April 27

For today’s assignment we read a few articles where each author gave their take on genres and rhetoric. The first of the articles was Ecology of Genre by Anis Bawarshi. He sees genre as very similar to that of an ecosystem. The idea that things keep regenerating and growing and evolving. Bawarshi writes, “...rhetorically maintains the social conditions within which we enact our roles and activities, and our roles and activities in turn reproduce the very conditions that make such roles and activities possible and meaningful.” Therefore, genre creates writing and writing creates genre. I think this is an important idea because by comparing genre to that of an ecosystem we can visualize a wheel where everything works together and influences each other. We can compare writing to an ecosystem and see the ways in which things evolve and constantly change as everything else around it does the same. Writing is slowly changing to serve new purposes just like things in nature. And as writing changes, so do the genres they fall into. He also compares gives an example of a doctor’s office, functioning as its own ecosystem. We recognize the genre, expectations are set and we act out our part accordingly. He states that we “...recognize a sociorhetorical environment as requiring a certain response and the way in which we actually rhetorically respond to, and act within, it.” We are shaped by the rhetorical situations surrounding us.

We then read, The Rhetorical Situation Of The Scientific Paper And The “Appearance” Of Objectivity by Matthew C. Allen. The author explores the idea of rhetoric being the center of scientific writing. The writing must make the writing seem objective while actually creating a rhetorically sound argument. From firsthand experience of writing scientifically, I have discovered that you can find ways to support nearly anything you want to prove. There are ways of cutting out things and only use what supports your findings when in actuality it is far from it. Scientific papers use preexisting proof to persuade. Allen states that there is a part of the report that is “designed to emphasize the relevance and necessity of the particular findings to preexisting scientific evidence.” He also goes on to say that there are certain ways in which scientific papers are layed out so that they are at maximum rhetorical capacity, such as with the IMRAD method of organization. I found that point very interesting because I have written in that style and never really thought about why. The fact that it is very rhetorical while still seeming objective is very important.

The final article we read was College Admissions Essays: A Genre Of Masculinity by Sarah-Kate Magee. This article explores gender differences in writing. The main point that jumped out at me was that there are differences in writing depending on genre and gender and different combinations of both. There are many qualifying factors for characteristics of certain writing. You have to consider genre, purpose, and gender. I think the most important aspect of this essay is the idea that gender differences may exist but they exist only in certain genres. College admissions essay is competitive writing where you want to showcase yourself and not necessarily others, therefore taking on a more masculine style of writing. As much as a enjoyed reading this particular article I have to comment that I am not completely sure that gender matters in writing and I am not convinced of its place in genre.

Genre

For today’s assignment we read Navigating Genres by Kerry Dirk. It is an essay about writing an essay and the exploration of genre. Dirk writes, “In other words, Bitzer is saying that when something new happens that requires a response, someone must create that first response. Then when that situation happens again, another person uses the first response as a basis for the second, and eventually everyone who encounters this situation is basing his/her response on the previous ones, resulting in the creation of a new genre.” This is a very interesting assessment of how new genres are developed and created. She goes on to say, “...genres are now viewed as even more than repeating rhetorical situations.” A good way to think of this is that genre has developed not only as a shortcut to repeating situations but has evolved into a way to serve a purpose or fulfill a goal by persuading people through writing. This is exemplified in Dirk’s examples, “knowing what a genre is used for can help people to accomplish goals, whether that goal be getting a job by knowing how to write a stellar resume, winning a person’s heart by writing a romantic love letter, or getting into college by writing an effective personal statement.”

We also read Teaching Critical Genre Awareness by Amy Devitt, which is much more complicated and written for other scholars. In the beginning Devitt writes, “The first and most important genre pedagogy, then, is the teacher’s genre awareness: the teacher being conscious of the genre decisions he or she makes and what those decisions will teach students.” Whereas Dirk wrote primarily about how to understand genre and make it work for your purpose, Devitt writes primarily about the methods and practice of teaching genre. Devitt talks about ways to take theories and classify new genres in a way that helps you to understand further genres. Devitt also stresses the rhetorical importance of genre, that we use specific genres to serve our writings purpose most appropriately so that the best outcome comes from our writing.

These articles have helped me to weed out the many different thoughts I had about genre. I have begun to have a better, well-rounded understanding of genre and its purpose for existence. By reading these articles I understand two different viewpoints, one from more of a student’s perspective and one from more a scholarly perspective. I understand now what is going through the mind’s of those who teach these concepts and how students can put them into practice and utilize them most efficiently.

Community

I thought an important point that Johns makes is the difference between discourse communities and communities in practice. Johns writes, “In the term discourse communities, the focus is on texts and language, the genres and lexis that enable members throughout the world to maintain their goals, regulate their membership, and communicate efficiently with one another.” She goes on to write, “The term communities of practice refers to genres and lexis, but especially to many practices and values that hold communities together or separate them from one another.” I think that Johns is trying to emphasize the fact that the way one learns the language of their field is through socialization. It is learned through fully immersing oneself in the culture.

I also found the part about the different levels of discourse and their importance in someone’s life. It can be something that is part of everything you do or something you belong to and participate in but not as frequently. As Johns states, “They are, instead, representative of the values, needs and practices of the community that produces them.”
Another interesting point she makes is the sacrifices you have to make when entering into new discourses. Sometimes you have to give up where you came from and change many of your opinions and beliefs which can be challenging to confront.

Johns is challenging the way discourse communities function. I think that she does not completely reject discourses but is raising questions and thoughtful discussion about why these communities seem to be static and resistant to change. I really liked Johns perspective and they way she presented the information. She brought up great points and equally emphasized both sides of the argument and gave room for you to develop your own thoughts and opinions on the ideas of community.

Harris takes a more cynical approach towards the idea of community. He sees a lot of issues with “community”. He does not see it as a completely positive and mentions that there is no negative opposite to community. I think that Harris sees community as something that holds people back and places limits. Communities cause too much conformity and compromises on the work of individuals. Harris feels that we need to incorporate more disciplines together and create something that is less limiting.

While not completely rejecting community, he does propose the idea that there may better ways of doing things.

Writing in Psychology Links

http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/pro/writing.aspx

http://pdfserve.informaworld.com/572875__932764632.pdf

Engineering Discourse

After reading Writing about Writing by Elizabeth Wardle, I think one of the most important aspects of the readings was Wenger’s theories about identity within the workplace. Wenger proposes three models: engagement, imagination and alignment. Engagement is the idea of having a common experience and meaningful relationships in the workplace. Imagination is the idea that within the larger structure of the workplace you can create your own work while still contributing to the group. Finally, Alignment is the incorporation of both engagement and imagination to be successful and create an individual identity in a workplace.

I thought this passage was important because in my opinion it is a very accurate description of the socialization going on in the workplace. Wardle’s writing relates to the idea of discourse communities because she points out the ways we learn the language in the workplace. For me discourse is acquired through socialization and I think that is the point she is trying to make. This article suggests to me that learning to write in my profession will be largely dictated in the workplace. It suggests that although you learn important things in your educational training, much of what you need to know to be successful in the workplace will be learned in the workplace.

The Johnson, Clark, and Burton article is writing from a students perspective. It is a conversation about students learning how to write in different disciplines so as to help each other. The Windsor article is approached differently as a factual account of how engineers write. She talks about how engineering is typically regarded as a very tangible field and how there is usually difficulty within the community to put observations into words. However they are both talking about how discourse is acquired within the engineering discipline.

Discourse

Today’s reading assignment really stressed the importance of the type of language used in certain writing, also know as jargon. Boyd defines, “Jargon is the terminology used by those in a particular profession or group to facilitate clear and precise communication, but this rhetorical tool is not limited just to the professional world.” We use a different lingo for nearly everything we do. There is fashion jargon, sports jargon, even different slang you use with certain friends. This article emphasized the importance of using the correct vocabulary for the type of writing you are doing. The article showed examples of difficulties you can encounter when you are trying to write with the wrong language. Personally, I thought the activities the author had her class do to point out these differences was very interesting. It was something that I have never previously thought about.

Gee’s article is also emphasizing the importance of language as well, most importantly used in Discourse. Discourse is the action of debating or talking about a particular subject. Gee is addressing the idea that there are different appropriate ways to talk in particular situations. It builds off of Boyd’s point of jargon, but stresses the importance or power of the situation. Gee gives a great example in the situation of being out with a friend. You would not use proper grammar but instead slang. That is important to remember in professional settings and vice-versa. I think Dicourses can be difficult to join if you don’t have the proper language or background in the particular area. I also think that Discourse is the opportunity to learn so the language has the potential to be obtained.

Reinventing the Resumé

Peagler and Yancey write, “We moved away from the prescriptive notion of genre, so common to students, one where a genre is a document whose slots need only to be filled, primarily because it is not dynamic but static, and where the author is merely someone who inputs information. Rather, the resumé, as a genre, invites the author to make conscious, rhetorical choices, to question the nature of the genre, and to become an active participant in the social construction of the document.”

I think this passage is very important. I have always sort of rebelled against traditional conventions so the idea that we are trying to recreate what is already established. If something does not work the way that it currently is why not change it? Resumé’s have the tendency to be very standard, lack personality and sometimes do not effectively communicate what is needed.

I took that attitude about the current state of resumés and created mine. At some point in high school I fell victim to the template, boring resumé so this was a fun assignment. I tried to keep it streamlined, it only contained pertinent information and I also tried to include some of my personality and personal taste.

Document Design and Formatting

What I found to be most important in Beyond Black on White: Document Design and Formatting in the Writing Classroom by Michael J. Klein and Kristi L. Shackelford was incorporating interesting elements into the design of the document you are producing while still staying within the constructs of the style laid before you. Including images and differing fonts and contrast can make the document more appealing and eye-catching, but it is important to consider the rules of the past. MLA and APA among others, have very specific style guidelines that you must abide by when submitting documents. That seems as though it might present a problem when trying to implement design into a piece where there is no precedent in the aforementioned style guides.
Klein and Shackelford emphasize the idea of including images and appropriate fonts as an important aspect of good writing whereas Williams takes a much more extreme approach. I believe that what Williams is trying to do is change the way we look at and think about design. She is attempting to teach us to be daring, bold and creative while still adhering to the principles of good design and layout. I think that they both are making the point that design is essential in writing but I somewhat disagree that it needs to be an important factor in ALL writing. Academic writing is an area where I feel it is unnecessary to create appealing visuals. It distracts from the main focus which should be the writing. I do feel that infographics and pertinent images can be included but minimally.
Being a student I feel that educators expect a very basic style of writing design and evaluate your work differently if you attempt to step out of the box. The rhetorical effect of MLA style formatting is that it shows and/or proves that you have found reputable information to back up the point you are trying to make. Each word you choose and the placement impacts the audience’s feelings about the piece.

My LinkedIn

You can access my LinkedIn profile through this link!

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kasey-daniel/31/810/1ba

Principles of Good Design

For our most recent assignment we read several chapters of Robin William’s The Non-Designer's Design Book. I learned about the four basic principles of design: contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity. The book discussed many elements of design and used visual representations as examples for the terms the author was discussing. That was really helpful for me because I am not a design major and very rarely work with print materials. Without looking at the book the most important part that sticks in my mind is to find a strong line and work with it. Williams states, “Nothing should be placed on the page arbitrarily. Every item should have a visual connection with something else on the page” (33). Alignment and spacing of a document usually really stands out to me and is extremely distracting when done wrong, so this aspect really speaks to me. Williams gives examples and tools to use when laying out a document, such as resume to make sure things flow and are visually cohesive.

I think that good, clear structure is important in making the document look professional. Many times a persons first impression of you is a website or resume. If those things are disorganized and structurally confusing you come off looking amateur and unfocused.

Another important aspect is contrast, which can help in a good layout. It helps to separate important sections and draw a clear line between which things belong together. Williams looks at it this way, “If two items are not exactly the same, then make them different. Really different” (65).

I am a psychology major and I aspire to one day be a clinical mental health counselor. Design is important to my profession because it is helpful in making things cohesive, concise and clear. A lot of what I currently read and write are research materials and psychological research studies. These documents follow a very specific layout and is typically the same across all of the different journals. It is important to understand design to formulate your own articles and follow the same pattern of organization.