Discourse

Initial post Questions this Week: 1. James Gee writes in a dry and academic style. Who do you think is Gee's intended audience? How do you think that helped shape his writing style? Why is it always important to take your intended audience into consideration when writing a piece? 2. James Gee explains that it's not just what you say that matters but how you say it.What exactly does he mean by this? For example, he says you can be an expert in physics, but that doesn't necessarily make you a physicist. Why not? 3. What, according to James Gee is the primary Discourse? What are secondary Discourses? Also, what are dominant Discourses according to Gee and what are non dominant Discourses? Why, as Gee puts it, can the primary Discourse never be liberating? (think about Malcolm X finally feeling free) 4. (Everyone Contributes to this answer) Gee points out that societies, groups, and fields create social gates to make sure the "right people" get to the "right places." Social gates are social tests to determine who belongs in the group and who does not. For example, slang can be really intricate and detailed and remarkably different from block to block or even street to street. If an outsider comes into the area, and they use the wrong slang or they say it in the wrong way, people know they are an outsider. Gee points out that one of the most common social gates is grammar, particularly when it comes to determining who gets a job, who doesn't, who gets promoted, who gets a loan, etc. Grammar ability has nothing to do with intelligence. However, think about when someone speaks or writes with poor grammar: what are the first things you associate with poor grammar? What are the first thoughts that come into your mind when you hear it? Why do you think grammar is such an effective social gate?Also, do you agree with Gee's point about social gates, or do you think he is exaggerating the gate's effectiveness? 5. Why do different discourses we apprentice in inevitably clash with each other? For example, why might the discourse of being a mother/father clash with a career discourse? How might your peer group discourse (friends) clash with your professional discourse? 6. What is mushfake discourse according to Gee? He also describes it as an act of resistance within a discourse, How is using mushfake an act of resistance within a Discourse? He also explains mushfake is key to eventually creating change with a Discourse community and with creating cultural change: how so? 7. (Everyone Must Contribute to this Answer)Why do you think that students, and especially young and first year college students, struggle so much with peer editing and peer groups? They often seem intimidated with the task as well, why? 8. Why do you think I assign Anne Lamott's "Shitty First Drafts" in every writing class I teach? What am I trying to show or do? 9. Why do you think that students, and especially first and second year college students, resist drafting? Why do you think they neglect to do it and not really see it as important? Why is is so hard to get young college students to do multiple drafts of their essays? 10. (EVERYONE Contributes to this answer) I like Anne Lamott's description of her writing process: where she stares at her computer screen, she gets up and examines her teeth in the mirror, then she sits back, stares at the screen, gets up, etc. Does this sound familiar to you? what is your process like? What do you do as part of your process ? What sort of things do you need to have when writing? 11. Anne Lamott points out that it is important for a writer to "quiet the voices" in their head. She is referring to the voices that second guess ourselves, that criticize what we do, etc. Have you ever heard this sort of voice speak up as you're writing? If so, what does it say? Who does it sound like? 12. (Everyone Must contribute to this answer) What would you say is the hardest thing/s about writing an essay? Why? 13. (Everyone Must Contribute to this Answer) Which option did you choose for the first course essay and why? What do you think is the goal of assigning this type of essay?