Words by Natalie :)

Just a teen with a blog

[natalie-mena01-blog]

                                                   Shitty Drafts

This week we read “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott and I have to say I LOVED it. Basically she talks about how even the best writers do not feel confident and it takes lots of thought and effort and dedication to get the final draft---it’s a process. The first draft should be just getting your thoughts down. The second draft should be reevaluating what was written and taking bits and pieces that you found were good. The third draft should be the “perfect” draft where everything is put together neatly and coherently. She ends the article by saying “Almost all good writing begins with terrible efforts.” I loved the article and I loved this last quote because I am the type of writer that gets super frustrated when my first draft feels like, well, “shit.” I put my own writing down and that why this article resonated with me so well, it was almost even like a lift-me-up. Like “hey not everybody is amazing at their first draft. You’re not alone, Natalie.” So after reading this article I went home and wrote a short story. It was kind of shitty but hey, that's ok! I feel like once you put in the effort it takes to make your first drafts into better second drafts and even stronger third drafts everything will be ok. This article is great, I feel like the majority of students and writers and general can get something from it---even if it’s just a good laugh. I included the picture above with the quote “The first draft of anything is shit,”  by Ernest Hemingway because it’s not just a feeling writers get but everybody gets in general. For example, an artist might start out with a decent sketch but then decide to scrap the whole idea and begin with something better. Or like on Project Runway, fashion designers begin with certain ideas when they pick out their fabrics but end up doing completely different designs depending on timing, mood, or execution. Overall, I really enjoyed the article (as I’ve mentioned about a million times already). :)

[natalie-mena01-blog]

                                        Collaborative Writing

Collaborative writing, in my opinion is a great opportunity to get the most of ideas and thoughts from different people. “Two heads are better than one,” and 3 and 4 and 5 (haha) . For example, when we worked on outlining “The University in Ruins” with partners, I feel like the work went a whole lot faster and the information also was retained a whole lot better and effectively because my partner and I really put our brains together. We read the chapter, we spoke to our classmates on how the summary would look, we put the ideas we had gotten from the chapter separately, together. I would hope everyone in the class had a similar experience. :)  I think collaborative work is great not only because the result of it is much more cohesive but also because we get to know each other more and our strengths and weaknesses. Something, most might argue is that collaborative work in projects could end up being a disaster. I have had that unfortunate experience of a group not working together at all. But not ALL collaborative work is that bad. I feel like communication is key when doing this type of writing. You hear from the other person’s perspective and in return they hear your ideas. In terms of doing actual research collaborative work could be effective in terms of time. Two people doing research together can produce faster results and provide lots of support since it wouldn't be just one person struggling to conclude an idea. I included the image above because in my mind that's what collaborative work should look like. People working together to complete something effectively while also respecting each others company.

[natalie-mena01-blog]

                                                Queer Rhetoric

In the article, “Locating Queer Rhetorics: Mapping as an Inventional Method,”   Donald Unger and Fernando Sanchez are trying to figure out how queer writing fits into rhetoric and composition . It  focuses on the Lgbtqia community. In class we went over exactly how large the Lgbtqia community is---so big Donald Ugner and Fernando Sanchez emphasize how the map doesn’t include every single identity out there. Queer identity is always shifting and it’s certain that it will continue shifting and changing for the future. We discussed how we should not refer to the Lgbtqia community as “those people,” they have their respective identities. I think it important to educate people of this because sometimes we might say “they do this and this etc…” without even knowing that it is offensive. In general it’s important to understand Queer Rhetorics and it’s importance in the academic world. I feel like i learned a lot from this discussion. I had no idea that Queer Rhetorics was so broad. I suppose the big question is “what constitutes queerness?” This question might actually never be answered because the whole point of Queer theory is that it is open to growth so there is no definite definition.  I included a picture of the Lgbtqia flag above, I liked the flag picture a lot and I think it goes well with the article.

[natalie-mena01-blog]

                                    Medias in the Classroom

In the article “Impossibly distinct: On form/content and word/image in two pieces of computer-based interactive multimedia,” Anne Wysocki suggests media is always evolving. She uses the examples of CD’s to portray this. Visual elements provided by the CD’s was at that time modern and new. Something the article is lacking is timelessness. Although it is true that media is evolving, the example provided of the CD is outdated. It’s 2017, and we hardly ever use any CD’s anymore. I found this article a little bit difficult to resonate with because of the outdated example. Something we discussed in class is how social medias such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr can be seen as less important because of the format it’s in. This is often true, a lot of political issues are talked about on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram but so many people overlook the overall message from it just because of the platform it is presented on. It’s important to look at media and how it evolves and accept that it is a news outlet. Incorporating meidas into the classroom is a modern way of presenting formal information. Kind of like right now, how I’m posting on Tumblr talking about this article. It’s an assignment and should be taken seriously even if it is such an informal platform. I inserted the picture above because I think it accurately represents how media is in our life, on our phones, its everywhere and its going to continue to grow. I feel like that is the message Wysocki was trying to get it.

[fullbouquetwhispers-blog]

Not one is made the same

Reading this article touched a sensitive topics for me. I’ve never been in a car accident, suffered a stroke , or a concussion. But I do battle from what these people in the article suffer with. It sounds ridiculous, and my condition is probably another. All I am saying is that I feel for the folks in this article. I do read extremely slow, sometimes I must re-read, I have to read out of paper because reading out of a devise causes me a headache. My attention, and focus go in and out so much it’s unbearable! The words intertwine, and blurt. My reading deficiencies are real, and they have become a big problem for me. I do have comprehension on my reading, but I must read some sentences a couple times to fully comprehend. I’ve found my self blankly just reading sentences without retaining any real information. I feel so passionate about the topic because I relate closely to it. There have been instances where my classmates (whom I share majors with) are talking about readings, articles, novels etc. And sometimes I cannot relate because I haven’t read that many things. Because I read so slow, and by the time I actually pick up a book they have already read and discussed it. It can be embarrassing for me at times, I honestly didn’t know that people commonly went through this. Well at least it seems common, for a while I would ask or talk about it. I thought I would sound dumb. I want to be clear that iam not some outcast, and I am relevant in my subject of interest. I am just not as well equipo as other classmates, I’ve seen people rush, or skim through a reading of 25 pages. and they are ready to discuss in 20 min. I can not do that I need at least one to two hours, it’s just very frustrating. . Like many of the people that were interviewed in he article I too picked up ways to help my self. For some of them, they used a finger to comprehend the words. People like (jean) get lucky because, she worked with students with deficiencies, and she helped her toddler child to comprehend reading. She used those tactics that she already had from her previous job. Unlike jean I was born with a reading/comprehension deficiency. I thought it was normal up until I was a teenager, Jane was able to know the difference, and she knew how to help her self. There are strategies I’ve picked up along the years, Like (Judith) I highlight a lot. I make sure I have long periods of time to read, I shut my self from any noise because otherwise I can’t focus or understand my reading. And I take notes, lots of notes it takes more time, but gets the job done. Similar to Roberts (another one of the interviews) “auxiliary brain” which I thought was very funny because I have a planner written with any note possible that will help me stay on tract. Although I’ve never gone through social inequality, i feel like I don’t fit inn with some social groups. I don’t know if it’s me, or they sense that I might not be right at their standards. Maybe it’s my insecurity, but I stay clear of some people because I know they are way ahead of my level. I shut my self out, “despite these productive strategies to read and write in the face of literate misfitting, social pressures from what individuals understand as "real” reading and writing push back on and sometimes limit individuals’ new strategies and in turn, their literate potential.“ I don’t need anyone to feel sorry for me, it’s something I’ve lived with my whole life. I still haven’t gotten used to it, but I definitely do not see it as a impediment. At the end of the day I am here in a university, with really intellectual people doing what they are doing and also succeeding. I guess I do a good job at dealing with my problem. Practice makes perfect, the way humans cope with their unique problems eventually becomes a life style. Some people don’t mind the extra strain, some in my cause would opt for giving up. "When we experience misfiring and recognize that disjunction for its political potential, we expose the relational component and the fragility of fitting. Any of us can fit here today and misfit here tomorrow.”

[natalie-mena01-blog]

I feel like so many others also struggle with reading because of disabilities. I have a friend that must have her tests printed out to a much larger font in order for her to read. She also has to start earlier than anyone else so that she can really read all of it and do her best. People with disabilities often feel alone as a result become frustrated. As educators, I think its best to provide as much assistance to students with disabilities as we can. And as I’ve mentioned before, I really do believe providing accessibility to students is so important and fundamental to learning. The idea is to include everyone in class discussions and in assignments and readings. It should be a priority to encourage students by listening intently to their needs in the class to promote better education in general.

[auroraluna1-blog]

Literate Misfitting: Disability Theory and a Sociomaterial Approach to Literacy by Elisabeth L. Miller offers an insight on disabilities issues and the grounds that society has organized them. Society removes some barriers, but also restrict choices for the disabled. Both try to favor certain disabilities but not all cater to the classroom needs for literate practices. The social conception of “normal literacy” values can differ in some education classrooms. For example, a school may not have sufficient funds to cater to all disabled student needs. In that sense, a student may be send to another school miles away from their home. Also, a disabled student  may need a home bound restricted environment where a teacher needs to teach from their home. The article states that a person uses their body as a technology tool for advancement. It can be as simple as moving a finger through a text or as difficult as reading text over and over again. I believe an issue that still stands today from a pedagogy stand point is that teachers may not know how to cater to a disabled student needs. A disabled student by law has the right to attend a general education classroom. Therefore, a general education teacher may not be prepared for that situation. Consequently, the student might fall behind or not pass to next grade level. I believe, the article informs readers of an exciting issue that has existed and continues to exist. I found extremely interesting how the world invents things that caters to mass population but not for disabled population. Therefore, not considering if a disabled person would take advantage of such invention. Although, one can argue that some inventions cater only the disabled. The concept remains, because most things in fact favor a large population versus the disabled population which then transfers into the classroom.

[nayleaorta-blog]

Hey Aurora,

I think you what you said about how the “world invents things that caters to mass population but not for disabled population.” There are places that I have visited that don’t have ramps for people in wheelchairs and since my mom is partially blind she can’t read the small font menus at restaurants but they don’t offer larger font menus so I have to read the menu out loud (which I don’t mind). In the school setting, I have heard from friends who are teachers that other teachers do not want to deal with students who have a harder time learning such as dyslexia, ADHD, or any other form learning disability because, in my opinion, they are too lazy to teach. The teachers end us sending the students out of their classrooms. As for the equipment funds for students who are disabled, I think that is seen more in low income schools but even then, some schools who can afford it don’t emphasize on making the campus “disable friendly.” How would you make a campus more conscientious about students with special needs? 

[natalie-mena01-blog]

So many things to take into consideration. Sometimes universities build these intricate structures like steep, long stair cases that seem easy for us to walk up and down but almost impossible for a disabled individual to actually do. As Dr. Hawkins told us in class during discussion that her friend is unable to just get out of her car and walk inside a pharmacy. Sometimes we as people, take for granted the things we can do. And therefore, we forget about how difficult it must be for a person with disabilities to manage. Something that I plan to take from the article is accessibility. As a future educator, I definitely plan on including accessibility  for my students so that they feel more comfortable learning and don’t have a difficult time doing so. Not only do campuses need to invest time in providing accessibilities to students but also the teachers need to do the same.

[natalie-mena01-blog]

               Veterans: Transitioning into Adult Learners

A very small percentage of veterans actually go into English as a profession. Most veterans prefer social work, law enforcement, politics, business, engineering, etc as careers. Something concerning is most teachers are not informed on how to work with veterans. Trainings “generally fail to make connections between veterans and other student groups,” stated in the article “Promising Practices for Student Veterans in College Writing Classrooms.” The issue is not to focus on the status of a veteran but HOW to help transition them as adult learners. Veterans are described as being usually leaders in class discussions, they seek help more openly, and they’re timely with their assignments. As educators, we need to find a way to provide more assistance to Veterans. One way to do this is to inform educators and build more opportunities for Veterans and by providing guidance in terms of school and classes. In a survey provided to faculty 92% said they did not receive any training on understanding veteran issues. This is very important to look at, especially within the English department considering so little amount of veterans are actually active in Writing. My opinion is schools should design a written plan for teachers so they can become more acquainted with veterans and how to assist them. A part of assisting veterans could be academic programs including information on Veteran Resource Centers  (VRCs) and stay in close contact with them. I included the picture above because it helps show the loyalty veterans have to the USA and its people. In return, veterans should receive the same amount of respect  in terms of helping them build their education effectively.

[lizzieelizondo286-blog]

Will they ever learn? I don’t care.. it’s THEIR education..

The two readings we had for this week continued to talk along the lines of multiculturalism in the classroom and grammar, the way it is used by students based on their “ethnic and educational backgrounds” (Lu, 444).

Min-Zhan Lu’s article Professing Multiculturalism: The Politics of Style in the Contact Zone, mentions how teaching methods “invite a multicultural approach to style” (Lu, 442) but sometimes can cause students to have a lot of errors in their writing. She draws this line between teachers and students when teaching writing, and points out how teachers tend to send students who have “problems with usage to the writing center” (Lu, 443).  As she mentions it can be frustrated for the teacher, but if you look onto the other side, it isn’t any better. In fact, this is what causes students to become careful with their writing. Grammar becomes a focus when the writing process begins and even though it isn’t meant to intimidate students, they often become careful and being “right becomes a real concern” (Lu 446) when writing an essay. I feel like Lu blames teachers for implicating this way of thinking, and I can relate to this because as a student in high school I can say I was more worried about my grammar than the actual context of the essay. This is when Lu introduces her teaching method in an attempt, to “apply a multicultural approach to student writing” (Lu, 447) which will lead to the classroom being viewed as a “contact zone.” She takes this out of our next article, which the author Mary Louise Pratt describes this as a “space where various cultures clash and grapple with each other”  (Lu, 447). Lu hopes this approach will help students with their writing styles, which I found interesting and promising. As student writers or real writers, this approach seems like it will best work with first year writing classes just as Lu discusses.

In Mary Louise Pratt’s article, Arts of the Contact Zone, she discusses contact zones, which was mentioned before as cultures that clash, such as “colonialism, slavery or their aftermaths as they are lived out in many parts of the world today.” Pratt describes how it can be seen as a positive thing in the classroom. As we have a classroom full of students from different backgrounds, this can help them become knowledgeable about other cultures and ethnicities, which is important for students to experience in a classroom first hand. Pratt also mentions how it can be seen as a negative thing, such as how a country talking over another native community is domination. These two readings have really given me insight to bringing some of these ideas into the classroom. I personally like Lu’s teaching method but I can’t rule out the “contact zone” approach.  

[natalie-mena01-blog]

Something I enjoyed about Pratt’s article was when she talked about her son in the introduction. How baseball opened up various subjects for her son to learn at an early age, “I watched Sam apply his arithmetic skills to working out battling averages...most of his life revolved around trading them, and he learned about exchange, fairness, trust, the importance of processes as opposed to results.”  She transitions into how school didn’t really give her son the opportunity to learn anything outside of just the core subjects. And that's when she jumps right into “contact zone.” Why do you think she included all this information on her son and her son’s experiences, yet it isn’t brought up again after the intro (not even in conclusion)?

[natalie-mena01-blog]

You May Want to Marry My Husband

After learning she doesn’t have long to live, a woman composes a dating profile for the man she will leave behind.

I really enjoyed reading this article. It's very sentimental and I know this really has nothing to do with class but if anyone is interested in reading it, Enjoy. :)

[natalie-mena01-blog]

                                                Research Paper:

This Thursday (3/2/17) we had a guest lecturer, Consuelo Salas, she was really sweet and I really liked her lecture on the research paper that is due at the end of the semester. To be quite honest with all of you, I hadn’t put much thought into the research paper, nor did I even know that there was one we had to do (I know right where was I? Under a rock?). Ms. Salas opened up my eyes completely and really helped me figure out what I was going to do for the research paper. She offered great tips on how to start researching and she gave us time to really think about what it takes to get us there. One method she brought up that I really enjoyed was the Information Timeline. Set up into Event (Days), Analysis (Weeks), Context (Months) and Filtered (Years). She had us talk about all the different resources we use when conducting research and without even realizing it we all had so many different answers. Some of us use articles, youtube videos, blogs, books, and even social media! I had no idea we could even use social media (depending on context and who is saying what). Another technique she brought up is the CRAAP method. Currency (Kairos)- timeliness/ context of info, Relevance (Topic)- importance of info for your needs , Authority (Credibility)- source of info; both author/location found, Accuracy(Ethos/Logos)- reliability, truthfulness, correctness of text, Purpose- reason info exists; what the author is trying to achieve in their work. Something I find very effective in the CRAAP method is checking the validity of the article and the author’s intentions for writing it so as not to stray off the topic you’re trying to get at with your research paper. Overall, I feel like I am prepared to write my research paper (or at least more so than I was before the lecture). The gif I inserted above shows Sheldon from Big Bang Theory throwing around a bunch of papers. I included this because conducting a research paper can really start to feel chaotic when you don’t know where to start. It’s like having all this information and not knowing what to do with it. I really feel like Ms. Salas was effective in getting us to a great start so that if we follow the two methods she mentioned, perhaps we won’t feel in over our heads.

[nayleaorta-blog]

Is My Info Credible?

In class on Thursday we had a presentation on how to conduct research for our upcoming research essay. I had done research papers in the past so I sort of knew how to attain my information necessary for the assignments. When I first started writing research papers, I would mainly use Google and choose any website with information that I thought sounded “right.” I would even use Wikipedia but only as source to get me thinking of what to research not use the actual information presented on that website. Then I would use other websites and maybe a book pertaining to what I am looking for. It would also take me a long time to come up with ideas and just getting started. Now I start my research assignments by choosing what I find interesting about the novel the research is suppose to be on, or the author, etc. I make a list of what I would like to research and then I break each point into smaller and more detailed points. For example, if a book touches on the topic of mental health then I would make it a point. Let’s say I am going to research mental health in the early nineteenth century then I break the topic down into how were the patients treated, what instruments were used, and what were the “popular” diagnosis’ used at the time. If the book brings up the topic of poor working conditions in nineteenth century England, then I would make that a point and come up with smaller points about that. The topic that I feel has the most information and/or the one I find to be the most interesting is what I choose my paper to be about. Then I begin my “real” research. I usually use the university library database to find articles, journals, etc. Depending on the subject I use textbooks that I have used for my previous courses and I got to the library. I like to get my sources from different places. After the class on Thursday, I thought more about my process and found new places to attain information that I hadn’t really thought of before. I also learned to be more critical of my sources. It also gave me an idea of how I would teach my future students on how to conduct a research assignment. I found that lesson to be helpful. How have you’re research writing skills changed? Have they stayed pretty much the same? Where do you get your information from? What is the most difficult and/or easiest part of writing a research paper for you?

[natalie-mena01-blog]

Hey Naylea. My research skills have changed over the years. When I was in elementary I would just do a google search and click whichever link popped up. As I got older and went into middle school teachers wanted more credible sources, a.k.a Scholarly articles. It wasn’t until High-school that I was introduced to Google Scholar and it was so much easier for me to find scholarly articles (Thank goodness). I don’t only use scholarly articles but I use other resources like YouTube. It’s really cool to see professors or scholars talk on YouTube whether it be their personal channel or TedTalk. It makes looking for information fun and less of a drag. Some of the things they bring up can be used as extra support of an article I might’ve found but didn’t know how to further incorporate it. The most difficult part of a research paper for me is putting it all together. Once all the information is found and I have more or less of an idea of how to structure it , it can come all together cohesively. It’s the figuring out how I want the information to flow that is the hardest.

[natalie-mena01-blog]

                                            What is a Feminist?

In Ch. 5,Theory as Liberatory Practice,  Bell Hooks, as a social activist, was attracted to theory because of her difficult childhood. She struggled to understand male authority and what her family considered to be the “social norms.” Her parents saw her as a “demonic little figure who threatened to subvert and undermine all they were seeking to build.” Her parents could not understand and in result she could not connect to her family so she turns to theory as a “healing place.” She brings up several theorists in terms of feminism.  Alice Miller is mentioned because of Bell’s personal connection to Alice’s story which included her  turning to theory because of her wounded childhood. She introduces Katie King and how she talks about how white, powerful women sometimes do not give recognition to lesser known sources they take from. And even if they say they’re building on ideas based on unknown authors, the credit is given to the more well-known people. Katie King goes on talking about how one way theory is used is to set up unnecessary and competing hierarchies  designating work as either inferior, superior, or ,more or less worthy of attention. In academics, the work deemed truly theoretical is work that is highly abstract, jargonistic, difficult to read, and containing  obscure references. Outside of academics this use of theory is useless because it promotes class elitism and creates a gap between theory and practice. Some black instructors do not speak up on their theoretical conclusions  when they are mostly around white teachers and a small group of black people because they want to fit in with the small group. 

Something we talked about in class is how you don’t have to be a woman in order to be a feminist. You can be a guy who strongly supports feminism and everyone has a different way of viewing it and that's great. That's why I chose the above quote/gif by Beyoncé because it includes all people not just women.

[andrea-yvette22-blog]

Lots of Feminism

I have mixed feelings about the Bell Hooks reading we had to read this week since I agree with feminism but, at the same time I disagree with some of the things she points out in her article. I understand that equality is important and everything I just feel like she is somewhat sexist in the article. I mean not all men are terrible insensitive pigs that have zero respect for women and the authority they may hold. I kind of got that vibe from this article and I disagree completely that we should ostracize men that way.

I read chapter 10 first for the wiki article we had to turn in and I thought the conversation she had with her fellow colleague was interesting at first. They discussed the differences in teaching methods and even how college students react to different methods of teaching. They compared themselves to “dictators” in realizing that the students may feel intimidated by the power the professor holds in the classroom. I can personally agree with that since it is true that the professor may come off as intimidating since they are the main authority in the class and what they say goes. However, after that part in the conversation it strays off completely into feminism which left me more than a little confused.

Hooks starts discussing how she herself as a feminist sees the struggle with gaining common ground as a woman, a writer, and a professor in her age. I realize these are all good issues to discuss and it must have been hard for her but, I don’t see the connection with what this has to do with teaching. I thought she would at least try to connect back to what she first said at the beginning of the conversation or at least mention something else connected to teaching in the classroom but, nope she just kept talking about feminism. Don’t get me wrong though it was all very interesting but the remarks she made just made me feel like she was bias about the whole thing.

[natalie-mena01-blog]

Hey Andrea, I understand what you’re saying. Theory is actually a really big part of feminism and I think Hooks was jus trying to showcase that by comparing education and race into her explanations. It can get rather confusing with Hooks going back and forth. Bell Hooks sees comparisons between how women are treated in regards to written works. She brings up Katie King and  how she talks about how white, powerful women sometimes do not give recognition to lesser known sources they take from. And how in academics, the work deemed truly theoretical is work that is highly abstract, jargonistic, difficult to read, and containing  obscure references. In some way or another all of this connected into how society promotes elitism and excludes people of color or low social class even women. And that is why she goes back and forth---to show how all of this is related. I hope that helps clear up a little bit of the confusion.

[nayleaorta-blog]

It’s Called Diversity, People!

Bell hooks presents the idea of gender equity in her book, “Teaching to Transgress.” In chapter seven, bell hooks primarily talks about why white and black women don’t get along even among feminist groups. The reason goes back to when slavery was very prominent in the United States. White men desired black women and would rape them. White women would see their female slaves as sexual competitors and would highly implement laws and public opinion about white men and black women to be taboo. They would secure their position as the served while their black female slaves were the servants. Black women hated their white “masters” because of it. Instead of helping each other and forming a bond or sisterhood, both races did not get along. Even now, feminist groups fight for the rights for gender equity but only for white race females and forget about their African American sisters. This brings me to how do we teach feminism in the classroom and/or how do we incorporate it. We have to make them approachable and free to be discussed. It may be uncomfortable for some teachers to teach it and for some students to learn about it but it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t part of our history. We have to know the views of different teachers, especially African American teachers, who have experienced gender inequality. The textbooks only describes the point of views of the white females but they don’t go into detail on the other races. While we had the discussion in class, a classmate of mine made a comment about a history professor she had and how he would dodge the section of the feminist movement. He wouldn’t address it. I then thought of my previous history teachers and history professors and tried to remember whether or not they spoke about the feminist movement as well. Out of all of them, only my eighth grade history teacher went into depth about the subject. We even had to randomly choose a name from a cup and do research on how they contributed to the feminist movement. Because of my eighth grade history teacher, I got even more interested in feminism. Unfortunately for me, that was the last time I went in depth on the subject. My other teachers and my history professors would only touch the subject for half a class period or just made one statement about it which was something like “this was happening to women, it was bad, and women fought for their rights….the end.” Why don’t teachers want to go into depth on feminism?

[natalie-mena01-blog]

Hey, Naylea. I agree! What about feminism makes people uncomfortable? Is it the misinterpretation that we talked about in class, how some people think its extremists who hate men?  Personally, I feel pretty comfortable with the topic. I agree teachers don't spend a lot of time on the subject, mostly in history class they talk about it briefly. I don’t really know why that is. Something brought up in chapter 5, Theory as Liberatory Practice, is that some black instructors do not speak up on their theoretical conclusions  when they are mostly around white teachers and a small group of black people because they want to fit in with the small group. A lot of African American teachers don't speak up because they feel like they can’t. What do you think on this ?

[auroraluna1-blog]

Rule of Reason

The University of Berlin was founded in the 1810’s with a vision of a modern university. However, the foundation was founded with one concept of teaching in that of a humanist education approach. Through the years the educational system has evolved bringing in new concepts of education. In the book” The University in Ruins, by Bill Reading they mention the theology and philosophy approach. A Theology approach meaning the study of law, medicine, or religion. On the contrary, philosophy is based on reason alone. Therefore, they become a discussion of ideas between the original traditional pedagogy approaches of teaching. Now, my understanding is that theology Universities produce technicians for the state, while physiology protects the University from abuse of the state. In my opinion, I can relate this to what a University chooses to teach into their curriculum, but it can also depend on which standards each institute follows. Has anyone ever noticed that higher payed jobs are linked to interest of our government. Many degrees for higher education require more money to be invested and additional state certificationas. Also, many people in our government and educational system have different perspectives of education. For example, many teachers teach what is required versus what they originally believed or wanted to teach. Government plays a role by benefiting from the student and builds them up as an industrial investment for business.

[natalie-mena01-blog]

Omg yes ! I have absolutely notices that some of the  higher paying jobs are directly linked with the government. And absolutely, the higher the education the more expensive. We live in a society that values education and looks at degrees very highly. The problem with this is, many smaller degrees aren’t really praised. And so students know right away that the job market is scarce. Students really don't choose the jobs they want sometimes because it’s not as respected or it’s not enough pay. So they pick Pre-professional jobs like Pre-med, Pre-law to pursue degrees in. Many teachers have to follow a particular curriculum and so for example, if they want to teach a particular topic using a graphic novel their ideas are shut down by the school district. I really feel strongly that the government has a lot of benefits from the money that we spend at college.

[nayleaorta-blog]

The University is Where It’s At!

For class this week we got into pairs and had to summarize a chapter from the book “The University in Ruins” by Bill Readings. My project partner and I had to summarize chapter five which talked about how the in the University a person could learn to combine nature and reason through culture. Readings backs up this notion by naming famous German philosophers and there theories. Kant, a German philosopher, claims that we have to obtain more knowledge to climb the levels of reason to finally be able to understand the world (I really simplified it, FYI). Schiller, another German philosopher, claims that the more reason we obtain the more we will lose touch of the nature or our true selves. The way to be able to gain reason and still hold on to nature or tradition is through culture, like I stated earlier. We get to keep our tradition all while acquiring knowledge at the University. Readings also mentions that in high school there is a lot of teaching going on and no research. At the academy there is a lot of research but no teaching. The only place where there is and should be both going on is at the University. To me, he is basically saying that at the University we as students should learn through research, through the professors, and through each other since diverse individuals attend the University. (The summary sounds a lot better here than in the assignment we turned in, hopefully I’m wrong). This idea, solely from chapter five, got me thinking about my experience at the University. I do feel as if I’m learning from my professors and from the research that I do, especially the research I did for this assignment where I didn’t know any of the German philosophers being cited, and from my peers. We have class discussions and even though I usually stay quiet I am learning from my classmates ideas and in some cases culture. I would like to know more about the other chapters, I tried following along during class discussion but I felt that it was completely different from what was in chapter five. If anyone has had a completely different experience at the University from me, please let me know I would like to read about it.

[lizzieelizondo286-blog]

Naylea as you point out how we get to “keep our tradition all while acquiring knowledge” really got me thinking and I didn’t see it like that before you pointed it out. I see it now as a beneficial way for students to learn and grow at the same time. When you mention how there is no research in high school, I would say only a small group of students would get to experience research and teaching and those students are the ones that are in the upper level part of their classes. If everyone in high school has this exposure, do you believe this would change the way they think or the way they interpret the meaning of cultures. Yet there are certain things we can only learn and obtain from the Universities, which is where we go deeper into meanings of a certain text, taking it apart section by section just as we did with this book. Which relates to how you have experienced learning here in at the University.

[natalie-mena01-blog]

Hey Naylea! :) I agree. We learn a lot at the University through research, and the assignments we do, through teachers, and through each other as well. I, as well, had to look up the name of some of the people mentioned in the chapter I worked on with my partner. There are words that I looked up as well that I did not know the proper definition for. Going on to what you brought up about not researching in High school, I agree. Although some of the books I read in my English classes in High school were challenging and I had to look up definitions as well. I feel like in order to prepare a High school student for college, they have to be pushed to do research on their own. As college students, we can relate to the text in a lot of ways . The chapter I read was in 1968 and I still see the similarities to some of the things in present day. For example, students really put their focus on to pre-professional jobs like Pre-Pharmacy and Pre-Law in order to prepare for the job market. Do you think students are pressured to choose a career based off of it’s pay and societal importance?  

[natalie-mena01-blog]

Chapter 9 of “The University In Ruins” is set during 1968 France, its main focus were the student revolts that occurred when the workers of France were on strike and revolution was just a blink away. Students were discontent with the outdated system at the University and at the very scarce amount of  jobs available for graduates. Even though students rejected the old way of running the University they also denied the attempts of the state to modernize it.    The author uses these revolts as an example of how the University needed to evaluate itself. The protests began after the introduction of the Fouchet plan which was met with great criticism especially from Daniel Cohn- Bendit. Many socialists and historians of the time, for example; Pierre Bourdieu  would try to cover up the revolts as child’s play or a blip in time but these revolts are still relevant today. Students often don't enjoy their education or they take the easy route. John Guillory also believes literary theory is a development of a more specialized technical discourse that would lead students to understand their training as prep for specialized technical- managerial role rather than role of public intellectual. In conclusion, students today are not motivated to find themselves or even enjoy their education. Education is often seen or treated as getting credits just waiting to graduate. For students the process is unamusing and lengthy.  Instead of choosing careers they might find interesting they appeal to Pre Professional Programs in order to  better prepare for the job market. Understanding the contemporary University without falling into old habits or consumerism is important. Lost culture (conservatism )cannot be mourned,  neither can we  forget the tradition and decide to just move on into progressive modernism (a new world). Thus, a balance is needed.