Full Description
This rhetoric with readings invites students to explore the conversations and literacy practices of the various communities they participate in and to apply the understandings they gain to writing, reading, and research in academic settings. Exploring Literacy presents a model of literacy situated in communities and the experiences of readers and writers within them. Students are invited to explore their own experiences in these communities while adopting the reading and writing practices of the academic communities they are entering. Combining the elements of a reader, a rhetoric, research guide, and handbook, it offers an introduction to the sustained inquiry that underlies most academic work. Each chapter focuses on one primary reading selection and demonstrates a process that builds critical response skills. Students are taught effective ways of engaging with different kinds of texts-memoirs, short fiction, ethnographic writings, academic essays-and offered extensive instruction on how to use writing to enrich their involvement with texts.
Contents
Preface. Introduction: Writers, Conversations, and Contexts. Reading About Conversations and Writers.Looking Ahead.Bringing Prior Experience to Your Present Community.Reading Selection: Sandra Cisneros, "My Name."Observing Spoken Conversations.Writing in Academic Genres: Informal Genres.I. EXPLORING LITERACY. 1. Reading as Conversation. Exploring the Reader's Role.Reading Selection: Richard Rodriguez, "Aria."Observing Conversations in Writing Classrooms.Reflecting on How Context Shapes Reading.Writing in Academic Genres: The Essay in Response to a Reading.2. Writing as Conversation. Reading a Writer's Reflections on Community and Competence.Reading Selection: Barbara Mellix, "From Outside, In."Exploring Spoken and Written Storytelling.Reflecting on the Elements of Your Writer's Repertoire.Writing in Academic Genres: Exploratory Essays and Brief Research Reports.3. Reading and Writing Memoirs. Reflecting on Experiences with Language and Social Identity.Reading Memoirs.Writing Memoirs.Reading Selection: Karen's Memoir.Writing in a Public Genre: The Formal Memoir.Extending Your Inquiry.Additional Readings for Part I. Mike Rose, "I Just Wanna Be Average."bell hooks, "Talking Back."Dave Eggers, from A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.Amy Tan, "Mother Tongue."Tommi Avicolli, "He Defies You Still: The Memoirs of a Sissy."Leslie Marmon Silko, from The Storyteller.David Sedaris, "Go Carolina."Annie Dillard, from An American Childhood.Sean Smith, "Language Memoir."James Jean, "Memoirs of an Indivisible Man."Dina Tsirelson, "Memoir."Bryan Gangemi, "The Birth of a New Writer."II. STUDYING EVERYDAY CONVERSATIONS. 4. Identifying Communities. Observing Discourse Communities.Entering the World of a Short Story as a Reader.Reading Selection: Flannery O'Connor, "The River."Analyzing Discourse Communities in Literature.Reflecting on Your Prior Knowledge About Literature.Writing in Academic Genres: The Critical Analysis.5. Analyzing Everyday Conversations. Doing Ethnographic Research.Drawing on a Study of Conversations, and Communities.Reading Selection Shirley Brice Heath, "Oral Traditions. Part I: Roadville."Reading Selection Shirley Brice Heath, "Oral Traditions. Part II: Trackton."Reading Selection Shirley Brice Heath, "Oral Traditions. Part III: Traditions of Storytelling."Extending Your Research.Writing in Academic Genres: The Comparison Essay.6. Writing in Ethnographic Genres. Observing a Setting and the Ways People Interact There.Learning from an Ethnographic Study.Reading Selection: James Spradley and Brenda Mann, "How to Ask for a Drink."Reading Ethnography from a Writer's Perspective.Using the Genres of Ethnographic Writing.Additional Readings for Part II.Toni Cade Bambara, "The Lesson."Paul Willis, "The Informal Group."Michael Moffatt, from Coming of Age in New Jersey. Edie Shillue, "Good Craic."Interview with Edie Shillue.Charles Bazile, "Hello. Is Anyone There?"Pebely Vargas, "DSP Continues."Jake M. Wark, "Means and Motives."Richard Corrente, "The Dragon Court World."7. Researching Academic Discourse Communities. Preparing to Study an Academic Setting.Reading an Academic Study.Reading Selection Sheila Tobias, "The Eric Experiment."Seeing from the Perspective of a Researcher.Reflecting Back on Personal Experience as a Student.Writing in Academic Genres: The Persuasive Essay.8. Analyzing Classroom Conversations. Observing a Classroom Moment.Drawing on a Reading.Reading Selection Mike Rose, "The Politics of Remediation."Exploring Strategies for Taking a Critical Perspective.Writing in Academic Genres: The Critical Analysis of Research Data.9. Reporting Research in Academic Disciplines. Approaching the Library, as a Discourse Community.Entering Academic Conversations.Exploring Style and Genre in Academic Writing.Writing in Academic Genres.Additional Readings for Part III. Juliette Houlne, "Women in Science and Bio 112."James Paul Gee, "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics."Jean Anyon, "Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work."Christina Haas, "Learning to Read Biology."Vanessa Ortega, "Music as Lifestyle."Sophia Kang, "An Exciting Debate."Mike LeVert, "Academic Discourse Community Study-Physics."IV. STRATEGIES FOR READING, WRITING, AND RESEARCH. Working in Small Groups.Participating in Large-Group Discussions.Reading.Writing.Responding to Peers.Assessing Yourself.Preparing a Portfolio.Presenting and Reporting to a Group.Conducting Field Research.Conducting Library Research.Documenting Sources.
