2.4 Writing and culture, and more work on literacy narratives

Brainstorming/invention for Literacy narrative. You each should have received some comments/feedback for the writing you have posted so far at your portfolio for the literacy narrative, and for the process narrative. Writing to the prompts is part of the assignment (you get credit for them); they engage a process for writing which may be new to you, and which it is one goal of this course to teach.  If you are behind in these posts, you have time to catch up and receive credit, though I may not get a chance to give feedback.  The literacy narrative will be graded as follows:

in-class writing  1.21 (10 points)
in-class writing 1.28  (10 points)
stories (details to help find a focus) (20 points)
rough draft (for workshop) + final draft (with substantive revisions; you must turn in both drafts) (60 points)

Total: 100 points



Identifying what makes a "good" literacy narrative.
We spent the first part (most of) class reviewing the sample literacy narratives in light of the guidelines we developed from the assignment sheet.  (see below)

Guide for thinking about what to work on/how to give feedback for literacy narratives
1. Audience/genre features (15%)
Should be in first person, set up a focus in the intro + come back to that focus in the conclusion: present a series of stories to make a point; make reflective generalizations based on the stories that create a focus.

2. Focus (25%) : clear statement at the outset, stories/examples should reflect that focus; each "point" /paragraph should connect to the focus in a different way;

3. Development (25%): includes detailed, particular stories or examples that "show" how the points related to the focus work; stories /examples should be relevant to the focus and there should be a range of stories so that each story develops the focus in a different way.

4. Organization (25%) : should reflect the focus and its components
should move between specific examples/stories and general, reflective statements which connect back to the focus.  May be chronological but does not have to be

introduction (set up focus); body (develop focus through a series of points; and a conclusion which relates back to the focus, draws the paper together and brings it to a conclusion.

Internal organization of paragraphs: set up, development, transition to next point/reflection on focus.

5. Correctness (10%): not so many grammatical/spelling errors as to confuse meaning or distract from reading.

After we talked through the rubric/guidelines, you worked in groups to identify the strengths & weaknesses of the sample literacy narratives, and to make suggestions for what the authors should work on.  You did a great job on these!

Cultural assumptions, values and beliefs (about writing)  McCool.
During the last half hour of class we did a very rushed job talking through the McCool essays.  He categorizes the different cultural assumptions  associated with tolerance and intolerance for uncertainty.  We reviewed the reading by looking at the "charts" where he sums up how tolerance for uncertaintly v intolerance for uncertainty cultures dealt with social relations (p.23); communication (p. 30); rules (p. 34); and time (p. 40).  In general, he used United States (Western) culture's preferences for individualism, equality, particular (rather than theoretical) legal systems and so on as an example of a tolerance for uncertainty (diversity + difference) culture, and Eastern and some European cultures as examples of more socially centered value systems, less "literal" relationships fo language, and more theoretical relationships to laws.  As we talked through these different postions, I asked you to think about where you placed yourself within these value systems.

We didn't really get a chance to talk through the section about language and culture, but rather I suggested that you think about your language values through reflecting on the following questions posed by McCool's discussion.

1. Do you believe words "mean what they say"?  Are words "accurate" or metaphoric?  Can words say all that we mean?
2. How much does context influence meaning?
3. What is your idea of "good" writing: writing that is simple, direct, and concise?  or writing that is ambiguous, round-about, and an expression of a meaning that implies more than what is on the page?
4.  What role do you feel emotion plays in writing?
5.  How "positive" is your writing?  Do you generally express ideas in terms of positive language constructions (This essay needs stronger organization) or negative constructions (This essay is badly organized).

Your answers to these questions suggest something about the (often unconscious) assumptions, values, and beliefs that will shape the way you communicate.  It is important to reflect on these predispositions, both so that you can "hear" what others might say with out immediately (unconsciously) judging it as wrong; and so that you can present your ideas in language that individuals different from you will understand & relate to.



For next class:
Read: Elbow, Chapter 4, (this is the chapter on working in groups on writing)

Write: 1) post any pre-writing you want to add to your literacy narrative page; 2) post any  observations/detailed descriptions of your writing process you want to add as "data" to the process narrative page; 3) post your draft literacy narrative.

The draft literacy narrative does NOT need to be perfect.  Don't spend a lot of time crafting the sentences.  You work here is to work on setting up a focus, using the right kind of "stories" to develop that focus, and thinking about the overall organization.

Thanks for the good discussion in class and I'm looking forward to reading your literacy narratives!