You were put into small groups, given chunks of the first two sections of David Bartholomae's Inventing the University, and asked to summarize the main points in each paragraph and take notes on (a) the major points of each paragraph, and (b) rhetorical techniques that Bartholomae used in making his points. Here's what we constructed as a group.
I encourage you to do this with your own writing as you revise, or to follow (some variation on) this process with dense articles that you are assigned in other classes!
Section I
We need to invent the University
i.e., learn to talk & write, etc., in a genre (or discourse community)
How the student has to invent the U by assembling and mimicking its language
own diction
yet adapt to the assignment/class
adapt to specialized discourses
Analyzes an essay excerpt: the student uses advanced diction & language desired by the U despite not being fully competent.
Authority
many student writers struggle with this, yet not sounding condescending
Sample piece put in own wisdom;
put readers in a lower, not equal position
Commonplaces – pre-articulated explanations that everyone understands
People should move away from commonplaces & what they're comfortable with
Students should work on writing for the reader, not for themselves
Section II
Person should start with writing for the reader (who to write for)
acknowledge reader's assumptions & biases
Students in academic setting are asked to write from position of authority.
Becomes difficult when writing for readers with greater expertise
Linda Flower/John Hayes
Study on expert writer writing for readers of Seventeen
study on expert writer having trouble conceptualizing audience
... problem is a cognitive one
planning and goal-setting, translating and reviewing
→ evaluating and revising
a process of discovering and learning
Flower/Hayes's explanation is within the mind of the writer, but who's reading it?
This also has an effect on interpreting
Think about writing as the text, not just cognitive process.
Reading influenced by language use (diction, etc.) and how writer's intention is perceived
Continues to talk about Seventeen piece: must finally have been located in language … persistently conventional and formulaic.
Plans for article rather than article itself.
what's important is product: actual piece of writing.
Codes of discourse:
contemporary rhetorical theory has been concerned with the codes that constitute discourse: piece of writing turns from private goals to something public when published.
There are codes that govern this.
Beginning process:
one possible solution is looking at other texts
other stereotypes, set phrases, set examples, set conclusions.
Not criticizing author for article: it's difficult!
What knowledge is: particularly knowledge as basic fact vs. knowledge as something to understand and build/create from
For example: history:
anyone can memorize names, dates, facts
but the truly literate build connections and understand it.
Bartholomae's students:
not supposed to be experts, yet have to write like one
language, syntax, voice of expert.
Students need to step outside comfort zone, act as if they have general knowledge.