Devitt Reading Response

Before you Read

3. The last time I was at the doctor I did think about the purpose of my medical history form. There were a few words I had trouble with and I didn't know the meaning of. I had to ask what the words meant.

Summary

In the article, "Materiality and Genre in the Study of Discourse Communities," Devitt and others write about genre and ethnography. She uses the example if lawyers to explain language genre. Lawyers can use big words that the jury does not know/understand to make them believe the defendant is guilty. She explains the other types of genres also. The genre aspect comes down to learning about your own discourse community. She is writing to students learning about genres and discourse communities.

Synthesis

Devitt relates to Porter, Glenn, and Wardle. She relates to Porter because he mainly describes discourse communities and how they connect as she does with genres. She relates to Glenn because Glenn's doublespeak relates to Devitt's lawyer language genre example. They are both tricking people. She lastly relates to Wardle because he discussed both discourse and language, just as she did.

Dialectical Notebook

Response	Quotation
This makes me think about what genre is and ask myself if it has changed.	“During the last half-century, genre theory has been recognized by literary and rhetorical theorists as, among other things, ‘sites of social and ideological action’ as parts of all social environments” (98).
We must understand the language on the ballot first, then vote.	“Ballots are created by politicians but are completed by citizens” (99).
The language is put this ways so the “members” have the upper hand.	“Written by lawyers, the language of jury instructions assumes that the jurors will, like the lawyers, know what is important and know what to do, that the genre will enable nonmembers to behave as members would” (102).
I like this example. The doctor/nurse talk makes sense to me and explains the genre.	“This genre assumes that body and mind are separate and also helps to perpetuate this belief” (105).
Ethnography explains many things about genre in this reading.	“The second goal, learning about genres and fostering genre awareness, is also accomplished through the use of ethnography” (108).

MM

 I think both play a big factor on learning about discourse communities. I have learned a lot of helpful things from scholars throughout our readings, but I also agree that ethnography is a good thing to look into while trying to learn/understand discourse communities. 

Thoughts

I thought this article was a little boring and dry. I did like that she brought in three other authors to help explain genres. I really liked the example of the layer and politician language because I understood that. Her examples were good, but the material was boring in my eyes.

Wardle Reading Response

Before you Read

I can't think of any phrases off the top of my head, but I know I'm in different discourse communities, and I know I'm around new people. I do act a little different and even dress a little different than I did in high school.

Summary

In her article, "Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces," Wardle talks about why we have to change certain things to be accepted and to function in discourses. She explains that to be involved in some discourses you have to act, dress, or behave like the others to feel like your part of the group. She uses examples to help explain this. She is writing to people going into new discourses.

Synthesis

Wardle's article relates to Porter, Swales, and Gee. Porter talks about discourse communities and why they are important. Wardle explains how discourse and its members function. This relates to Swales because he defines discourse in his 6 rules/guidelines. Gee talks about the individual in a discourse, along with what a discourse is. 

Dialectical Notebook

Response	Quotation
This kind of explains any discourse community, because it can go along with any discourse community.	“Learning to write in and for new situations and workplaces is complex in ways that go far beyond texts and cognitive abilities” (521).
This also goes with any discourse community. It explains why individuals change.	“As writers shape and change genres, the power of those genres also shapes and enables writers’ identities (Bawarshi 97)” (524).
Discourse communities can be happy or not happy with you.	“He was immediately ascribed authority and respect due to his assumed technical expertise in a place where such expertise was rare” (528).
The members of the discourse community would not change for him, he had to change.	“Members of the department were similarly unwilling to change their view of what they found acceptable in the email” (530).
In this case the new person did not want to change.	“Alan might have viewed changing his writing habits as an admission that he did not play the role he imagined for himself within the department” (531).

Question

QD 4. I agree, most people, most of the time do not think when the talk. This means its not concision. When people hear others saying words or phrases they usually pick up on them and say them too.

Thoughts

 I agreed with most of this article. I agree that you somewhat have to be accepted into a discourse. I also agree that yourself changes while your in that discourse and around certain people. I also agree that this has its good parts and its bad.

Compare and Contrast Swales and Gee

     Swales and Gee both have ideas on the same subject, discourse communities. Both authors have their own 'rules' or 'guidelines' on the subject and about what defines a community. Both agree that you have to be accepted into your community. They also both agree that sponsors teach you your literacies.

     Swales and Gee have different ideas about the characteristics that define a discourse. Swales believes you can have many discourses. Gee believes you have one primary discourse, that changes, and several secondary discourses. Swales says you can go back to any literacy you have learned, but Gee disagrees. He says once you have learned a literacy it is with you always, never going back to that level. Gee believes the way you act, speak, and dress matter in a discourse community, and Swales does not put that into factor with his  guidelines. 

Gee Reading Response

Before you Read

1. Mushfake - "prison slang for items owned by an inmate that may be legal to buy, but were constructed or obtained through illegal means, hence they are contraband" -Urban Dictionary 
  
A term sparsely defined on the Internet, mushfake is a synonym for “faking it” used in a few different scenarios. -literacy-society2.wikispaces.com/Mushfake

Summary

In his article, "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics," Gee explains what his characteristics of a Discourse are. He tells the reader about primary discourses and secondary discourses. You can only have one primary discourse at a time, but a secondary discourse can turn into your primary discourse. He explains how behavior plays a role in your discourse. He is writing to those learning about discourses.  

Synthesis

Gee's article relates to Porter, McCloud, and Swales. It relates to Porter because both authors mainly focus on discourse communities and the importance of knowing what they are. Gee relates to McCloud because McCloud talks of a mask, hiding your emotions, and Gee explains that you sometimes have to do this in a discourse community to be accepted, especially ass a journalist in temporary discourses. Gee obviously relates to Swales because they both tell their definition of a (D)discourse and the characteristics of one.

Dialectical Notebook

Response	Quotation
I agree, language’s definition in the public should be modified.	“’Language’ is a misleading term; it too often suggests ‘grammar’” (483).
I like this example, it helps me understand!	“ A Discourse is a sort of ‘identity kit’ which comes complete with the appropriate costume and instructions on how to act, talk, and often write, so as to take a particular role that other will recognize” (484).
This is very true. Also, all of these things connect and rely on each other.	“Primary Discourses differ significantly across various social (cultural, ethnic, regional, and economic) groups in the United States” (485).
I like this, but agree more needs to be done to make it happen.	“Now, one can certainly encourage students to simply ‘resist’ such ‘superficial features of language’” (488).
Everything has a message, or meaning behind it. But language especially does.	“Notice, then, how the vary form of structure and language, and the linguistics devices used, carry an ideological message” (493).

MM

Gee's knowledge helps explain why outsiders do not understand certain discourses. The idea of the mask McCloud talks about goes greatly with this because one person may know someone in high school one way and then see them with his/her family being a completely different person.

Thoughts

I liked this article more than Swales. Gee's 'rules' for a discourse are more relevant in my eyes. I agree with him that you have to act, dress, and talk a certain way to be in some discourses. I would mix his and Swales' ideas for defining a discourse.

Swales Reading Response

Before you Read

2. I once felt "out of place" when I first went to high school. It was a big and hard transition for me. I felt that way because I didn't know where anything was, and I was one of the youngest people there.

Summary

 In his article, "The Concept of Discourse Community," Swales explains different discourse communities and the six characteristics of a discourse community. He says that there needs to be clarification on discourse communities. He gives examples of discourse communities and tells why they are different. He is writing to the people in these communities and the people learning about them. 

Synthesis

 This article relates extremely with Porter because they both speak of discourse communities and go into detail with them. This article also relates to Allen because she also discusses discourse communities along with the inspired writer. A third comparison is Glenn, because they both show the consequences discourse communities can put on the public eye.

Questions

QD 5. Ohio University. 

Goal - college education/experience and teaching

Intercommunication - website, staff offices, personal

Genres - different majors

Feedback - can talk to staff, students, future students

Lexis - (I don't really know what this is but..) almost all of us speak English and we all acquire the same new words learned in our classes

Members - we are all enrolled or work here

QD 6. I can't think of a time when I've done that, but I know that it would make that person feel out of the group and maybe other members of that group would shun them.

Thoughts

I thought the article was a bit boring. I did like that he explained that there are six characteristics of discourse communities. I liked that he gave examples, because that helped me relate. He also told the differences of the communities; that helped me understand better.

 

Pollan Reading Response

Summary

Pollan's article, "Farmer in Chief", he explains that the food system has a problem. He tells us all the problems dealing with food companies. Everyone wants a profit. They way to make a profit might be unsuitable, but there has to be a profit. He explains that food is a commodity. He is writing to his readers and Obama. He explains how these problems can be solved.

Synthesis

Pollan's article relates to Glenn and Baron. He relates to Glenn because she also points out a huge problem with food companies. Pollan's problem is food and profit. He relates to Baron because introduces solutions to his problem with the food system. Baron talks about technologies and how they help, just as porter proposed.

Dialectical Notebook

Response	Quotation
I agree that this is important. I want to eat real, sun grown food.	“This state of affairs appears all the more absurd when you recall that every calorie we eat is untimely the product of photosynthesis – a process based on making food energy from sunshine” (3).
The government only wants high production and profit. Not good.	“Today most government and food programs are designed to prop up the old system of maximizing production from a handful of subsidized commodity crops grown in monocultures” (6).
This is a great thing! The U.S.D.A is doing its job.	“The era of cheap, oil-based food is drawing to a close” (6).
That’s crazy! We need to eat grain too!	“The final point to consider is that 40% of the world’s grain output today is fed to animals” (7).
This is good, we need our farmers back! We need real food, not processed.	“The sun-food agenda must include programs to train a new generation of farmers and then help put them on the land” (8).

Thoughts

I liked the information in this article. I like learning about these types of things. I thought it was a little odd that it was written to/about Obama. It could just be a letter to all American food companies and still have the same impact.