*Note to classmates: This is just my messy draft. I realize I need to organize this and integrate quotes. I also need to strengthen my opening paragraph and work on my focus. I feel like I am all over the place.I need to put my . I am planning to color code this draft and find areas in which I can incorporate quotes*
There are unstated rules in academic writing culture that may confuse students who have never heard this information the past. These unstated academic rules include writing research papers without using the writer’s opinion or the words “I,me,my,our..etc”. For example, professors expect students to know the difference between an opinion and stating a position through use of concrete examples and citations. Not only are examples and citations required in justifying a position, but writers need to explicate after providing evidence. The explications must be tied into the focus of their papers as well as the quotes or paraphrasing which they have provided. (Insert quote or paraphrasing in this paragraph with citation included). As the citations are intertwined within the students writing, it must also be tied in and cohesive so the paper maintains a flow and the reader is not confused or thrown off by choppy language. Justifying a position within academic writing means more than merely cutting and pasting a quote.
Students may have a trouble with this for a variety of reasons. One reason may be that the student did not learn about explicating in high school. Another reason may be because writing valued on social networks, blogs and forums revolve around the individuals and how they portray themselves. Another reason is because of the way individuals voice out their opinions and justify their reasoning through the internet; this is done through visual rhetoric. (Insert quote or paraphrasing in this paragraph with citation included)
Forums, blogging and social networking revolve around the creation and recreation of identify and self. Therefore individuals on the internet are accustomed to writing about his or her own selves on a daily, monthly or weekly basis. The types of writing that is valued on these types of websites are the writing that states a position while providing a realistic and honest truth. This is where the problem lies. Because individuals are accustomed to writing about themselves on the internet, they may bring the same assumptions to academic writing. Students who have not been exposed to prior knowledge about these conventions of academic writing may not necessarily be equipped to effectively write research papers in the way their professors expect. (Insert quote or paraphrasing in this paragraph with citation included)
Forums, blogging and social networking also provide individuals with chances to justify the positions through the use of visual cues. For example, on the internet, in order to validate a point, a picture or a video or article or website can be linked. No further explanation is required, a link is simply cut and pasted. This is what is valued on the internet. This value conflicts with the values of academic writing. (Insert quote or paraphrasing in this paragraph with citation included).
This brings forth issues in the writing center. Most of the time, the writers do not understand the importance of explaining their quotes in their essay. Instead they want the coaches and tutors to merely proofread. This is because they may not have acquired the language to talk about their papers. Students who have not had any prior experience with writing research papers, and essays that require integration of quotes, only request feedback on grammar.
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Final Draft
Angela Castillo
Dr. Chandler
Writing Cultures Essay
October 13, 2010
The Effects of the Internet’s Values of Writing on Kean Freshmen
There are unstated rules in academic writing culture that may confuse students who have never heard this information the past. These values include the hyperlinked activities on the internet verses linear arguments in academic writing as well as self focused writing on the internet driven by emotion verses audience focused writing in academia driven by reason (Thaiss). Because of different values of writing on the internet and academia, students who are unaware of the audience expectations, arrive at the Kean University Writing Center with essays that may not necessarily follow the standard conventions of academic writing.
Thaiss et al. argue that academic writing can be defined as “student writing in response to an academic assignment, or professional writing that trained "academics"—teachers and researchers—do for publications read and conferences attended by other academics.” However this type of writing comes with unstated rules which include writing research papers without using the writer’s opinion or the words “I,me,my,our..etc”. For example, professors expect students to know the difference between an opinion and stating a position through use of concrete examples and citations.
Not only are examples and citations required in justifying a position, but writers need to explicate after providing evidence. Through academic writing, writers are expected to pose philosophical arguments. In order for students to pose philosophical arguments, they must be equipped with the necessary tools in order to “ identify debates and disagreements among sources, question and evaluate sources, define key terms and engage counter arguments” (Sommers). According to Nancy Sommers, in academic writing, in order to pose philosophical arguments, students must “begin with a thesis, outline a debate, synthesize competing positions, notice questions and implications which arise from this synthesis, explain how these questions might be answered, offer counter arguments, and propose solutions”. This formula requires writers to expound on their citations which are expected to be tied into the focus of their papers. This type of writing is mostly based on text.
Unlike academic writing, communication on computers is not solely based on text. Communication on a computer is referred to by Susan C. Herring as “computer-mediated discourse.” Herring states that computed-mediated discourse currently uses text forms of communication. According to Herring:
Text-based CMC takes a variety of forms (e.g.,e-mail, discussion groups, real-time chat, virtual reality role-playing games) whose linguistic properties vary depending on the kind of messaging system used and the social and cultural context embedding particular instances of use.(1)
Currently one of more popular websites that promotes the use of text-based CMC that is most popular is the website known as Facebook.com. According to Facebook.com’s press section, there are over 500 million active users. In addition the website states, “50% of their active users log on to Facebook in any given day.” The website also states that the “average user has 130 friends” and “people spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook”. This means that millions of users are communicating with friends and group pages in regards to their personal opinions.
In regards to freshman students at Kean University, many of them are familiar with using computers and social networks. Kean University has taken into consideration the popularity of social networking and has created it’s own page on Facebook.com and Twitter.com which is linked to the University’s main website. According to Carolyn Handa, “students surround themselves with multimedia and cyber texts. At younger and younger ages, they become adept at playing entirely visual computer games and watch more television and movies than previous generations ever did (3). With that in mind, freshmen students from Kean University may be exposed to more visual rhetoric than students or professors who are much older than they are. In addition when individuals use social networks and blogging sites, “they construct their own highly sophisticated Web pages, they use Web browsers to create pages that almost always include visual elements. They make their own visuals. . .” (3)
However, this can lead to problems with writers who are unaware of the standard conventions of academic writing. Because writing valued on social networks, blogs and forums revolve around the individuals and how they portray themselves, they may choose to incorporate their own personal feelings and emotions in their academic essays. According to Thaiss, “Perhaps the most common instruction by teachers in regard to the control by reason of emotion is to avoid "impressionism": merely expressing "feelings" or opinions.” In addition students who are only familiar with the values of writing the internet may need guidance in setting their purpose, tone and arguments when writing for an academic audience. Handa states that:
Students who possess a high degree of technological skill may see the value in knowing how to create a document using the latest digital took but not understand the importance of thinking carefully about rhetorical questions such as the appropriate audience, purpose, tone and argument (Shauf). (3).
Moreover, academic writing requires individuals to not only provide evidence which supports their reasoning, but they must also be able to explain in order to justify the use of their source. Students may experience difficulty in justifying their reasons in their academic work because of the way individual’s voice out their opinions and justify their reasoning through the internet; this is done through visual digital rhetoric. According to Mary E. Hocks, “digital rhetoric describes a system of ongoing dialogue and negotiations among writers, audiences, and institutional contexts, but it focuses on the multiple modalities available for making mean-ing using new communication and information technologies”. This ongoing dialogue between writers can come in the form of “graphics, screen design, and other media forms” (Mirel, Barbara).
Consequently, forums, blogs and social networks such as Facebook.com, provide individuals with chances to justify the positions through the use of visual cues. For example, on the internet, in order to validate a point, a picture or a video or article or website can be linked. No further explanation is required; a link is simply cut and pasted. There lies the problem of visual arguments. According to Handa, “visual arguments tend to be one-dimensional. They present the case for one side only, without including the arguments against it, or without doing so sympathetically, and without representing alternative standpoints and their merits and defects” (361).
In conclusion, because emotional/self focused writing valued on social networking, forums and blogs, it conflicts with the values of academic writing which is driven by reason. In addition, because hyperlinked activities are valued on the internet, students may have trouble familiarizing themselves linear arguments. With that in mind, students may bring these assumptions to the writing center. Students who have not been exposed to prior knowledge about these conventions of academic writing may not necessarily be equipped to effectively write research papers in the way their professors expect.
Works Cited
Bishop, Wendy. "Places to Stand: The Reflective Writer-Teacher-Writer in Composition." College Composition and Communication. National Council of Teachers of English, Sept. 1999. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
Facebook. Facebook, 2010. Web. 11 Oct. 2010.
info.php?statistics>.
Handa, Carolyn. Visual Rhetoric in a Digital World: a Critical Sourcebook. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2004. Print.
Herring, Susan C. "Computer-Mediated Discourse." The Handbook of Discourse Analysis. By Deborah Schiffrin, Deborah Tannen, and Heidi Ehernberger. Hamilton. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2001. Print.
Hocks, Mary E. "Understanding Visual Rhetoric in Digital Writing Environments." College Composition and Communication Vol. 54.4 (2003): 629-56. College Composition and Communication. National Council of Teachers of English, June-July 2003. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
Mirel, Barbara. "Writing and Database Technology: Extending the Definition of Writing in the Workplace." Electronic Literacies in the Workplace: Technologies of Writing. Ed. Patricia Sullivan and 655 CCC 54:4 / JUNE 2003 Jennie Dautermann. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 1996. 91-114.
Sommers, Nancy, and Laura Saltz. "The Novice as Expert: Writing the Freshman Year." College Composition and Communication. National Council of Teachers of English, 2004. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
Thaiss, Chris, and Terry Zawacki. Engaged Writers, Dynamic Disciplines: Research on the Academic Writing Life. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, Heinnemann, 2006 <.http://classweb.gmu.edu/bhawk/302/academic.pdf>
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