new discourses
Have I ever had to learn a new discourse?
Well, as a grad student I have to learn a new one for every paper I write and for everything I read. Writing about Henry James is not the same as writing about Cormac McCarthy, which is also different than writing about Bartholomae. However, I never questioned this. I just also assumed that was what college consisted of. We invent new discourses based on our professors, our classes and our level of work. I am presenting at RMMLA (Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association) in a couple of weeks and I'll have to invent a new discourse then, too.
Is learning a new discourse scary?
In a word, yes. In two words, hell yes. Every time I invent a discourse or try on a new discourse, I am afraid it's the wrong discourse. Occasionally with some professors it is the wrong discourse and I end up having to re-do an assignment. Every time I submit that paper a part of me is terrified that everyone will discover I am truly an idiot and just pretending to know what I am doing and by connection, the discourse I have been using is faulty and I have to come up with a new one. This adds to the terror because it is a cycle. What if this new discourse doesn't work either?
Because of this, I can see why many students hate English and writing. If every time they tried on a new discourse they failed or were rejected, they probably want to stop trying. I do sometimes, particularly if I'm already nervous about the new discourse to begin with.
For example, I recently took a Shakespeare class. I was very uncomfortable with the first paper I wrote because I am used to a discourse that mainly involves twentieth century American, world and British novels, short stories and some poems. Plays are rare, and when they are there, at least the language makes sense. However, after I wrote my first paper and did well with it, I realized (unconsciously) that I had a comfortable enough grip on academic discourse that I could translate my 20th century skills to the Renaissance.
This is, in part, why I always tell my tutees that writing is like any other skill – practice makes you better. By writing and trying on different discourses we are more able to handle new ones as they come along.
I don’t believe that I’ll ever get over much of the anxiety that comes with every new class and discourse, but then again, maybe I’m just an anxious person. However, by understanding what goes into academic discourse and what is appropriate for each kind of paper or assignment, I am able to manage my fear and hopefully to help my tutees manage theirs.
This whole class had to undergo a discourse modification when Dr. Rogers explained what he wanted in the connections section of our reading responses. We have all had to modify our discourse, myself included.
Well, as a grad student I have to learn a new one for every paper I write and for everything I read. Writing about Henry James is not the same as writing about Cormac McCarthy, which is also different than writing about Bartholomae. However, I never questioned this. I just also assumed that was what college consisted of. We invent new discourses based on our professors, our classes and our level of work. I am presenting at RMMLA (Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association) in a couple of weeks and I'll have to invent a new discourse then, too.
Is learning a new discourse scary?
In a word, yes. In two words, hell yes. Every time I invent a discourse or try on a new discourse, I am afraid it's the wrong discourse. Occasionally with some professors it is the wrong discourse and I end up having to re-do an assignment. Every time I submit that paper a part of me is terrified that everyone will discover I am truly an idiot and just pretending to know what I am doing and by connection, the discourse I have been using is faulty and I have to come up with a new one. This adds to the terror because it is a cycle. What if this new discourse doesn't work either?
Because of this, I can see why many students hate English and writing. If every time they tried on a new discourse they failed or were rejected, they probably want to stop trying. I do sometimes, particularly if I'm already nervous about the new discourse to begin with.
For example, I recently took a Shakespeare class. I was very uncomfortable with the first paper I wrote because I am used to a discourse that mainly involves twentieth century American, world and British novels, short stories and some poems. Plays are rare, and when they are there, at least the language makes sense. However, after I wrote my first paper and did well with it, I realized (unconsciously) that I had a comfortable enough grip on academic discourse that I could translate my 20th century skills to the Renaissance.
This is, in part, why I always tell my tutees that writing is like any other skill – practice makes you better. By writing and trying on different discourses we are more able to handle new ones as they come along.
I don’t believe that I’ll ever get over much of the anxiety that comes with every new class and discourse, but then again, maybe I’m just an anxious person. However, by understanding what goes into academic discourse and what is appropriate for each kind of paper or assignment, I am able to manage my fear and hopefully to help my tutees manage theirs.
This whole class had to undergo a discourse modification when Dr. Rogers explained what he wanted in the connections section of our reading responses. We have all had to modify our discourse, myself included.
posted by Unknown at 11:12 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home