Academic Discourse

ACADEMIC DISCOURSE

Discourse Communities: Now, it's your turn.

One cannot expect to become conversant in, say, the principles of constitutional democracy or the theory of quantum chromodynamics merely by locating the downloading the appropriate files. To become adept, one must actually converse—that is enter into a discourse community.

-Archie Zarisky

That means learning enough about the tone, ideas, and terms of the discussion to be taken seriously when you begin to contribute yourself, and to be well enough trained in the behaviors and tonalities of the game to listen and converse comfortably and effectively.

You can do this. It just takes practice and a sense of recognition. In high school, did you feel uncomfortably aware that you weren't like many of the people around you? For many people, university means conversing for the first time with people whose interests, and even personalities, are similar to their own. For them, finding their major feels like coming home.

Undergraduates learn what it takes to enter the ongoing discussion that is the academy. Within that body, they explore, finding the discipline community that feels most comfortable, most like themselves, choosing a major and career path. Entering that discourse community students learn the moves, the ideas, the vocabulary of their majors and ultimately their professions. By coming to college, you have begun this apprenticeship.

--WELCOME HOME!

Continued << < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15