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ana 8oslnskl
CC8 632
6 november 2013

Cross Language 8elaLlons

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A. Suresh Canagara[ah, A 8heLorlc of ShuLLllng beLween Languages"

ln readlng aul kel MaLsuda's 1eachlng ComposlLlon ln Lhe MulLlllngual World: Second
Language WrlLlng ln ComposlLlon SLudles", Llalne 8lchardson's 'Lngllsh Cnly', Afrlcan Amerlcan
ConLrlbuLlons Lo SLandardlzed CommunlcaLlon SLrucLures, and Lhe oLenLlal for Soclal
1ransformaLlon", A. Suresh Canagara[ah's A 8heLorlc of ShuLLllng beLween Languages", and
Carmen kynard's LlLeracy/LlLeracy SLudles and Lhe SLlll uomlnanL WhlLe CenLer", l feel llke my
pedagogy as a whole needs Lo confronL (and more expllclLly wlLh examples/exploraLlons and
lnvesLlgaLlons) maLLers of language. Whlle l Lry Lo make LransparenL Lhe problemaLlc ldea (boLh
ln Lerms of affordances and llmlLaLlons) of a wrlLlng" Lo decode and masLer, l don'L feel llke l
Lalk abouL Lhe reasons why. l Lell my sLudenLs from Lhe beglnnlng of class LhaL l cannoL Leach
Lhem how Lo wrlLe (Lo desLablllze slngular noLlons of whaL wrlLlng ls), buL LhaL we wlll explore
dlfferenL ways (meLhods and medlas) of communlcaLlng meanlng. WlLh an lnablllLy Lo Leach
Lhem how Lo wrlLe, l Lell Lhem l cannoL grade wrlLlng, l can only glve polnLs based on
compleLeness of asslgnmenL requlremenLs and LhaL feedback, whlch should be lndlvldually and
mlndfully focused on crlLerla of Lhelr chooslng, doesn'L communlcaLe good or bad (buL perhaps,
maybe, effecLlveness of lnLenL). 8uL Lhls ls a neuLral sLance on someLhlng exLremely complex:
wrlLlng. l can'L Leach wrlLlng, buL l can Lalk abouL how lL has (and has noL) been LaughL, where
Lhls has occurred, and who was lnvolved (who was composed and who was decomposed ln
Lhelr language). 1hls seems llke a frame Lo Lhe pedagogy, buL perhaps noL Lo pracLlce. As l sLand
(and where l sLand now) l'm uncerLaln as Lo how l would challenge lnsLlLuLlonal LreaLmenL of
wrlLlng sysLemlcally, as far as where sLudenLs are placed and why, buL l can work wlLh Lhem ln
class Lo make vlslble whaL we mean/don'L mean ln dlfferlng rheLorlcal ecologles of wrlLlng LhaL
are Llme, place, and space slLuaLed - Lhls lncludes wrlLlng lLself, and Lhe acLlon (Lhe cholces
made ln maLerlals, form/medlum, communlcaLlve ob[ecLlve). 1hls ls where l feel sLagnanL
Lhough, unsure of how Lo proceed. 1hls seems Lo necesslLaLe brlnglng ln a varleLy of wrlLlng and
l quesLlon whaL wrlLlng l should choose and how Lo keep Lhls from Lurnlng lnLo Lhe problemaLlc
space LhaL mulLlculLural llLeracles occuples LhaL Carmen kynard, ln quoLlng 8ruce Porner, brlngs
Lo llghL. Pow mlghL we cover a range of maLLers of concern wlLhouL Lhe rlsk of slmpllfylng? (and
ldenLlfylng) Pow can l move from gesLurlng Lo open space for exploraLlon Lo creaLlng lL wlLh my
sLudenLs Lo dwell wlLhln? And Lhen how do l conLend wlLh Lhe real and ofLen closed spaces .+0
0),5,? l appreclaLe Lhe complexlLy represenLed by Lhese readlngs as a remlnder of whaL l Lake
for granLed as an lnsLrucLor, noL for lack of care, buL for lack of knowledge and pracLlce.