Malinowitz

Before You Read:

I define the term queer as someone who is gay/lesbian, but I define it more as an offensive word, rather than one to actually define a person who is gay. Often times, whenever I see or hear the word queer, it is usually used in a derogatory manner. Personally, I find it somewhat offensive to the gay/lesbian community, and I personally have gay friends who feel the same. If the word wasn't always used in that way, I feel that it would be more acceptable.

Summary:

In Malinowitz' article, she discusses how teacher should be able to create a non-prejudice environment in which gay and lesbian students can be able to learn. She explains that teachers must be comfortable around their students and vice-versa in order for there to be mutual ground on which to learn. She also argues that gay and lesbians are often times looked down upon in society and that many gay and lesbian students are afraid to identify themselves because of this reason. Malinowitz goes on to discuss that many gay and lesbian students have different ways of expressing themselves, and people should be accepting of that. She also explains how gay and lesbian students have a different literary identity than straight students.

Synthesis:

In this article, I related Malinowitz to McCloud because many gay & lesbian students hide behind a mask because they are afraid of being persecuted and judged. Another author that I found similar was Malcolm X. The segregation of the 1960's against african americans is not much different than today's segregation/prejudice against gays and lesbians. Another author I synthesized with was Porter, because both article talk of the discourse communities and how learning about another community can benefit both sides as well as understanding.

Response	Quotation
I like this quote because it shows how people of different backgrounds are able to contribute into the multiliteracied environments. Doing so allows us to learn about their discourse community and ultimately gain knowledge about their culture.	“A prodigious literature has in fact emerged, the aim of which is to reshape our consciousness of how different groups of people make meaning in a multiliteracied environment” (Malinowitz 111).
I feel that this is a very important quote because if a student is not comfortable in the classroom, they will not be able to work to their full potential. We need to work together as a society to try and eliminate the prejudices in the classroom in order for students to excel.	“Creating an academic environment in which the complexities of lesbian and gay subjectivity can enter discourse will, first of all, entail “outing” realms of experience, fear, feeling, and prejudice that have not been substantively dealt with in our classes and departments before” (Malinowitz 112).
I like this quote because Malinowitz addresses the problem that whenever this subject is brought up, we associate it with personal identity. I believe that we don’t always have to associate it with a “personal identity”, rather we can look at it from a different perspective.	“Often, when lesbian and gay existence is discussed at all, it is consigned to the category of “personal identity”” (Malinowitz 115).
Malinowitz discusses how a person’s background often times determines their thoughts on gay and lesbian ideas. Unfortunately, I believe that society will never fully accept the gay and lesbian culture as a norm, mainly because all people are brought up differently and pass down their beliefs to others and so on.	“Predictably, age, gender, race, and class locations of students positioned them differently regarding the ways the interpreted lesbian and gay experience as well as specific texts about that experience” (Malinowitz 123).
I found this very interesting because Malinowitz uses first hand accounts of students that are gay/lesbian in the classroom. When I read this, I found the article more interesting and realistic. This quote was significant because I found that the usage of the word has definitely changed since the 1990's. Many people use it as a condescending word towards gays.	“Narratives by and about lesbian and gay students who have taken one or the other of my gay-themed writing classes, along with samples and analyses of their work, are at the heart of this book” (Malinowitz 125). “The contempory term ‘queer,’ used mostly by younger activists and artists, conveys in popular jargon the basic idea of a broad category embracing a spectrum of those who deviate from the heterosexual norm" (Malinowitz 126).

Applying and Exploring Ideas:

One language that identify with is my ethnicity. I take pride and understanding in my hispanic heritage, as I am half cuban. I grew up with my mom and grandpa telling me stories of how they left the country and how they worked hard to get where they are today. I always apply that thinking to most of what I do, especially now that I'm in college. I try and work hard and do things to the best of my ability. If I didn't have this part of me, or if someone tried to take it away, I would have to say I wouldn't be the same person I am today. However, this has never happened to me.

Thoughts:

I really liked this reading and how Malinowitz structured her article. It was very easy to read and could be applied to all any student. I was able to relate to it, through the multicultural aspect, because of my hispanic heritage. It was interesting to see how the outlook on gays and lesbians has changed since the article was written. This was a very informative article and an easy read.

Topic Proposal

For my topic proposal, I wanted to write about something that could benefit me while I learned and studied the discourse community. For my project three, I have decided to discuss the Recording Industry. Since my major is Music Production, I thought that researching about its discourse community could benefit me in my English class and also in my knowledge about some of the aspects related to my major. This will also help me in learning about the discourse community that I will be entering very soon. The language that is used in the Recording Industry and production can be very complex at times. I feel that many people view it as an easy job, but they don't realize how technologically savvy producers, technicians, or industry employees have to be. By learning about this discourse community, it will ultimately benefit me in the long run. 

Devitt

Before You Read:

1. Talking on the phone
2. Speaking to someone
3. Texting
4. News articles
5. Facebook/Twitter
6. Email
7. Skype, Facetime, etc.

Summary:

In this article or articles, "Materiality and Genre in the Study of Discourse Communities" by Devitt, Bawarshi and Reiff they talk about the importance of genre and how it influences the way people communicate. The article also suggests how genre analysis contributes to ethnomethodology, which contributes to the pedagogy of text-dependent subject matter. The first article talks about how genre is used by politicians and lawyers in order to communicate with nonmembers of that discourse community. The second article talks of the PMHF or patient medical history form, and how "focusing on a specific textual genre helps us to identify a discourse community by relating it to a specific site of interpersonal activity that most of us have experienced" (Bawarshi 104). The third article shows how creating and researching the genre of ethnography can teach students about their own discourse community, while learning about others'.

Synthesis:

When reading I thought of Swales, Pollan and Gee. All three talk of discourse community and how it is used to communicate with people who are not involved in the community. Genre is also a common topic discussed in the author's articles.

Response	Quotation
I like this quote because Devitt uses it to explain how genre is used to elaborate on points of a discourse community. She also uses it as a way for people to learn how to study a community’s language more effectively.	“Whether we are studying academic, professional, or public communities, genres considered as material entities, enable us to enrich the idea of a discourse community by giving discipline and focus to the study of the unities of language and society” (Devitt 99).
This quote is interesting because it shows how often times, communities with a genre can conflict with other communities that have an opposing genre. A perfect example of this is Democrats and Republicans.	“Such analysis” (on genres) “often reveals the conflicts between communities that use a genre, conflicts often invisible to analysis that looks at discourse in terms of its communion alone” (Devitt 99).
I found this quote significant because it shows how nonmembers determine a lot of what happens in a discourse community. Devitt uses the example of how voters (nonmembers) make decisions about how the government operates and its laws.	“Yet the difficulty remains of community- embedded genres producing action by nonmembers of that community” (Devitt 100).
This is basically a simple summarization of what a discourse community is all about. A discourse community is mainly built off a group of people and their language.	“..the idea of discourse community is built on the premise that what we know and do is connected to the language we use” (Bawarshi 104).
Reiff explains how genre is very important when conducting research about a community. By using genres when doing research, it can help a student understand how a discourse community, that they are unfamiliar with, works.	“As typical responses to repeated social situations, genres are rhetorical maps that chart familiar or frequently traveled communicative paths and provide guideposts as writers adapt to unfamiliar academic terrain and study parts of society beyond the classroom” (Reiff 106).

Meta Moment:

I believe that the best route for understanding a discourse community is through ethnographic research because it allows the person conducting the research to have a first hand account of the community that they are studying. Although it is probably not the most accurate (unless you are sampling a large amount of people), I believe that it allows for the researcher to learn more about the discourse community.

Thoughts:

I thought these article were very interesting. The examples that they gave allowed the reader to relate to what the author was trying to say. These articles were a lot easier to understand than the other ones. I feel that this will be helpful when working on project #3.

Gee

Before You Read:

First result

Urban Dictionary: mush fake

www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mush%20fake

prison slang for items owned by an inmate that may be legal to buy, but were constructed or obtained through illegal means, hence they are contraband.

Summary:

In James Gee's article, "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics" Gee talks about the difference between his idea of Discourse and the literary meaning of discourse. He talks and differentiates between primary discourse and secondary discourse. Gee mentions how it is difficult to learn about a community's Discourse and how the concept of mushfake can help us with that.

Synthesis:

This article closely relates with Porter because both article speak of discourse and its importance. It also relates to the previous article by Swales and how a discourse can help relate a groups thoughts to the public. Another similar article is Pollan, because both talk about how discourse can be used in the world as a way to connect with others.

Response	Quotation
I like this quote because Gee suggests that a new form of literacy study is developing. With the way the he describes it, I believe that it could be very effective way of teaching literacy to students.	“I believe that a new field of study, integrating “psycho” and “socio” approaches to language from a variety of disciplines, is emerging, a field which we might call literacy studies” (Gee 482).
This quote from Gee is such a very true statement. Often times people learn language, but don’t know how to apply it correctly in certain environments. For example, sometimes people learn a foreign language in a formal way, but can’t apply it to an everyday setting. Slang is sometimes crucial to fitting into an environment.	““Language” is a misleading term; it too often suggests “grammar”. It is a truism that a person can know perfectly the grammar of a language and not know how to use that language. It is not just what you say, but how you say it” (Gee 483).
This applies just about equally to the quote above. However, of we learn the concepts of a Discourse community, we will be able to communicate with other people in a more efficient manner.	“A Discourse is a sort of “identity kit” which comes complete with the appropriate costume and instructions on how to act, talk, and often write, so as to take on a particular role that others will recognize” (Gee 484).
I like this quote because it explains how people can use their Discourse knowledge to an advantage on others. If there are other people who do not fully understand a community’s Discourse, they can be subject to the dominant group’s rules, orders, etc.	“Very often dominant groups in a society apply constant “tests” of the fluency of the dominant Discourses in which their power is symbolized” (Gee 486).
Gee explains that Discourses are very hard to teach, especially in a classroom. This is very related to foreign languages. You cannot fully understand a foreign language unless you go to the country and speak it with other people.	“We can pause, also, to remark on the paradox that even though Discourses cannot be overtly taught, and cannot readily be mastered late in the game, the University wants teachers to overtly teach and wants students to demonstrate mastery” (Gee 489).

Meta Moment:

Gee did a great job of explaining why other people have trouble understanding another group's Discourse. You can apply this knowledge to learning any type of language, but especially foreign language.

Thoughts:

This was by far a more interesting read than Swales'. Gee did a great job of explaining his definition of Discourse. The examples that he gave really helps the reader and author connect. This was an easy read and contained valuable information that can be applied daily.