Download as PDF, PPTX
Uploaded byChris Friend
Umbrella or Bridge: Discourse communities as the centerpiece of FYC
The document discusses the challenges of teaching discourse communities (DCs) within first-year composition (FYC) courses at the University of Central Florida. It highlights the staff's efforts to shift from merely identifying DCs to fostering deeper analysis and application of the concept through revised assignments and a structured course sequence. The focus is on integrating DCs as both umbrellas and bridges in the writing process to enhance students' understanding and use of specialized vocabulary.
More Related Content
Similar to Umbrella or Bridge: Discourse communities as the centerpiece of FYC
Umbrella or Bridge: Discourse communities as the centerpiece of FYC
- 1. Umbrella or Bridge Discourse communities as the centerpiece of FYC Chris Friend / @chris_friend / University of Central Florida
- 2. Umbrella or Bridge Discourse communities as the centerpiece of FYC Chris Friend / @chris_friend / University of Central Florida
- 3.
- 4. ✤ Flexibility ofwriting process ✤ Strategies for responding to rhetorical situations ✤ Skills for reading complex texts The ✤ Understanding how conventions, lexia, & Curriculum genres are situated w/in discourse communities
- 5. High-School Precedent ✤ Transactional ✤ Unknown audience ✤ Goal: Test-passing ✤ Artificial & high-stakes
- 6. The Assignments ✤ Process Analysis ✤ Rhetorical Analysis ✤ Discourse Community Ethnography
- 7.
- 8.
- 9. “The staff atthe restaurant where I work is a discourse community.” ×25 per class. Every semester.
- 10.
- 11. Students identified a discoursecommunity but did nothing with that info. We wanted analysis/ extension/conclusions.
- 12.
- 13.
- 14. We were taskedwith finding a new approach to DCs that could help students apply, not just state, their knowledge.
- 15.
- 16. We decided tocreate a sequence of assignments and evaluation rubrics— helpful, but overkill. And hard.
- 17.
- 18. Course Sequence Major Units Major Units Writing Process Rhetorical Analysis Definitions Characteristics Discourse Community DC Ethnography Authority Genres Writing Process Rhetorical Analysis
- 19. Course Timing Major Units weeks 1–4 Writing Process weeks 5–6 Definitions 7 weeks? week 7 Characteristics Are you DC nuts? weeks 8–9 Authority weeks 10–11 Genres weeks 12–15 Rhetorical Analysis
- 20.
- 21. We see DCsas bridging other units together and as umbrellas, containing several concepts within.
- 22.
- 23. Definitions Evaluates term’s function to ✤ Purpose: Understand A show knowledge construction specialized language & its use in academic Illustrates how specialized B definition enhances meaning conversations ✤ Supporting text: None Explains differences in C definitions from book; students look up specialized definitions D States that definitions differ
- 24. Characteristics Evaluates how characteristics A form group identity ✤ Purpose: Understand what a DC is & how it Illustrates hierarchy of B characteristics w/in the group functions ✤ Supporting text: “The Explains (w/ examples) how C group meets characteristics Concept of Discourse Community” by Swales D States that group is a DC
- 25. Authority ✤ Purpose: Understand how & Evaluates how authors’ use of why authors adjust writing for A authority is appropriate for each different audiences audience ✤ Supporting texts: Illustrates how citation & ✤ “Learning to Serve” by B authority work as negotiation Mirabelli ✤ “Reading & Writing Without Explains (w/ examples) styles of Authority” by Penrose & C citation, quoting, and Geisler establishing authority ✤ “Identity, Authority, & States difference in authority Learning to Write in New D between articles Workplaces” by Wardle
- 26. Genre ✤ Purpose: Identify the Evaluates how DC uses genre in A “furtherance of its aims” origins, use, affordances, & constraints Illustrates intertextuality w/in B genre samples ✤ Supporting texts: ✤ “Generalizing about Genre” by Devitt C Explains scene of genre’s use ✤ “Intertextuality & the States genre is used in specific DC” by Porter D scenario
- 27. Assessment Goals ✤ Clarity ✤Flexibility ✤ Simplicity ✤ Focus
- 28.
- 29.
- 30. Students comfortably and competentlyused the vocabulary of DCs.
- 31.
- 32. Repetition/Redundancy Major Units ✤ Repetition: Writing Process Characteristics include lexis and genre Definitions Characteristics ✤ Redundancy: DC Authority requires Authority rhetorical analysis Genres Rhetorical Analysis
- 33.
- 34. Students wrote toan artificial audience—me. Still needs to be fixed.
- 35. Thank you. Chris Friend Twitter: @chris_friend Email: friend@ucf.edu
- 36. Gratitude: Visual Credits ✤ Color scheme (You are beautiful) ✤ Stormtroopers by JD Hancock by Sanguine on colourlovers on Flickr ✤ Umbrella and bridge title images ✤ Luke Alike courtesy Microsoft ✤ Maybe He Won’t Notice ✤ Old schoolhouse by ✤ Stupid Garbage Compactor… WarzauWynn on Flickr ✤ Guard inspection by Defence ✤ Bullseye from Rob Ellis' on Flickr Images (UK Ministry of Defence) ✤ Rocket failure by jurvetson on on Flickr Flickr ✤ Teacher’s apple by Forty Two on ✤ Thumbs-up by wynner3 on Flickr Flickr