Malinowitz

Before You Read

I am very familiar with the terms lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and know people who are lesbian, gay, and bisexual. 

Summary

In Harriet Malinowitz's "Queer Texts, Queer Contexts", we learn about the role of sexual identity in producing discourse. Malinowitz talks about the context of the gay and lesbian discourse community and how these people are viewed by others. Malinowitz believes that the world is homophobic and that lesbians and gay people are living in fear form the world. The audience of this article can be anyone who is interested in learning about the lesbian and gay discourse community. 

Synthesis

Malinowitz's article can be compared to Swales article because he talks about how to fit into a discourse community. This relates to Malinowitz because she talks about how lesbian and gay people find it hard to fit into some discourse communities. Malinowitz can also be compared to Gee because both of these articles mention individualism and being your own person. Lastly, Malinowitz can be compared to Wardle because he talks about belonging and acceptance. This relates to Malinowitz because she talks about how lesbian and gay people sometimes feel like they don't belong or they are not accepted. 

Dialectical Notebook

Response	Quotation
This quote is a good example of some of the discriminations that lesbians and gay people face.	“’Chic’ lesbians still grapple with unemployment discrimination, inadequate healthcare, violence, and loss of child custody” (pg. 111)
I found this quote interesting because the author has a personal connection to the writing and also had problems with her identity.	“Yet I am also a lesbian teacher who, until four years ago hesitated to come out to my students en masse and to many of my colleagues” (pg. 113)
This quote is interesting because it discusses how some people don’t have a strong belief on the topic of homosexuality.	“Others frankly acknowledge their antigay feeling and beliefs, secure that cultural precedent has rendered them understandable an acceptable.” (pg. 114)
I agree this quote interesting because they relate your sexual identity to your personal identity.	“Often when lesbian and gay existence is discussed at all, it is consigned to the category of ‘personal identity’.” (pg. 115)
This quote is important because it gives a good definition of why and how people act in their culture as well as their discourse community.	“Most contemporary definitions suggest that a culture is a repository of shared ideas, systems, and meaning that find expression in patterns of behavior and custom within a particular social group.” (pg. 116)
This quote is a good example of how the topic of homosexuality is seen in different places and why it is not brought up.	“Leaving sexual identity out of the classroom is not an accident; it is an expression of institutionalized homophobia, enacted in the classrooms not randomly but systematically, with legal and religious precedents to bolster it and intimidate both teachers and students.” (pg. 123)

Applying and Exploring Ideas

2. I grew up in a very Catholic family and was put through private Catholic school all of my life. we use specific words such as sanctuary, eucharist, and crucifix in this discourse community. Although I was raised in this discourse community, I do not associate myself with it now. I no longer have the same beliefs and have fallen out of this discourse community. I no longer use their beliefs, language, or rituals to express myself.

Thoughts

I liked reading this article because I am very much interested in the topic of gay rights. But I was also a bit shocked learning that we were going to be reading an article in this topic (but i guess that is just because I went to a Catholic high school where we never talked about those kinds of things) I was raised Catholic where we did not believe in gay rights, but personally I support them. I also liked this article because it was refreshing and not all about writing and language. 

Project #3 Proposal

Project #3 Topic Proposal 

For my project I will study the discourse community of swimming. I have been swimming competitively for about 11 years and know what its like to be a member of a swim team. I am also currently swimming on the club swim team for Ohio University. I have been on many different teams throughout the years, but i have noticed that the general discourse community is the same. One thing about swimming that many people don't understand is that it is actually a very hard and competitive sport. I hope by conducting this ethnographical research and writing about the discourse community of swimmers, people will be able to get an inside look at what swimming is all about. 

Devitt

Before You Read

I was recently at the doctors office (heath clinic) here at OU just last week. When I was filling out medical history form I did not think much of it. I only filled it out because I was asked to, but I did understand that the form is so that the doctor knows your medical history so that he can properly diagnose you. When filling out these forms, I did not have much difficulty with the language. There were just a few medical terms I was not used to and didn't know that well. 

Summary

Amy Devitt's (Anis Bawarshi, Mary Jo Reiff) "Materiality and Genre in the Study of Discourse Communities" is a collection of 3 essays about genre and communication. Devitt's essay is mainly about how genre is used in the court system with lawyers and jury members. Bawarshi's essay talks about the patient medical history form and how experience impacts the persons skills with this. The last article by Reiff talks about the genre of ethnography and genre analysis. The audience for this article can be anyone who is looking to learn more about discourse community and genre. 

Synthesis

These essays can be compared to Wardle's article on discourse community. They both talk about discourse community and also mention identity and how it affects your discourse community. The essays can also be compared to Pollan because they also talk about discourse community and it's specifics. Lastly, these essays can be compared to Gee because Gee also talks about discourse community. 

Dialectical Notebook

Response	Quotation
This quote is important because it tells us how genres affect a discourse community.	“Because genres represent their communities, they effect and make consequential the communities’ interests.” (pg. 99)
This quote is important because it explains how language plays an important part in communicating in discourse communities.	“Part of the difficulty when specialized communities write to nonspecialist users lie in technical language, a difficulty commonly recognized and often addressed through defining key terms, but most of the difficulty comes from differences of interest and value that definitions cannot control.” (pg. 101)
This quote is important because it explains how using ethnographic research is better than studies and researching.	“The idea of genre, despite the work of scholars in literary and rhetorical studies over the last few decades, is still more often than not understood as a transparent lens or conduit for classifying texts.” (pg. 104)
This quote gives us a good idea of how ethnographical research works.	“Ethnographic observation of a community that foregrounds genre analysis allows researchers to explore more fully the complexity of the group’s social roles and actions, actions that constitute the community’s repeated rhetorical strategies, or genres.” (pg. 107)
I like this quote because it tells how using ethnographic research is good for students and how it helps them.	“When students carry out ethnographies, they become researchers who are also active social figures participating in and observing how people integrate their language genres with their wider collective purposes.” (pg. 109)

MM

I believe that the best route to understanding discourse communities occurs through ethnography because you get hands on experience and research. Through ethnographic fieldwork, you get to actually study and observe your discourse community instead of just looking things up and learning. Through ethnographic fieldwork, you learn through watching and observing which is more helpful when studying a discourse community. 

Thoughts

I liked these essays especially because they talked about the topic of ethnography. I am currently taking a media theory class where we are also studying and conducting ethnographic research. I also liked how this article was split up into 3 different articles. It made things more interesting and easier to read. 

Wardle

Before You Read

Since coming to college, my vocabulary has slightly changed. I have not really learned any new words, besides things like definitions for class and learning vocabulary words. I have not really picked up on these words and don’t use them often. Although I haven’t changed my vocabulary, I have learned new words that are associated with OU that I use in my ever day vocabulary.

Summary

In Elizabeth Wardle’s “Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces”, we learn about how our discourse communities influence how we write. In the article, Wardle tells us about her 3 interrelated modes of belonging. These are “engagement, imagination, and alignment. Wardle emphasizes her ideas through a story of a man named Alan. The audience of this article can be anyone but it may appeal to college students who are learning to write in a new environment that is very influential.

Synthesis

Wardle’s article on writing in a new discourse community can be connected to Swales article on what a discourse community is. Both article talk about how to fit in and be an active member of a discourse community. Another article that can be compared to Wardle is Gee. Gee’s article is about being a member of a discourse community. These article are similar because they both discuss the details of a discourse community. Lastly, Wardle’s article can be linked to Glenn because he also talks about discourse community.

Dialectical Notebook

Response	Quotation
I like this quote because it is a good definition of how our identity and ways of life help us chose our discourse communities.	“Additionally, issues of the identity and values are important factors in neophytes’ abilities and willingness to learn and write in and for new workplaces, as they must choose between ways of thinking and writing with which they are comfortable and new ways that seem foreign or at odds with their identities and values.” (pg. 521)
This quote is important because it shows how you must use the right identity and personality if you want to fit in a certain discourse community.	“To tease out relationships between identity and writing in the workplace, we need theories that consider the workplace as a legitimate and important influence on subject formation.” (pg. 522)
I like this quote because I agree with what it is saying and how imagination is good, but it could get in the way of the discourse community.	“While imagination can lead to a positive mode of belonging, it can also ‘be disconnected and ineffective, it can also be so removed from any lived form of membership that it detaches identities and leaves them in a state of uprootedness.” (pg. 524)
This quote is an example of how things could go wrong in a discourse community. If someone’s ideas challenge something, they could not be accepted in the discourse community.	“What happens when a new worker’s assumptions are frequently made obvious to the community, and those assumptions fly in the face of accepted ways of doing things?” (pg. 527)
This quote is explaining Alan’s position in his discourse community, and where he believes he stands.	“”He stressed that his title put ‘only one person above’ him in the university or the department.” (pg. 528)

Questions for Discussion

4. I agree with this statement because I believe that our language is very much influenced by our culture (or discourse community). When we are constantly around a certain way of life, we pick up on things such as forms of language. Because we are around it so often, we pick up the language and start to use it without us even knowing. This makes our language that we speak sometimes unintentional.

Thoughts

Wardle’s article on writing and discourse community has taught me about how our surroundings influence the way we write and speak. This article was fairly easy to read and understand. I liked it because it talked about discourse community with relation to writing and language. It was good to read about discourse community relating to something and not just talking about how to be in one.

Swales and Gee compare/contrast

Compare

James Gee's article "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction" and John Swales "The Concept of Discourse Community" are very similar articles. They both discuss discourse community and describe the aspects of being in one. The audiences of these articles are similar because they are both aimed at people who are already in a discourse community who wan to learn more about what it is and why they do the certain things they do and believe in what they do. Both of these articles also talk about how to tell if you are considered a member of your discourse community and if you are an active member or not. Lastly, these two articles are similar because they both discuss how language and people's different views on things can get in the way of figuring out your discourse community. 

Contrast

While the Swales and Gee articles are very similar in their discussion on discourse community, they also have their difference. They are different because Swales goes into depth on the characteristics of what makes up a discourse community white Gee focus on linguistics and literacy and how they affect discourse communities. Another thing that makes these articles different is the style in which they are written. Swales article is easier to read and is separated into sections. Gee's article in one long writing on how literacy and linguistics affect discourse communities. 

Gee

Before You Read

Mushfake: prisoner made items such as shanks or handmade weapons, prison slang for items owned by an inmate that are illegal, synonym for 'faking it'.

Summary

In James Gee's article "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction" he talks about literacy, apprenticeship, metaknowledge, and mushfakes. In his article, Gee argues that you can't more or less embody a discourse-your're either recognized by others as a full member of it or you're not. He also discusses the different views and interpretations of linguistics. The audience of this article can be anyone who is in a discourse community and wants to learn more about them and the importance and relevance of being in one. 

Synthesis

Gee's article on discourse and linguistics can easily be compared to Swales article on the concept of a discourse community. Gee talks about the importance of being in a discourse community as well as the other ways people view things in a discourse community. Swales talks about the different aspects of a discourse community and what you need to do to be in one. Another article that compares to Gee is Pollan. Pollan talks about how the discourse communities affect the factory farm industry. This compares to Gee because Gee also talks about how being in a discourse community can affect how others see you and how they interpret things. Lastly, Gee can be compared to Glenn because he also discusses discourse community and the importance of being in one. 

Dialectical Notebook

Response	Quotation
I agree with this quote because personally, when I think of the word language, I think of all the things that go with it like grammar, spelling and everything else.	“’Language’ is a misleading term; it too often suggests ‘grammar.’” (pg. 483)
I like this quote because it both describes what a discourse community is, and emphasizes how to be apart of one.	“We acquire this primary Discourse, not by overt instruction, but by being a member of a primary socializing group (family, clan, peer group).” (pg. 485)
This quote is important because it relates the importance of the definition of literacy to the social side of discourse communities.	“I believe that an socially useful definition of ‘literacy’ must be couched in terms of the notion of Discourse.” (pg. 486)
I agree with this quote because metaknowledge is a very important part of advancing in a discourse community.	“Metaknowledge is liberation and power, because it leads to the ability to manipulate, to analyze, to resist while advancing.” (pg. 490)
I agree with this quote because a child is not going to understand these traditional accounts of literacy because they have deep conceptual problems.	“Traditional accounts of literacy are going to have deep conceptual problems here, because they trouble themselves too much over things like books and readings.” (pg. 494)

MM

Gee's claims have helped me understand my experiences and other people experiences differently because he has showed me how everyone has their own experiences and we all see and interpret things differently. I can use some of this knowledge in another setting such as if someone is trying to explain something to me. I will use my knowledge of literacy and discourse communities to better understand people.

Thoughts

In conclusion, Gee's article on literacy, discourse and linguistics did not help me very much. Most of the information was repetitive and went on for to long. Although the article was not bad to read, it was not very exciting or interesting. From the little that I did learn, I can use it in my future experiences with linguistics.