Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The importance of setting realistic goals
Discourse community analysis
The importance of setting realistic goals
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The importance of setting realistic goals
What I learned in English 1113
I am an international student from China and this is my first semester studying at the University of Oklahoma. ENGL 1113 Principles of English Composition is the basic academic writing class for all the students at the OU. According to the First-Year Composition, English 1113 focus on the language of power in two ways “the power of language” and “the relationship between power and language “(First-Year Composition). English 1113 helped students learn how to use language analyzing and understand reading materials. More than that, English 1113 teach the format of the essay which is MLA. MLA is required by many courses to write essays and reports. We have written three essays in this class Critical literacy Unit
In “Intersexuality and the Discourse Community,” James E. Porter claims that a discourse community is organized by a group of people who have the similar interests and he also said “an individual may belong to several professional, public, or personal discourse communities” (400). It shows that people can be in the different discourse communities, which help me realized that I should take part in the other organizations except the different courses at OU to make my life colorful. Thus, I take part in the “the University of Oklahoma Chinese Student Union” (ouscss). The members in OUSCSS comes from China, we have same culture and language. Usually, we stay together to celebrate the Chinese Festival. Taking part in the OUSCSS can help me reduce the yearning of home. More than that, In “the Concept of Discourse Community,” John Swales lists six defining characteristics which can find out a group of people in a discourse community includes “In addition to owning genres, a discourse community has an acquired some specific lexis” (220-222). It means we need to know some academic vocabulary so that we can understand the knowledge professors teach in class. In my physics class, as an International student, I often have some new words such as “piston” “thermodynamics” “hypothetical heat engine”, at the beginning of the semester, I really confuse in class because of the specific lexis. When I learned from John Swales, I realized that I should preview the chapter to know the academic words. Thus I can understand the knowledge that professors talked in class. Additionally, I may have some academic words when I work in the future, so I should prepare for my future and have a goal on future’s world. I should know the specific lexis, so that I can take part in the discourse communities in the future as soon as possible. Soon, I
Two professors of different backgrounds, Mike Rose of California, and Gerald Graff, of Illinois, discuss the problems college students face today in America. Though similar in slight variations, both professors view the problem in different regards and prepare solutions that solve what they feel to be the heart of this academic problem. Mike Rose, author of The Politics of Remediation, explains that linguistic exclusion is the barrier that prevents many new college students from excelling in the academics at any given university. Gerald Graff, on the other hand, feels that the problem comes from the lack of communication between professors, and that many of the times the students are taught the same concepts but through opposite understandings and in a bias fashion. Mike Rose met many struggling students at UCLA’s Tutorial Center, the Writing Research Project, and the school’s Summer program.
I have learned a lot so far in English 1101, about myself and about writing. I have discovered that it is sometimes difficult for me to find topics to write about, but once I get an idea it is very easy for me to start writing. English has always been one of the subjects that I tend to struggle with, but this class has helped me realize that I actually enjoy writing. I have never really been able to write a lot about topics of my choice in the past. I am more accustomed to writing papers related to one specific topic. This class gives you a prompt to write about, but you are generally able to expand on that and choose your own topic as long as it relates to the prompt.
Consistency, is what essay formats seek to provide for readers. Without essay formats, readers may find themselves lost in the style of the author’s text rather than contemplating the ideas and thoughts that the author wants the reader to acknowledge. However, why is it that there are so many different essay formats? Wouldn’t it be simpler to just have one universal essay format? The two most widely used formats, MLA and APA, both have great degree of similarity as well as very distinct differences. Most of the similarities exist due to their effectiveness. On the other hand, the two formats’ distinct differences such as in-text citations or setting aside a whole page for a title, serve to strengthen the clarity of ideas within a field of study the author is trying to convey. Different formats exist due to the specific necessities fields of study require in order to convey their ideas to the reader.
When joining a discourse community, it is important that one learns how those in the group use effective ways of communicating. In most discourse communities, they share a distinct genre or way of writing. Members are usually held to certain standards regarding their contribution to the group. Those in the community provide vital feedback and information that is ultimately responsible for the growth of the group. In the following paper, I will discuss the discourse community of “UTEP Blast.”
A discourse community is a group of individuals all with relatively the same ending goal or original interest that all have their own way of participation and have different motives, it is easier to feel more included in a discourse community once literacy achieved. Discourse communities can be found in many different places; it is just a matter of what is being looked for. These communities can come from the entire population, all of the people who speak the English language, any place of education, restaurants, any home, or even at the gym/ recreation center. In order to become literate in the fitness discourse community the differences in basic motives, the values that are important, and the places available to work out at must be understood.
You belong to a discourse community! Whether you know it or not almost everyone belongs to some type of discourse community, but how does it affect you as an individual? From the studies of multiple authors, it has been established what defines a discourse community, what effects intertextuality have on a discourse community and even the overall dynamics, but even with all this research there is still something missing. Elizabeth Wardle, John Swales, and James Porter all make very good discussion points and arguments in their research, but none of these writers stop to examine the effects that these communities could possibly have on the individuals that make the community what it is. Just as it’s the simple stone block that when combined become
Discourse communities and literacy sponsors are very useful terms to know while in college reading and writing in order to understand and finish the course. This paper is a great example as a whole on why these two terms are indeed useful, without them this paper could not have been written. Everyone is involved somehow with a discourse community and literacy sponsor so it is always good to understand what these things are that you are involved with and how to notice them in college reading and writing along with the world.
English Composition II has unexpectedly improved my writing into an academic level. As I studied various English reading and writing courses, this class “English Composition II” did not immediately caught my eye. However as I researched about the concepts of this class, the decision to make was not so difficult since I was lacking in critical thinking and the interpretation of works. Also as a Business Major, it made sense that the subject of English would be of interest to me and as a career requirement. During the first weeks, I thought that I would be fully prepared for this course after taking an accelerated course in English during the spring semester. However, after attending class for about a month, I certainly did not expect to learn an entirely new process of writing
Hoping for the best but expecting the worst, I walked in to English not knowing what to expect. English 111 was boring at times but in many ways helpful. College Composition I main objective is to teach students the fundamentals of academic writing and critical thinking. Aside from learning how to academically write, recognizing grammatical errors, tone, and different styles such as MLA, APA, and CMS, are some other things learned in the course. This essay will be evaluating the book as a whole, self-reflections, essays, my strengths and weaknesses and my professor.
He also mentions his surprise when he saw other families were not debating on the dining table. Although he was raised in middle class white teachers, he sympathizes with other students who experience differences between what they learned in their communities and in literacy education. He claims that literacy is more than writing and analyzing, saying “if it is shaped by culture and context, then the cultures and contexts we inhabit in our lives outside of the classroom will necessarily influence the way we approach literacy practices in school. ”(Williams, page 343). Williams reminisces the experience of a student from his colleague’s class with a background that took class discussions and review in a personal way based on her experience with her family members and community.
Rules are outlined as, ‘expectations, conventions for using writing in the university and in the discipline of academic history—genres’ (Russel and Yanez 341). The community within the activity system suggests that, ‘learners are always in contact with the history, values, and social relations of a community—or among communities—as embedded in the shared cultural tools used by that commun[ities] to mediate activity’ (Russel and Yanez 338). Within this community are both the division of labor and motives. The division of labor is suggested by Yanez and Russel to be the cause of alienation amongst experts and non-experts as, ‘the teacher does certain things and the students do other things. One has more power than the others’ (Russel and Yanez 339). All these aspects and their interactions equate to the end result of an activity theory;
When we talk about English 1110, everyone actually knows the main part of the course is writing. The goal of this class is to improve structural, style of writing, thoughts and performances of students. During this semester, the curriculum includes essays and topics from many different aspects of different issues which are useful to me. From this class, I had the opportunity to improve my writing skills. For example, before writing a paper, I always have outline, strategies, arranging and modifying as well as finding ideas to improve my writing style in a better way. Before taking English 1101, I just wrote essay with what I think of that time and did not care whether my essay is understandable or not; however, i have been improved for the past three months. When I see a title, I start to write down all ideas and also create an outline and order of all documents in a reasonable manner. In addition, all response papers that I have done during this semester I started to have different way of thinking by listening my friend's arguments, feedbacks or comments, agreements or disagreements. Those group activities from friends were helpful because I started to recognize what are right and wrong things in my essay. From there, I have my own personal opinions and defend my arguments.
With my first semester as a college student coming to an end, I can honestly say I have gained so much knowledge and this has been a major eye opening experience. By being in your English 111 class, I have learned a great deal about myself as a writer and a communicator. English used to be a subject I took for granted because I always considered it to be easy and there wasn’t much to it. You have helped me realize that in order to write a good paper, it is important to have a deeper understanding of the many structures and usages; as well as a better understanding of yourself and your audience. In what seems like such a short time, I have learned about rhetorical knowledge, the writing process, oral communication, critical thinking/reading/writing, and digital technology.
I have learned many things throughout the course of the term, including such things as: how to write an essay and how to improve on essays that I have already written, how to locate and composite better research through the use of numerous resources found at the campus library, the internet, and the “Common Sense” textbook, how to cite research, examples, and quotations properly within the contents of my research paper as well as document it accurately according to MLA standards. Through the exploration of the “Subjects and Strategies” textbook, I have learned nine different methods used when writing an effective essay and how the different writing styles affect the overall theme and tone of the essay when used properly. This past semester, I have encountered many difficulties when trying to write these essays, but through the use of the textbooks, the aide of the instructor, and once I was able to classify the different types of essays and styles, I found them possible to overcome.
My English 1310 course was taught by Professor Daniel Stuart. He taught us the concept of academic writing and why it is important. Academic writing is the process of breaking down ideas, using a formal tone, deductive reasoning and third person. Writing done to carry out the requirements of a college or university on a research based level. It requires a starting point or introduction, followed by a thesis on the preferred topic, then comes proving and disproving of the evidence based arguments. It is important because it is a way to communicate our thoughts clearly and originality. It helps us think and see what evidence we can come up to contribute to that thinking. This course approached this idea of academic writing by exploring further