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9/17: Discourse & Conflict
Review Project 1 We will review your Discourse Community Analysis project, and I’ll address questions or concerns you have. What does conflict look like? So far we’ve talked about discourse communities in ways that are relatively neutral; however, power, struggle, and conflict can also be a part of existing in and moving between communities. As people move between discourse communities where they practice new ways of engaging with people, texts, and languages, values and beliefs can sometimes be in tension. For example, Johns presents examples of people feeling alienated from their families as they become more literate or fluent in academic discourse communities; alternately, Johns offers another case of a…
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9/12: Discourse Communities, Genres, and Power
We’ll focus on two goals today: understanding Ann M. Johns’ text “Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice” and assigning Project 1, the Discourse Community Analysis. Take a look at Johns (52-53) for some examples of recreational and professional communities she gives. Take a minute or two to list some of your recreational and professional communities. Discourse Communities & Their Genres In class, we defined genre as ways to classify or categorize written or graphic communication. Johns indicates that “communities use written discourses that enable members to keep in touch with each other, carry on discussions, explore controversies, and advance their aims; these genres are their vehicles for communication” (56). Johns…
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9/10: Understanding Gee’s Theories of Discourse Community
We’ll begin by reading a couple of paragraphs of Gee’s “Literacy, Discourse, Linguistics: An Introduction” (1989) together. Group Work In groups, you will be assigned a section of Gee’s text to closely read. Using the materials provided to create a poster, please produce the following: Each group will share their work with the class, and we will take any questions, critiques, or additional readings of Gee before moving on. Individual In-Class Writing Gee describes Discourse as “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 on a particular role that others will recognize”…
