Part I: Write Like a Scholar
One of the learning objectives in this course is that you demonstrate "scholarly maturity." When you write in your essays and discussion board forums, you demonstrate this by speaking in a formal register.
The word "register" refers to each level in the hierarchy of speech styles, ranging from the slang you hear Friday night at the club (at the bottom) all the way up to the formal language of a Harvard-University presidential address (at the top). Our class will be held at a level called "scholarly interaction" (just below the top).
What does this mean on a practical level? First, you have to change your language. In this online classroom, you will not be allowed to use slang (words such as: cool, sick, off the chain, and litness). Nor should you use contractions: don't doesn't, can't, won't must be changed to do not, does not, cannot, and will not.
We change our language to invite our audience to take us seriously. Formal language signals credibility. In addition, our brains are conditioned to stay alert when thinking and writing formally. By writing formally, I can ensure your mind is working at its full potential and that you are maximizing your learning.
As you write, you need to show me that you have done the reading. You can do this be providing me a specific example from the writing, followed by a citation at the end of the sentence like this (Winn, 22). Or you could provide a brief quote such as commenting that Brazilian anthropologist Roberto DaMatta suggests the "casa" is more than just a house; it is also a theoretical space representing "relational identity" (DaMatta, 45). Finally, you can prove to me that you are reading well by drawing comparisons between the author (say Roberto DaMatta) and the artist of the supplementary materials (in the case of Week 2, this is Patricia Gouvêa). Make sense? Websites can be cited as (Gouvêa, maepreta.com) or, if there is no author, just (maepreta.com). The documentary Waste Land, can be cited as (Walker, Waste Land). Or the album by Ferrer can be cited as (Ferrer, Debajo de mi Voz).
The word "register" refers to each level in the hierarchy of speech styles, ranging from the slang you hear Friday night at the club (at the bottom) all the way up to the formal language of a Harvard-University presidential address (at the top). Our class will be held at a level called "scholarly interaction" (just below the top).
What does this mean on a practical level? First, you have to change your language. In this online classroom, you will not be allowed to use slang (words such as: cool, sick, off the chain, and litness). Nor should you use contractions: don't doesn't, can't, won't must be changed to do not, does not, cannot, and will not.
We change our language to invite our audience to take us seriously. Formal language signals credibility. In addition, our brains are conditioned to stay alert when thinking and writing formally. By writing formally, I can ensure your mind is working at its full potential and that you are maximizing your learning.
As you write, you need to show me that you have done the reading. You can do this be providing me a specific example from the writing, followed by a citation at the end of the sentence like this (Winn, 22). Or you could provide a brief quote such as commenting that Brazilian anthropologist Roberto DaMatta suggests the "casa" is more than just a house; it is also a theoretical space representing "relational identity" (DaMatta, 45). Finally, you can prove to me that you are reading well by drawing comparisons between the author (say Roberto DaMatta) and the artist of the supplementary materials (in the case of Week 2, this is Patricia Gouvêa). Make sense? Websites can be cited as (Gouvêa, maepreta.com) or, if there is no author, just (maepreta.com). The documentary Waste Land, can be cited as (Walker, Waste Land). Or the album by Ferrer can be cited as (Ferrer, Debajo de mi Voz).