1. In the Johnson and
Selber article, there is an emphasis placed on reconsidering the typical notion
of originality. Where do you place your views on the continuum of originality? Do
you see originality in the stricter, more conventional sense, or are you open
to the budding forms of remixing etc.? In what ways do you think assigning
students projects with less stringent standards on originality helps them
blossom? In what ways might it harm the students’ development?
2. In Price, the section
dealing with “common knowledge” peaked my interest. I’m sure each of us has
struggled with understanding what precisely is “common knowledge.” After all, we
are each pretty uncommon individuals. That said, how would you define “common
knowledge” for your students? Do you agree with Price’s assertion that it is
context-dependent, or do you believe that it is dependent on the knowledge the
writer brings with him/her to any given project?
So first off. Let me just say that the Johnson and Selber article kind of blew my mind in terms of the idea of remixing composition. While to some this may be a really commonplace idea, it is not one that I had ever experienced in the framework of composition, which, I think serves to validate their point that original work is highly emphasized in this field and in writing courses generally. I absolutely love the idea of challenging/encouraging students to explore remix methods. It allows them to put their own spin on previous work, adding their voice to the already existing conversation that's at play. I also think it takes some of the pressure off of a student to be "original." Our classrooms and plagiarism statements often terrify students. (This is referenced in the Price piece for today.) Encouraging students to "remix" work might help to reduce that fear of "accidentally" plagiarizing that many students get tripped up with when they're trying to write papers. While I do think that I'd embrace a remixed idea in a classroom, because this strategy is fairly unfamiliar to me I do think I would struggle to explain it correctly or help students who may be interested in using this method. The first few times I offered that as an option I think there would be a balancing act of trying to negotiate what this remix should/can look like.
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