the many areas in which Comparative Literature encompasses.
I did not think it would be difficult to find a Department of Comparative Literature in Universities. It appears according to Holquist that it is not easy to find such departments without them being embedded in other departments. I wanted to see how correct he is. I googled Comparative Lit. departments in California Universities, I found a total of 13 California Public Universities that offer some type of Comparative Literature curriculum. Some of these departments are with English Departments, some are by themselves or united with studies in Foreign languages.
I was also surprised and a little saddened to find that throughout the years classes dealing with Comparative Germanic Literature's and others have ended up in things like German Studies. The sad part of that statement is that many of those literature's are no longer taught in their original languages that they are taught in translation. One of the reasons I am looking forward to the French course for Grad Students is I would love to read a French Novel in French.
I did not think it would be difficult to find a Department of Comparative Literature in Universities. It appears according to Holquist that it is not easy to find such departments without them being embedded in other departments. I wanted to see how correct he is. I googled Comparative Lit. departments in California Universities, I found a total of 13 California Public Universities that offer some type of Comparative Literature curriculum. Some of these departments are with English Departments, some are by themselves or united with studies in Foreign languages.
I was also surprised and a little saddened to find that throughout the years classes dealing with Comparative Germanic Literature's and others have ended up in things like German Studies. The sad part of that statement is that many of those literature's are no longer taught in their original languages that they are taught in translation. One of the reasons I am looking forward to the French course for Grad Students is I would love to read a French Novel in French.
"As A Result"-Whole/Parts
This reading in TSIS is one of the areas that I need some fine tuning. Transitions in my papers either get the comments good or weak, need to strengthen. What I was not consciously aware of is that there are many different ways to transition and that there are actual names for these transitions. I mean I have always known that there were many ways to transition I just did not know the names of the different types.
Transition words is something that is obvious to me, however I thought that was basically it. While I use pointing words I did not know there was anything called such. Repeating key term and phrases, I really thought this was not a good thing, but apparently I am wrong. I love to use the repeating myself in different words. I try not to overuse any of these techniques, but learning the happy medium is sometimes a challenge.
Transition words is something that is obvious to me, however I thought that was basically it. While I use pointing words I did not know there was anything called such. Repeating key term and phrases, I really thought this was not a good thing, but apparently I am wrong. I love to use the repeating myself in different words. I try not to overuse any of these techniques, but learning the happy medium is sometimes a challenge.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Cultural Studies-Contradictions
Jean Franco wrote about Cultural Studies by discussing what was not good about it. I have to premise my Blog by stating that I have both a BA and an MA in American Studies, which is the study of culture through History, Literature, Sociology, and Political Science. In studying American Studies I took classes that dealt with almost every ethnicity in the United States, I had classes that dealt with different movements in America from the time of the revolution to present. I would agree with Franco quoting Toby Miller who sees "cultural studies as a tendency across disciplines, rather than a discipline itself" (209). I do not think that is a negative statement. There is no way to study a culture as diverse as America without needing to cross disciplines in order to study it.
The criticism from Paul Smith of the "propensity of cultural studies to avoid offering up any especially firm definition or methodology suggestive view of what culture really is" tells me that he really does not understand cultural studies (210). How can any culture define itself in one way unless it is isolated. American culture has been developed by the people who have immigrated to this country since the time of its founding to this day. It is a fluid concept, it is developing every day. When I was studying American Studies we had a course on Television in America, the Internet was just beginning to become important in our culture; it was not something we studied at the time, but it is now. America is very different post 9-11 than it was pre 9-11; that is now something that is studied in American Studies that was not when I was taking courses in this subject. To me that is what makes it so interesting.
There seems to be a downward turn in American Studies, as is probably happening in many other cultural studies as is referred to in Franco's article. I found this to be true when I wanted to teach at a Community College and they were not sure where to put my application. They did not think it fit into history, maybe in humanity studies, or maybe literature. So that is why I am here. I found it necessary to get a more specialized degree. I believe that in studying English Composition and Literature that my background in American Studies will benefit me in my studies of English and in my teaching down the road. It was also one of my favorite parts of American Studies. I do not think that we need to do away with a field however, just because there is not a tidy definition of itself. Each individual culture that is present in American culture will define itself according to its ethnicity while at the same time defining them self as an American that is not a contradiction, but believing that there needs to be tight definition of culture is a contradiction to what culture is.
The criticism from Paul Smith of the "propensity of cultural studies to avoid offering up any especially firm definition or methodology suggestive view of what culture really is" tells me that he really does not understand cultural studies (210). How can any culture define itself in one way unless it is isolated. American culture has been developed by the people who have immigrated to this country since the time of its founding to this day. It is a fluid concept, it is developing every day. When I was studying American Studies we had a course on Television in America, the Internet was just beginning to become important in our culture; it was not something we studied at the time, but it is now. America is very different post 9-11 than it was pre 9-11; that is now something that is studied in American Studies that was not when I was taking courses in this subject. To me that is what makes it so interesting.
There seems to be a downward turn in American Studies, as is probably happening in many other cultural studies as is referred to in Franco's article. I found this to be true when I wanted to teach at a Community College and they were not sure where to put my application. They did not think it fit into history, maybe in humanity studies, or maybe literature. So that is why I am here. I found it necessary to get a more specialized degree. I believe that in studying English Composition and Literature that my background in American Studies will benefit me in my studies of English and in my teaching down the road. It was also one of my favorite parts of American Studies. I do not think that we need to do away with a field however, just because there is not a tidy definition of itself. Each individual culture that is present in American culture will define itself according to its ethnicity while at the same time defining them self as an American that is not a contradiction, but believing that there needs to be tight definition of culture is a contradiction to what culture is.
Naysayer-Subject/Adjuncts
Graff and Birkenstein talk in these chapters about inserting a naysayer into your writing. Basically trying to jump anyone to the punch who may not agree with what you have written or what your argument is. In this way it is possible to disarm some of the people who would disagree with you. They give us more templates to use in order to properly insert a naysayer. They also suggest that we let other arguments be known so that we as writers are saying that we are aware of the other arguments but that we still believe what we are writing, our argument, is the right argument. This is there main subject, however they warn us against the adjunct of this subject.
The adjunct of this subject is that there are those who will believe the counter-argument more than they will believe your argument. They give the example of Benjamin Franklin who converted to Deism because in reading arguments against Deism, he found himself believing the counter-argument more than the argument for. That is one thing we need to be careful of. Of course there are many counter-arguments that will be very influential so we as writers need to be careful of what we use as a counter-argument to our arguments.
The adjunct of this subject is that there are those who will believe the counter-argument more than they will believe your argument. They give the example of Benjamin Franklin who converted to Deism because in reading arguments against Deism, he found himself believing the counter-argument more than the argument for. That is one thing we need to be careful of. Of course there are many counter-arguments that will be very influential so we as writers need to be careful of what we use as a counter-argument to our arguments.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Language, Culture, and Society-Degree
In Doris Sommer’s article “Language, Culture and Society” we get an argument of whether it is better to be monolingual or bilingual and whether it is better to leave behind your first language and culture for one that you move to. I would like to look at this in relation to degrees.
In her article Sommer talks about W.E.B. DuBois’s complaints “against double consciousness” by refusing to “cure it by ‘bleaching’ his black soul” (14). I think this is the extreme degree of this argument. It is possible to be a part of the culture you live in while still holding onto your cultural identity. Sommer brings into her argument others who show that it is better to be bilingual than monolingual. She brings in several philosophers and theorists that show that being bilingual shows a persons ability to solve problems as greater than those who are monolingual. I personally am monolingual and find that those who are bilingual are not limited by their bilingualism as I am by my monolingualism. However Sommer points out that those who are bilingual do not always find it easier to communicate because they do not always know all of the “nuts and bolts” of one particular language. So it depends on the degree to which a person knows one particular language on their degree of communication. If someone knows all the nuts and bolts of English but also all the nuts and bolts of Spanish then they can communicate with most of the residents of San Diego for instance. Someone who lives in Montreal would be able to communicate with most of the residents of Canada if they know French thoroughly and English thoroughly.
I think that if I moved to a country other than the United States that I would absolutely need to learn what their standard language is whether it was Spanish or French or German in order to be successful in that country. So the degree to which I know Standard English would not be helpful to me if I moved to Italy. In order for me to be successful in Italy I would need to learn standard Italian. I would also need to learn the dialect of Italy depending on where I lived in Italy. Just as an Italian who moved to New York would need to learn Standard English as well as the dialect of English depending on whether they moved to Brooklyn or Manhattan, in order to be successful. I believe that I as an immigrant to Italy would need to assimilate to the culture of Italy that I moved to. I have a friend who moved to Milan to be a model. For her to be successful she needed to learn not only Standard Italian so that she could communicate with all Italians but she also has to learn the dialect of Italian spoken in Milan. She did this and became a successful ramp model as well as being used in Italian commercials in which she had to speak Standard Italian for these commercials so that they could be shown nationally. I guess this is the point that Sommer is making when she discusses Universalism.
It will not be possible in our world with the effects of globalization to return to a world where “England was English, German was German, France French, Spain Spanish” (3). Our world is global and each country is more diverse than it was, it is not possible to remain too monolingual any more and expect to be able to communicate with everyone in the country to the same degree that was once possible.
In her article Sommer talks about W.E.B. DuBois’s complaints “against double consciousness” by refusing to “cure it by ‘bleaching’ his black soul” (14). I think this is the extreme degree of this argument. It is possible to be a part of the culture you live in while still holding onto your cultural identity. Sommer brings into her argument others who show that it is better to be bilingual than monolingual. She brings in several philosophers and theorists that show that being bilingual shows a persons ability to solve problems as greater than those who are monolingual. I personally am monolingual and find that those who are bilingual are not limited by their bilingualism as I am by my monolingualism. However Sommer points out that those who are bilingual do not always find it easier to communicate because they do not always know all of the “nuts and bolts” of one particular language. So it depends on the degree to which a person knows one particular language on their degree of communication. If someone knows all the nuts and bolts of English but also all the nuts and bolts of Spanish then they can communicate with most of the residents of San Diego for instance. Someone who lives in Montreal would be able to communicate with most of the residents of Canada if they know French thoroughly and English thoroughly.
I think that if I moved to a country other than the United States that I would absolutely need to learn what their standard language is whether it was Spanish or French or German in order to be successful in that country. So the degree to which I know Standard English would not be helpful to me if I moved to Italy. In order for me to be successful in Italy I would need to learn standard Italian. I would also need to learn the dialect of Italy depending on where I lived in Italy. Just as an Italian who moved to New York would need to learn Standard English as well as the dialect of English depending on whether they moved to Brooklyn or Manhattan, in order to be successful. I believe that I as an immigrant to Italy would need to assimilate to the culture of Italy that I moved to. I have a friend who moved to Milan to be a model. For her to be successful she needed to learn not only Standard Italian so that she could communicate with all Italians but she also has to learn the dialect of Italian spoken in Milan. She did this and became a successful ramp model as well as being used in Italian commercials in which she had to speak Standard Italian for these commercials so that they could be shown nationally. I guess this is the point that Sommer is making when she discusses Universalism.
It will not be possible in our world with the effects of globalization to return to a world where “England was English, German was German, France French, Spain Spanish” (3). Our world is global and each country is more diverse than it was, it is not possible to remain too monolingual any more and expect to be able to communicate with everyone in the country to the same degree that was once possible.
Yes/No/Okay, But and Yet-Whole/Parts
I chose to use the Aristotelian topoi of Whole/Parts to write about the TSIS reading because I think that this is what they are saying. The whole of the argument is that we as writers need to identify what we are arguing, whether we agree, disagree or both. We as writers need to make our positions known by making sure that we use proper voice markers, which is to me the part of the whole of the argument that Graff and Birkenstein are making.
In the writings that I have done I have always tried to make clear what my position is whether it is to agree or to disagree. I think where I have failed at times is in making clear voice markers in my writing. I had heard for years not to use “I” in my works, however how I make sure readers know my position without using “I” or statements like “my belief is”, etc. I was really glad to see that Graff and Birkenstein agree with this process.
Their overall argument is that we need to make our positions known for our readers. How we go about that is making sure that we are clear on what our voice is and what the “other”, that we are writing to or about, what their voice is. Confusion comes into the readers mind when these demarcations are not made clearly.
In the writings that I have done I have always tried to make clear what my position is whether it is to agree or to disagree. I think where I have failed at times is in making clear voice markers in my writing. I had heard for years not to use “I” in my works, however how I make sure readers know my position without using “I” or statements like “my belief is”, etc. I was really glad to see that Graff and Birkenstein agree with this process.
Their overall argument is that we need to make our positions known for our readers. How we go about that is making sure that we are clear on what our voice is and what the “other”, that we are writing to or about, what their voice is. Confusion comes into the readers mind when these demarcations are not made clearly.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Textual Scholarship-Definition
To say that I was unaware of the fact that I ever thought that Textual Scholarship was "dry-as-dust" (143) was not even on the radar for me, because this field was not even on the radar for me I am embarrassed to say. I guess being fairly new to the scholarly study of English studies I never knew that texts are not always what the author of origin intended. I guess I am a bit naive to think that along the way people would change words in classical texts because someone thinks there is no way that author could have really meant what they wrote. I was very aware that authors would change parts of their texts because their readers felt that key issues in the text needed to be changed.
There were a few areas that really excited me were the fact that there is an "attempt to disentangle cases of literary collaboration in which a woman author's contribution may have been eclipsed or reshaped by the man's" (152). One of the examples that Marcus uses is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which is always overshadowed by how much did Percy Shelley really help because she wrote the novel at a time when women were finding it difficult to even get published.
The other area that really excited me is the book historian, I could really get into that. I love books and would love to look at the traditional aspects of book history like the descriptive ans analytic bibliography and about its publishing history as well as the history of the copyright. But the ideas of studying the theory part of it as it is set out by Foucault. I can see the importance of all of this in the great example that Marcus gives us of the Mayflower Bible, thought for years to be authentic only to find out that it really was not.
This is a field that was unknown to me until I read this chapter and it is just one more reason to love the field that I am studying.
There were a few areas that really excited me were the fact that there is an "attempt to disentangle cases of literary collaboration in which a woman author's contribution may have been eclipsed or reshaped by the man's" (152). One of the examples that Marcus uses is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which is always overshadowed by how much did Percy Shelley really help because she wrote the novel at a time when women were finding it difficult to even get published.
The other area that really excited me is the book historian, I could really get into that. I love books and would love to look at the traditional aspects of book history like the descriptive ans analytic bibliography and about its publishing history as well as the history of the copyright. But the ideas of studying the theory part of it as it is set out by Foucault. I can see the importance of all of this in the great example that Marcus gives us of the Mayflower Bible, thought for years to be authentic only to find out that it really was not.
This is a field that was unknown to me until I read this chapter and it is just one more reason to love the field that I am studying.
Browsing-Advantages and Disadvantages
Once again the book that should put me to sleep is just enlightening me so much. I guess in the past work I have done it has been easy to find information that I have needed on the Internet or else I have just been doing rotten research, which is possible. I was very surprised at how much could be missed by just doing a general browse on an on-line catalog. I have found myself doing a focused browse in the book stacks but I really did not know that was what I was doing, I was just looking. The advantages of book stack browsing when you have a focused browse seem to far out weigh the disadvantages of just having to physically go to the library to find what you are looking for.
I really like that Mann has included information on different search engines for journals. In his inclusion of these items he lets us know what the advantages and disadvantages to each is. He also makes it clear that we have to be careful with our subject heading searches, because not every database is going to include the same subject headings.
I am learning a lot from this book, not only resources but I am really learning a lot about how to research.
I really like that Mann has included information on different search engines for journals. In his inclusion of these items he lets us know what the advantages and disadvantages to each is. He also makes it clear that we have to be careful with our subject heading searches, because not every database is going to include the same subject headings.
I am learning a lot from this book, not only resources but I am really learning a lot about how to research.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Rhetoric-Cause and Effect
In Susan Jarratt's article about rhetoric she points out that quite often rhetoric is misunderstood because of the effect it has. Quite often rhetoric is seen just as Plato did in ancient times as the insubstantial or deceptive language covering over reality or substance (77). Instead of being seen as an "art" it is seen as something used to deceive people using fancy language to move forward an agenda.
Jarratt discusses the beginnings of rhetoric she mentions that the effect of rhetorical studies moving away from recitation to a more performance based genre was that it lost some of its credibility. Along with the effects of the rise of writing studies rhetoric in the Universities declined steadily in the 19th century. She also addresses the effect that the development of a separate speech communication department at many schools helped rhetorical studies decline even further.
Jarratt also addresses the positive effects that some of the leading theorists of the time had on rhetorical studies. People like Nietzsche, de Saussure, Derrida, Bakhtin and Foucault. All of these theorists were top theorists in their fields and they all studied rhetorical discourse or linguistics and their effects on their fields which in turn had a grand effect on the field of Rhetoric.
While rhetorical studies have had a great comeback in the 20th century, it is always a field in flux. It is also changing with the new public sphere element that has been introduced with the Internet. Just blogging on this blog has an effect on rhetoric that was not possible just 5 or 10 years ago.
Besides the cause and effect aspect of the article I also found the historical perspectives that Jarratt gave to be very helpful!
Jarratt discusses the beginnings of rhetoric she mentions that the effect of rhetorical studies moving away from recitation to a more performance based genre was that it lost some of its credibility. Along with the effects of the rise of writing studies rhetoric in the Universities declined steadily in the 19th century. She also addresses the effect that the development of a separate speech communication department at many schools helped rhetorical studies decline even further.
Jarratt also addresses the positive effects that some of the leading theorists of the time had on rhetorical studies. People like Nietzsche, de Saussure, Derrida, Bakhtin and Foucault. All of these theorists were top theorists in their fields and they all studied rhetorical discourse or linguistics and their effects on their fields which in turn had a grand effect on the field of Rhetoric.
While rhetorical studies have had a great comeback in the 20th century, it is always a field in flux. It is also changing with the new public sphere element that has been introduced with the Internet. Just blogging on this blog has an effect on rhetoric that was not possible just 5 or 10 years ago.
Besides the cause and effect aspect of the article I also found the historical perspectives that Jarratt gave to be very helpful!
Boolean Combinations-Subject/Adjuncts
In reading Mann's description of the Boolean combinations (the subject) it is easy to see why these combinations are so important to good research (the adjunct). In reading this chapter the first part felt very much like a math class, but that is just Mann giving us the technical information that we need to understand a little about Boolean combinations. I was reading about sets and subsets just like an algebra class. All of that information was the nuts and bolts of the subject of Boolean combinations.
The outcome after reading the entire chapter is to me the adjunct effect of the subject. I now know how to go about moving around in computer databases when doing research. I really did not know that there were so many things that I needed knowledge of in order to make my searches as affective as possible. I have learned about word combinations and headings as well as how to search certain time periods and publications regarding certain areas of geography. The information about word truncation and limiting types of publications to be searched, while it may seem like information everyone already knows, was new and very helpful to me.
I really appreciate that we are reading this "dry" book because I am learning so much that will help me along the way.
The outcome after reading the entire chapter is to me the adjunct effect of the subject. I now know how to go about moving around in computer databases when doing research. I really did not know that there were so many things that I needed knowledge of in order to make my searches as affective as possible. I have learned about word combinations and headings as well as how to search certain time periods and publications regarding certain areas of geography. The information about word truncation and limiting types of publications to be searched, while it may seem like information everyone already knows, was new and very helpful to me.
I really appreciate that we are reading this "dry" book because I am learning so much that will help me along the way.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Mann-Definition
Thomas Mann is writing a guide on how to do research. He introduces us to the concept of encyclopedias. As a student there have been many times that I have referenced an encyclopedia,especially prior to the advent of the Internet. Now with the Internet I personally have become a little lazy in my research techniques.
The specialized encyclopedia and dictionaries that Mann introduces here can be very helpful to me as a researcher. I am embarrassed to admit that I was not aware of the array of encyclopedias and dictionaries out there. The reference sites that Mann shares here for us to access to find out which encyclopedias or dictionaries to turn to can be very helpful as well.
Mann also demystifies the Library catalog. There are so many times that I am sure I have ended up with a general topic that could have been more specific for the lack of knowledge of how to search these catalogs. Also to find out that there is a Library of Congress Subject Heading reference is something that I can see will be invaluable.
Mann's reading while dry was quite the page turner for me, because I am being introduced to some things that I probably should have known about by now but did not.
The specialized encyclopedia and dictionaries that Mann introduces here can be very helpful to me as a researcher. I am embarrassed to admit that I was not aware of the array of encyclopedias and dictionaries out there. The reference sites that Mann shares here for us to access to find out which encyclopedias or dictionaries to turn to can be very helpful as well.
Mann also demystifies the Library catalog. There are so many times that I am sure I have ended up with a general topic that could have been more specific for the lack of knowledge of how to search these catalogs. Also to find out that there is a Library of Congress Subject Heading reference is something that I can see will be invaluable.
Mann's reading while dry was quite the page turner for me, because I am being introduced to some things that I probably should have known about by now but did not.
Graff-Whole/Parts
Graff and Birkenstein's overall text discusses the ways in which a writer must enter into a conversation with a "they" when they write in order to convey their own argument. It is their belief that an argument is more believable and credible if it is in response to the assertions or findings of some "other" person or group. To be engaged with another persons views while stating your own gives an academic paper a much better grounding than one in which the writer just states his or her own views.
The idea of writing in response to another persons argument that is different from your own, while not a new idea, is a good one to remember and hear more about. I like the example that Graff and Birkenstein give of the speaker they heard that went on and on about a topic that others agreed with but they had no idea why he went on and on as he did. It was not until the question and answer time that they found out who he was responding to. I believe this is an important aspect of writing an academic paper and one that I need to remember. I need to remember that it will be important for me to make sure that I do not just state my views and findings without first discussing the views of others that I disagree with.
Graff and Birkenstein offer suggestions as well on how to go about introducing my argument in response to another. When summarizing remember to make sure that the summary is fair and equitable to the person whom I am summarizing. While also remembering not to make it all about the summary of the other persons views. In other words I need to learn how to summarize another person's work while interjecting my voice and not losing my voice through summarizing. They also discuss the interweaving of the summary of the other viewpoint while also speaking to your own views. This seems obvious but how many times have I personally written a paper in which I have summarized too much and then stuck my views on at the bottom and not intertwined them in a coherent manner.
Now to the templates. I at first had the responses that Graff addressed in his introduction. Why do we need templates isn't this graduate school? Yet as I read about the templates and the way that Graff and Birkenstein discussed using them as guides and building on them to make them fit into what you are writing I could then see the merit to using them.
This little book seems to be big on information and I am willing to try some of the things that it suggests to improve my writing. I think that I have to try things that are suggested to see what works for me and take what I like out of it and use it.
The idea of writing in response to another persons argument that is different from your own, while not a new idea, is a good one to remember and hear more about. I like the example that Graff and Birkenstein give of the speaker they heard that went on and on about a topic that others agreed with but they had no idea why he went on and on as he did. It was not until the question and answer time that they found out who he was responding to. I believe this is an important aspect of writing an academic paper and one that I need to remember. I need to remember that it will be important for me to make sure that I do not just state my views and findings without first discussing the views of others that I disagree with.
Graff and Birkenstein offer suggestions as well on how to go about introducing my argument in response to another. When summarizing remember to make sure that the summary is fair and equitable to the person whom I am summarizing. While also remembering not to make it all about the summary of the other persons views. In other words I need to learn how to summarize another person's work while interjecting my voice and not losing my voice through summarizing. They also discuss the interweaving of the summary of the other viewpoint while also speaking to your own views. This seems obvious but how many times have I personally written a paper in which I have summarized too much and then stuck my views on at the bottom and not intertwined them in a coherent manner.
Now to the templates. I at first had the responses that Graff addressed in his introduction. Why do we need templates isn't this graduate school? Yet as I read about the templates and the way that Graff and Birkenstein discussed using them as guides and building on them to make them fit into what you are writing I could then see the merit to using them.
This little book seems to be big on information and I am willing to try some of the things that it suggests to improve my writing. I think that I have to try things that are suggested to see what works for me and take what I like out of it and use it.
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