In Selfe's essay Technology and Literacy, she wants everyone to have the opportunity to be technologically literate. In this day and age, yes, you should have a basic sense of technology, but my question throughout was why is it up to the English departments? Why not business? Why hasn't higher education formed a new department for new technology? We had computer classes. Why not have social media? Does that fall under Communications?
In Tobin's essay he speaks about how he's thinking about personal problems in one class or how he wants to chastise his bad students who don't show up when the weather is bad. He also mentioned that he has an 8:30am class. I think we can all relate to that early morning class at least once, which got me thinking. Should we teach the same course differently for each class we teach? Is that even possible? .
Hi, Farrah!!
ReplyDeleteRe: your first question. I came from an undergraduate program in rhetoric and writing that did privilege technology and social media as part of the undergraduate curricula. I agree, though, that sometimes English departments don't seem... the best place to house this. For example, I had one course that was titled professional writing. It was part research methods, part design. The instructor was well versed in the Adobe suite, and as such, was an invaluable resource for designing our white paper. Later on, though, I took a course specifically in design, and my professor had never touched anything Adobe.
That's to say, I think it is time for composition to come to a conclusion: are we doing this, or not? Some departments are already trying. My own is one: we have design courses and classes in web design. That said, are the instructors ready to teach it? Does our scholarship allow for this praxis? Are we able to compete with computer science and PR courses? I'm not sure. Although Selfe's address is a little outdated, I think it still rings true. English, as a professional organization, must pay attention or decide that it is not our job.
Hi Farrah and Noah,
ReplyDeleteYour reaction was mine too at first. Why should the English department take up technology except as tools that can help students read and write better. And in a sense you are definitely right. This should not be something that only the English department undertakes. It should be widespread amongst all of the disciplines in the humanities. However, Noah has a great point: " Are we doing this or not?" I think that all disciplines should advance and since screen literacy is more and more becoming the norm, the English department should take a stance and work to understand how the rhetoric and language of technology impacts student's self of their literacy abilities.