Week 4: Reading and Writing about Discourse Communities
Class Info
- Dates: Thursday, 2/22 (Classes follow a Monday schedule), Monday, 2/26
- Meeting Info: 11:30am-12:45pm in room N602A
Objectives
- To refine our thinking and writing about discourse communities; to continue exploring course texts; to continue drafting and revising Project 1; to present our work and offer each other feedback, critique, and support.
Actions
- Complete any unfinished work from previous weeks’ agendas.
For Thursday, 2/22 (Monday schedule)
Reading
- Novel: Passing by Nella Larsen (Part Two: Re-encounter; Part 3: Finale)
- Reading/Writing resource Essay: “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott from Bird by Bird
- Assignment instructions for Project 1: Discourse Communities
Writing
- Annotate as you read our course’s texts.
- Draft Project 1.
- Prepare notes for in-class presentations:
- In the first part of your Project 1 narrative, what discourse community do you write about? Which discourse community at City Tech are you writing about? Which passage from which text from this semester can you include a passage from to connect to your narrative, or use as a counterpoint?
In Class, Thursday, 2/22
- What is a discourse community: look for any definition you think will help you understand the concept
- collection of people or groups who work toward a common goal, unique vocabulary of jargon, power structure tied to the source of their community
- Presentations of topics for Project 1
- Filomena: 1-Italian ex-pat, not Italian American, far from home, shared experiences, inside jokes, miss the Italian way of drinking coffee and talking; different experience of time! 2-Hospitality, will start taking classes, but already part of it professionally, really passionate about it; smiling as shared body language; 3-connect to Irene and Clare drinking tea at the Drayton, meeting a friend.
- Julissa: 1-being biracial, being mis-identified, insecurities, not belonging to either, 2-Communication Design (COMD), don’t want to stay in that major, want to move elsewhere; see the world through those ideas; 3-Passing, also Mulatto, American Panda
- James: 1- politics, but need to narrow it down–so maybe alternate history, think about where you read/view them, 2-COMD community didn’t engage, but don’t feel excluded–feel unpassionate about it, basic and can hold a conversation 3-The Art of Noticing
- Julia: 1-African American household, even if it’s not my race–being part of this family or community shaped my perspective, AAVE (African American Vernacular English); 2-Professional and Technical Writing, always good at ELA, but am I passionate about it, would i use it for teaching or something else? will start taking classes in the major maybe next year, also there is a club forming.
- Drafting Project 1
- Essay: “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott from Bird by Bird
For Monday, 2/26
Reading
- Podcast/Interview: “On Passing” (both audio and written transcript available)
- Novel: Passing by Nella Larsen (Part Two: Re-encounter; Part 3: Finale)
- Reading/Writing resource: “Quotation Handout” by Carrie Hall
Writing
- Annotate as you read our course’s texts.
- Revising Project 1
In Class, Monday, 2/26
- Freewrite/Q&A: how is it going with Project 1? What questions do you have that I or we can answer? are you on pace to submit your project on Wednesday, 2/28? hand this in on paper or submit it as a comment on this post.
- Presentations
- Thesis statements: what are they and where do they belong in a project like this one?
- thesis statement: your goal for what your writing should be about; main idea that we’re basing our project/essay on; the answer to the question the assignment raises; roadmap for the essay; lets your reader know what to expect.
- where does it go? start with a formal introduction that ends with a thesis statement and then move into the story of the DC you belong to, etc OR start with the DC you belong to and then come to a point about DCs and belonging that is your thesis statement.
- Peer review for Project 1:
- Review your own draft, and read a classmate’s draft, too. Answer these questions about your draft and your classmate’s as specifically as you can (point to specific sentences or paragraphs):
- in your own words, what is this discourse communities narrative about?
- what parts captured your attention?
- what parts did you want to read more about?
- what parts were confusing or needed more explanation for you to understand?
- what parts felt like they didn’t belong in this narrative about two discourse communities and finding a sense of belonging?
- any other feedback or suggestions?
- Titles: what’s a good title for your Project 1?
- How to submit Project 1: Writing a Post
- Helpful resources:
- City Tech Library Computer Lab: https://library.citytech.cuny.edu/services/technology/index.php
- City Tech Writing Center
Photo Credit
“geno/draft/mecro” by cranky messiah via Flickr under the license CC BY-NC 2.0 Deed
Truthfully, I haven’t gotten far at all with our project. I know this is a lame and redundant excuse, but I’ve been working on a lot of other projects that ended up taking more of my time than I thought it would. It also doesn’t help that all these projects are due around the same time. Of course, most of it is my fault because I should’ve organized my projects better. As of right now, I barely have an introductory paragraph.
This leads me to ask about moving the due date. If at all possible, could this project be pushed back a bit? Also, how should the narrative be formatted? I’m having some trouble formatting how I want to write my narrative.
I find myself still working on my draft. Im working on trying to find a good format to put out my information.
Think of a community you’re happy to be in, where you fell at ease with, you can be yourself. And express freely your ideas or questions. Is this community something that not everyone is apart of? Perhaps you’re excluded by a certain group or feel excluded? Do you share a langue or type of speech with them? There may be passions driving this community or yourself, with a shared goal. If you have answered answered yes to any of these questions, then you may in fact be apart of a discourse community. A discourse community provides a shared perhaps fluid goal for people, willingly apart of it or not in order to create this subgroup of human communities.
A discourse group I personally feel comfortable with is the political science community.
With variations of discourse groups, I would say predominantly when you think of one, it is used in the context of the person wanting to be apart of it. How is it then when they don’t care to be apart of one, even if they are part of it? As I mentioned before, an unwillingly participant. Though now in the context of not being purposely excluded by an opposing group.
In my case, there was no identification at the time of being apart of a discourse group. I never gave it any thought. The Communication Design students were and still are kind, down to earth, and friendly people. Many passionate about the art they’re making, wanting to get every detail right. Though I shared their same desires, I was lacking their driving passion behind it. I had no side art project I wanted to achieve, nor did I really want to start one. I had no favorite artist, no desire of wanting to share with what I learned to the world. And the exhaustion of having to go to three classes. Now, having changed my mind about pursuing communication design, I still ended up with three classes. But, this time no exhaustion, no dread of having to continue.
With wanting to improve in a political science background I would think that the attention to detail is grave and of upmost important. This could be a variety of thing
The words in which we create laws for in society should be worded correctly, making sure they make sense, let alone open to contradictions. And so, if there are contradictions, then they should be addressed as well. A poorly written law, or constitution, could have exponential harmful effects on who it is supposed to be effecting.
^Reading
As for a different circumstance, the use of intelligence is
From domestic, foreign. Local police departments
This is kind of hard for me to write about because I’m barely in one discourse group and I’m usually a loner for everything else. However I think this is a great topic for me to explore and properly think out what I want in a hobby and it’s community. It will also be cool to deep dive in different niche communities.
My discourse community essay is going at a slow pace. However, I know that I’ll be able to pull it all together by Wednesday. Because I really do love to write and I like being able to say everything that I want to say all out on paper. Being able to write and get out every word & phrase that I have stuck in my head & also being able to go back in and edit certain things to make my project more better.
However, I don’t think I have any questions for anyone.
I finished my first draft, and I would like to have it peer reviewed so I could correct it for any mistakes when it comes to writing my final draft. Though I’m concerned that it mostly sounds like filler to me with how long the story regarding the discourse communities, let alone explaining how the discourse community is.
A question I have is when it comes to talking about the discourse communities, is it better explain it through the story or to explain it separately and back it up with the story?