Yesterday's English 105 class had a few good ideas swirling around, things like what a blog vs an academic blog sounds like, what the blog for class is being used for, even privacy issues (in a world where Facebook is a private detective and Big Brother all wrapped up in a candy coating).
One of the main issues I did hear was how to properly "sound" like an academic blog, even when you're lacking in the vocabulary or indeed the skill needed to make a scholarly argument on a writing space that seems like anything but. Most of the students in class are new to the blogosphere and don't quite grasp the full nature of a blog and its applications, not unlike the professors and teachers in the articles discussed yesterday .
Allowing for my ego to take a blow in, I would assume this fear and uncertainty comes down to a confidence issue; confidence in both your own argument and the tools you have at your disposal to make it (be it scholarly journals or a blog, for example). Is there a difference in talking/discussion/having a discourse in class and making an argument in a scholarly essay? Yes, of course. There are certain protocols to be followed (essay formats like MLA, margin spaces, even cover pages and how the essay paragraphs are constructed). Do any of us argue the same way, with the same vocabulary and precision, in a regular conversation? Probably not.
Yet I don't think that one should have a lack of furvor or even proof/evidence of your argument no matter the situation, be it an academic essay or a blog or even a friendly informal debate. What really makes an argument is having the confidence to use the tools and evidence you have, more than the way its worded.
Anyhow, that's how I feel about it. I don't see myself as having much of a confidence issue, but again, that's my ego showing through. XD My problem lies on the other side of the problem, which is sounding far too informal. But, its all a part of my learning process.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Desiree,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that the entire point of writing both formally and informally is having confidence to back up your opinion. I hate reading papers or listening to people talk who either a) repeat the same argument of someone else because they don't know what they are talking about or b) people who contradict a lot of their own points due to lack of confidence and trying to please the masses. I also agree with your statement that the evidence is more important than the way its worded. I am a big supporter of creative writing and I often times consider myself an English major with awful grammar and diction. I prefer to get my points across creatively, the way they make sense in my head, rather than mushing them up with formalities.
Courtney