LISTSERV mailing list manager LISTSERV 16.0

Help for CASLL-L Archives


CASLL-L Archives

CASLL-L Archives


CASLL-L@LISTSERV.UTORONTO.CA


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Proportional Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

CASLL-L Home

CASLL-L Home

CASLL-L  May 2002

CASLL-L May 2002

Subject:

Re: Authentic Writing

From:

Anthony Paré <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

CASLL/Inkshed <[log in to unmask]>

Date:

Tue, 21 May 2002 17:16:37 -0400

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (103 lines)

You can always count on Graham to do a careful reading, and he's also
done an accurate synopsis of one of our major arguments in Worlds Apart.
In fact, the book is in part a critique of the belief that universities
should be preparing people for specific workplace activities, such as
writing on the job. As the book's title suggests, we don't think that's
even possible, since the two are such radically different environments,
with different goals, different social arrangements, different values
and beliefs, and on and on. (Except, of course, for those of us who
teach, since then universities ARE workplaces; but that's another
story.) We discovered (as others have) that there is a widespread belief
among practitioners in many fields that universities are failing to
prepare students for writing on the job, and we've argued that the
workplace must take on much of that responsibility, because writing is
so embedded in local activity that students cannot be "taught"
rhetorical particularities at a distance, out of context.

Another and closely related argument we tried to make -- one that might
be relevant to this lively strand (where did you all gets such energy
here at semester's end?) -- is that the function or purpose of
(students') writing in school is worlds apart from the function of
(workers') writing at work. We oversimplified that difference, perhaps,
by saying that the former is epistemic (primarily to do with
knowledge-making), and largely concerned with individual growth (writing
to learn, writing to know), whereas the latter is instrumental (oriented
to action), and almost always concerned with collective or corporate
ends. (Here the idea of ownership becomes quite literal, since many
organizations own the written products of their employees.)

I agree that the broad distinction between "authentic"/"real" and
"inauthentic" isn't useful, and we might instead ask ourselves what
writing *does*, what ends does it have? Are the ends
appropriate/authentic to the context -- that is, do they serve something
beyond the performance of the task, something with implications for the
world that the writing grows out of and enters into (a world that
includes the writer)? Will the writing have consequences, change
anything, cause action of some sort? A university writing task that
purports to simulate or replicate the rhetorical context of "the"
workplace cannot be authentic, and therefore probably cannot "teach" a
person to write for that workplace at some indeterminate future date,
after graduation, because it is not embedded in an authentic activity or
context to which the text responds; it does not DO what such a document
would do in the workplace. (And every workplace is different and
constantly changing.)

Okay, back to writing my annual report -- a document that probably sits
unread on some administrator's shelf. Is that authentic?

Anthony

PS: I hope Pat Dias soon writes that response to Russ Hunt's review of
Worlds Apart. I'm beginning to forget what Russ said.



Anthony Paré
Chair
Integrated Studies in Education
Faculty of Education
McGill University

From: CASLL/Inkshed [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Graham
Smart
Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2002 1:54 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Authentic Writing

I wouldn't agree that the "fundamental assumption" in _Worlds Apart_ is
that the role of university writing classes is to prepare students for
their future careers, and for several reasons. First, the authors are
very clear that school writing has its own particular, and entirely
legitimate and worthwhile, purposes for writing--as do different
instances of workplace writing. The authors are *not* at all suggesting
that school writing is a pale imitation of workplace writing or that the
primary function of school writing is to somehow prepare students for
the writing they'll be doing later on in their lives after graduation.
And second, the research underlying _Worlds Apart_ focused on particular
disciplines that do represent themselves as providing professional
preparation--such as Architecture, Social Work, Engineering, and Public
Administration. And the authors don't make any claims beyond the bounds
of this research.

And to respond as well to the implication that students don't really
expect to receive preparation for their future careers . . . I disagree:
I think that this definitely is *one* of the expectations, among others,
that many students have. As one of our graduate students said here at
Purdue, "If you try telling a kid who's going to graduate with a $30,000
student loan to repay that they shouldn't really expect their academic
programs to position them for jobs, they'll think you're a little
crazy."

More grist for the mill ...

Graham

                -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
  To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
  [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
         write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]

For the list archives and information about the organization,
    its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to
              http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/
                 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

Advanced Options


Options

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password


Search Archives

Search Archives


Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe


Archives

May 2023
February 2023
December 2022
November 2022
March 2022
September 2021
September 2020
August 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
September 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011, Week 1
January 2011
December 2010
October 2010
April 2010
February 2010
January 2010
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003
December 2002
November 2002
October 2002
September 2002
August 2002
July 2002
June 2002
May 2002
April 2002
March 2002
February 2002
January 2002
December 2001
November 2001
October 2001
September 2001
August 2001
July 2001
June 2001
May 2001
April 2001
March 2001
February 2001
January 2001
December 2000
November 2000
October 2000
September 2000
August 2000
July 2000
June 2000
May 2000
April 2000
March 2000
February 2000
January 2000
December 1999
November 1999
October 1999
September 1999
August 1999
July 1999
June 1999
May 1999
April 1999
March 1999
February 1999
January 1999
December 1998
November 1998
October 1998
September 1998
August 1998
July 1998
June 1998
May 1998
April 1998
March 1998
February 1998
January 1998
December 1997
November 1997
October 1997
September 1997
August 1997
July 1997
June 1997
May 1997
April 1997
March 1997
February 1997
January 1997
December 1996
November 1996
October 1996
September 1996
August 1996
July 1996
June 1996
May 1996
April 1996
March 1996
February 1996
January 1996
December 1995
November 1995
October 1995
September 1995
August 1995
July 1995
June 1995
May 1995
April 1995
March 1995
February 1995
January 1995

ATOM RSS1 RSS2



LISTSERV.UTORONTO.CA

CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager