Course Review

We’ll continue reviewing our course syllabus & schedule. We’ll also look at some examples of your peers’ websites and offer class time to work on your sites.

Discourse Communities 101

Assuming all of our technology is working, we’ll watch Dr. Jamila Lyiscott’s “3 Ways to Speak English” in class together. Originally from Brooklyn, Dr. Lyiscott is a professor at UMASS Amherst, specializing in education and social justice. I’d like to hear your initial reactions to Dr. Lyiscott’s TEDTalk and further consider the implications of her statement, “I’ve decided to treat all three of my languages as equal.” What does Lyiscott mean when she conceives of the languages of “home, school, and friends”? Why do you think she invokes images of violence alongside a discussion of language? How does Lyiscott’s talk related in any way to oyur life?

I’ll also introduce James Paul Gee’s “Literacy, Discourse, Linguistics: An Introduction.” Gee describes Discourse as “a sort of ‘identity kit’ which come complete with the appropriate costume and instructions on how to act, talk, and often write, so as to take on a particular role that others will recognize” (1989, p. 7). We’ll work together to imagine what this might mean in the context of Lyiscott’s TEDTalk.

HOMEWORK

Read pages 5-13 of James Paul Gee’s “Literacy, Discourse, Linguistics: Introduction.” (Gee’s entire article is long, over 100 pages; please note that you ONLY need to read pages 5-13). As you read take note of the way Gee describes and distinguishes the differences between primary and secondary Discourses. How might this framework be applied to your own discourse communities?

Work Cited

Gee, J.P. (1989). Literacy, Discourse, Linguistics: An Introduction. The Journal of Education, 171(1), 5-13.

Lyiscott, J. (2014). 3 Ways to Speak English. [Video]. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/jamila_lyiscott_3_

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