Research Journal 17

I have to say, the Commerce Week on Writing was actually very interesting.  I say this because I actually was expecting boring type lectures.  However, it was a very eye-opening experience.  The two events I chose to do extended fieldnotes over was the memoir workshop and the Writing History Panel. 

I was personally intrigued by how personal much of the writings presented were.  Bobby Perdee used the memories of her granddaughter’s friendship with a pig to execute her brilliant literacy style.  Dr. Tarpley of the Memoir workshop focused on the Texas City explosion as a starting point for the writing of her sister’s memoirs.  It seems like the writing process is never an informal process for the reader.  When it comes to the functions of writing (personal, functional, informational), I find it easy to spot.  The point of conceptual and functinal information like instructing of how to cook or how to do an essay implies personal action on the body of the human to make lives more efficient.  Informational literacy is used in assitance to the former and to persuade people to change their views.  And personal (reading and writing for the heck of it) is the ultimate in indulgence of literacy.

In addition to these two events, the graduate students on Thursday presenting their ethnographic papers was also an intriguing experience.  Up til that point, ethnography was kind of a science I couldn’t grasp.  I knew the objective of the paper and how to get there, but to not know what the final project looked like was killing me.  To hear the papers of the various students seemed to make the goal tangible.  All were engaging, but the one involving the student whose literacy intruded upon his social skills was one that caught my eye.  I was really shocked to see how much of his story related to my life.  I was never social and I used television and books to escape into a world that wasn’t this.  I have begun to engage myself with humans and fellow students to enhance my life.  Not only should this improve my personal well-being, but I would like to t hink that my literacy studies and ethnographic research will also undergo tremendous transformation.  By improving my mental well-being, I should be able to better focus on my schoolwork.  And afterall, literacy is in of itself a social practice rather than a set of inherent skills. 

Both Dr. Tarpley’s sister’s memoirs and the graduate students stories seem to point to the fact that personal tragedy and conflict are the sources for much of the emotional responses in writing, as well as the experiences and how they define human beings as what they are and not something else.  I would have liked to delve into this thesis better.  Does a culture have to go through problems and conflict in order for it to become a viable subject of fieldworking.  This does not just have to be on the subject’s part.  The researcher might have problems that he or she wishes to express through different people.  Examples could include that of figuring human nature, the symbolism of artifacts and text, and the way economies develop.

I do not know if I missed the class that discussed the Analysis Memo of fieldnotes, so I really don’t know what to do.  Once I figure it out, I will go back and edit this post.  –

(Box Activity to be coming shortly)

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Research Journal #16

As with all of the chapters involved, I found myself being very well-informed about how to conduct a proper and efficient ethnographic project and proposal.  The chapter focused on what is called being a collaborative listener.  I initially didn’t know what it meant.  However, it seems to come back to this idea that ethnography should always be about the people involved.  The culture is telling the story; we are just the mediums.  Unfortunately, we are mediums that come in with our own suppositions and opinions of how cultures interact and behave.  Yes, maintaining a somewhat outside perspective is important.  It makes things unfamiliar so as to make the group and social phere interesting and to provide a beginning into the background of the customs.  However, you also need to maintain an inside perspective on the people so as to be able to relate and bring a story to life.  Particularly during interviews, it is important to listen closely so as to present a story from another’s point of view.  We need to let readers know what it is like to live in a certain person’s shoes from that certain person’s perspective.  This can work really well for oral histories. 

I especially liked the information on how to conduct proper interviews.   You see, I feel behind everybody else because it seems that most people have already conducted them.  I just got the hang of my proposal and am still learning proper fieldnotes.  (Ah well, the ways I develop could be an ethnographic project itself, I guess.)  Interviewing involves being flexible and being structured.  It’s good to have background information on informants before the interview is set.  It helps frame your objective and find certian questions that can answer them.  However, it is impossible to truly plan an interview because we can not plan the actions and responses of the interviewees.  During the interview, inspiration for other subjects could strike.  New questions can pop up as your conducting the interview.  That’s all and good.  However, the most important thing to understand is the establishment of an outside but interested third party.  “People love to tell their stories.”  However, if you are not a good and collaborative listener, the subject is not going to waste his or her time.  Being a good listener makes the other feel comfortable enough to open up and share.  No interruptions are necessary.  Simple body language like leaning in, direct eye contact, or a nod and gasp provides incentives for people to give you the story and perspective you need.

Transcribing is also an important matter.  I used to think that tape-recording an interview would be an easy way to go about conducting a study.  However, I can see the drawbacks.  Having some object do all the work for  you might be dangerous to an easily distracted ethnographer.  Like taperecording a class disconnects you from the teacher, doing an interview can also disconnect from the subject.  On the other hand, maybe using a recorder can leave you with more freedom to conduct proper questions and responses.  No matter what you choose, just make sure that there is 3 hours of transcribing for every hour of recording.  Obtain, prepare, organize time, listen, log,  and transcribe.  Also, make sure that the voices in the essay are theirs, not yours.

Jennete Edward’s essay ‘I Can Read And I Can Write,”  was a very good focus for the texts supplied.  The essay tells the story of how an African-American living in 1939, a time period where negroes were discriminated against and where opportunities were limited, learned to read and write through several white educated men.  I believe the author did a really good job on the essay.  Throughout the reading, I felt like I was in the essay listening to the words of this man.  The dialogue was all this.  Although the actual pronunctiations and innotations of him speaking wasn’t literally transcribed, the voice was still there.  It’s a sign of good transcribing.  Even the various descriptions involved didn’t hamper the flow because it seemed to see things in a way that Lee would see them.  Besides, the details showed how much the literacy movements and actions within a setting provide the most insight.  In spite of validating and demonstrating the information discussed, it was also moving to see a man work so hard at making something of himself.  Even through his difficult situations at securing a decent job, he still hung in and reminded himself of the hardships of others.  A classic case of a man being independent and relying on himself to get through.  Me studying economic responsibility find this piece intriguing.

When looking at Box 22, I actually felt disconcerted at starting an actual oral history.  My research project will often focus on oral histories of past students and teachers.  I’m even actually looking towards considering the memoirs of the Silver Leos on campus.  I don’t know if the Silver Leos themselves will be the focus, or if they will serve as the artifacts that further my original proposal.  However, I never realized how in-depth an oral history was.  Since I have not found viable interviewees yet, I am a stranger to that aspect of research.  In addition, I don’t think starting an oral history from scratch will be needed for my project.  Several snapshots of a person’s life are easier to capture and I think will serve me better.  But, family history I concluded is very important.  A family life often dictates the behaviors of the children and the beliefs.  Most research and history often focuses not on the impersonal macro-environment, but the personal and up-close micro-environment.  I must remember to discount general and disconnected views of cultures to the actual lives of the people involved.  Then and only then will an ethnographic project truly come to life.

For my second CwoW Event, I chose to do the memoir workship which consisted of a lecture type classroom setting in the Hall of Languages and several other Silver Leo groups.  The room was on the first floor in place of the typical writing center space.  One of the ladies involved with the event appeared to be a staff member of the writing center.  She wore a black dress, had on classes, and seemed to give an air of leadership.  The smile she wore on her face seemed to suggest that she was an interested party within the event.  I do not know if it was because of the topic of memoirs or of the speakers that were involved.  Her conversing nature with Dr. Carter suggested a swiftness and familiarity within the English department. 

Dr. Tarpley looked to be a man of 80 or 90.  His sharp eyes and lines of his face indicated a man with wisdom and the experience to show for it.  It was  actually kind of hard to picture such a man interested in the topic of writing.  Then again, memoirs didn’t seem to be a surprise to me.  Memoirs are a way of writing down and making immortal a person’s knowledge, and someone of his caliber would most likely be interested. 

The four round tables surrounding the room consisted of graduate and post-graduate students for the most part.  Since present college students are still within the age of trying new things and are getting accustomed to a social college life, I was not expecting that many students (other than myself who chose this event out of research, and Brad who was conducting a review for the East Texan Newspaper.)  They all listened with rapture as Dr. Tarpley discussed the process of writing, editing, and publication of a life’s work.  There was occasional need for clarification of certain questions by the speaker since Dr. Tarpley appeared to be deaf in one ear.  However, the fact that subjects took time to explain and pronunciate things to him only validated my belief that they appreciated the lessons he was giving.  Of course, Dr. Carter was there as usual.  Part of me believes that she attended every single one of the events.  She was happily, with a smile on her face, videotaping and taking pictures of the event from one of the comfy couches in the corner by the window.  I wished to know how writing has affected her.  Obviously, she shares a passion for the subject for which I do not understand.  I am not putting down writing.  I just wished to know how literacy functioned in her life.

Before discussing memoirs, Dr. Tarpley showed us an example of her sister’s example of surviving the Texas City explosion.  One of the  handouts was the newspaper of the actual event happening.  I was surprised to feel like I had actually witnessed the event myself.  The emotion and the tragedy of the event seemed to ooze through the paper.  I began to realize that good writing is one that evokes emotions within the reader.  I also questioned if it is the tragic events in our lives that define literature and experience.

A lot of what was said about writing memoirs seemed to fit with writing an actual paper.  One must examine yourself as a storyteller.  You organize yourself by finding purpose, planning, and making sense out of memories of other people.  Pre-writing, writing, and post-writing are essential steps.  Style, grammar, and citing sources were the final topics. 

All in all, I’d like to say that this event was a success.  As for research topics, The origination and impact of the Silver Leos might prove to be a viable avenue to take.

 

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Research Journal 15

I must say, I appreciated the class’s visit to the panel on writing of local history for the Commerce Week on Writing.  As a student who is still within the beginning stages of how to approach his final ethnographic project, I must say that I am now more committed than ever into delving into unchartered territory.  Listening to some of the local authors talk about their sponsorships of literacy and why they think writing is important has opened my eyes to possible avenues on how to approach my subjects.

For one, I was surprised at the number of people who showed up who weren’t part of the English 102 class.  Graduate students and adult members of the community seemed to listen with anticipation to the 4 speakers up front.  I couldn’t tell whether they were specific history or english majors, but they sure seemed interested in the process of publishing and editing various literature.  I guess most non-class visitors have certain works already lined up that they wish to get out there.  The panel seems to function itself as a sponsor of literacy for curious strangers and potential authors.

Each of the four speakers seemed to be drastically different from each other when it came to motivation and subject matters.  Hanners functioned as a theatre historian whose workings on acting and character reflected or initiated a curiosity of human motivation and how humans interact with each other.  I might want to check back with him.  As part of my economic research  paper, I am curious as to the social interactions between individuals that function as catalysts for certain beliefs and actions.  It was also interesting to note how his reasons for choosing to focus on particular ‘social villians’ of the age is, in summary, a reflection on his quest to find the motivation for his grandfather’s relations with a famous outlaw.  This seems to support my theory of how most origins of literary discussions and publications arise out of selfish or self-interested reasons. 

I also seem to like his focus on geography as an important aspect of the world.  We, as the current generation, are walking in places that past generations have walked on.  We breathe the same air, walk the same floor, read the same subjects.  It’d be interesting to see how geography played a part in the development of the Commerce community and school.  What was the environment like.  What opportunities were available to people?  How did adults and students get buy in past eras?  Are the beliefs of a current generation, no matter how different, affected and the influenced by those of the past?

Out of all 4 speakers, I liked Bobbe Perty the most.  She was the so-called baby of the group and seemed to me to be the most engaging.  She spoke with clarity and was the only one within the panel to read some of her texts.  This is not to say that I didn’t appreciate the other panels views, but I was more easily acquainted with hers.  It was astonishing hearing her family history through the friendship of her granddaugher and a baby big.  She painted pictures in my mind of her family working hard on the farm and the strong relationships within it.  She presented a family situation that could help explain the beliefs that she holds about reading and writing and how it affects the world on grander scales (economics for example.  I have to come back to that in some way you know :)).  She is a member of the  Silver Leos, an established group of 50 year old seniors and upper retirees who took part in the academic environment of Texas A&M University-Commerce when it was known as East Texas.  I plan to go to the memoir workshop and see any additional members, in addition to Bobbe herself.  Hopefully, she and others can provide me with a first-hand account of past school practices and traditions.

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Research Journal #13

Literacy Practices

In reading David Barton and Mary Hamilton’s Literacy Practices, my theory of literacy that I have viewed for a considerable length of time was, in my mind, validated through the texts and theories that the two writers brought to the essay.  Both individuals seek to perceive literacy as not just a set of skills that one inherents to apply to texts; which in thus, creates understanding of them.  Instead, ‘literacy is primarily something people do; it is an activity, located in the space between thought and text.  Literacy does not just reside in people’s heads as a set of skills to be learned, and it does not just reside on paper, captured as texts to be analyzed.  LIKE ALL HUMAN ACTIVITY, literacy is essentially social, and it is locatd in the interaction between people.’

I always saw literacy as a social practice, which happens to be the first assumption of the essay.  The literature that surrounds us everyday is.  Think of all the stories and informational texts and pictorials.  Most books teach morals and lessons that were learned in the past through various human interaction.  Writing itself can be a collaboration between people.  And the what is the point of writing if it could not be applied to the utilization and conceptualization of the lives of the readers.  Though it’s importnat to see literacy practices as what people do with literacy, it is more than that.  Practices are an internalized concept with various value settings that differ between people.  They are then shaped and regulated by mainstream society values.  Individual and social words always differ, and the process of writing and reading text can help form a bridge between them. 

And what of the kinds of literacy?  Oh, there are so many.  That has been demonstrated in the various blog posts of me and my classmates, which is in of itself a form of literacy.  And the forms are decided in the perspectives and aspects you look at them with.  As by way of technology, I am fond of book literacy, comic literacy (Hugh’s been an influenced), computer literacy, and magazine literacy.  In terms of function, there are informational literacies, pleasurable literacies, and conceptual literacies.  I, in my life, relate the definitions to each other.  I prefer computer literacy when wanting to converse with others on opinions and politics.  I use book literacy for personal joy and the stirring of the imagination.  What’s important to note is that cultures can serve as the very connotations for what literacy can be.  Political literacy is used to form the legal and philosophical language behind government actions.  Economic literacy concerns itself with the behavior of humans during both voluntary and legal transactions.  And this does not include the broad implications brought about with German history, French Language, Australian culture, and Asian stereotypes (I suffer from these quite a lot.)  sidenote:  I guess this relates back to Fieldworking Chapter 4 in stating that geography and the mapping of spatial gaze can determine human behavior, culture, and in turn, literacy.

Literacy is also based on history.  Just look at the leaps and bounds in technology over the years.  We are the current chain of events that have spanned from writings on cave walls, to the juices and colors of leaves and rocks, rock and chisels, paper and pencil, newspaper, tv, and to the internet.  Of course, the practices of individuals and their value judgments on efficiency and morality shape how things develop.  Eventually this does lead to discourse and colonization of subcultures and topics.  But this does not mean that they are silenced.  In fact, various think tanks and organizations exist to the rights and the recognition of non-mainstream ideals and goals.  All of the essay conveys the fact that literacy is influenced by the value judgements and beliefs of individuals.  In turn, the social interactions between individuals help to reorganize and to place certain systems over others.  The main goal to see is that literacy is not  an inherent skill with an non-tangible feeling; it is reliably social.  Literacy is nothing but the extent of human behavior; and thus, humans themselves.

Chapter 4 of Fieldworking

Like the previous topics before this, the Fieldworking chapter pretty much gives more detailed and informative texts on how one can conduct the fieldworking process to a certain degree of success.  There is more emphasis on putting yourself within the culture being studied, but not without retaining a bit of the outsider (non-biased) perspective.  Reaching a non-biased state of mind can prove to be a difficult, if not an impossible task.  We, as individuals, carry with us our stereotypes and prejudices not just to people, but to places as well. 

This leads to a personal example of mine.  When I learned that I was to be going to Texas in the fall for college, I was instantly bombarded with thoughts of how it would go.  My previous experiences in Texas were in small towns like Talco and Mt. Vernon.  Both towns are primarily agriculture based.  Work is very hard out there and the sense of community is strong.  Schools are very small here.  Before coming to the University, I assumed that the school was not going to be that big.  I assumed that the people would all be Christians (because that is the main religion out here), all cowboys and rednecks and hick accents (most characters in the two small towns were), and that love songs from people like Toby Keith and George Straight would be common.  Instead, I have come to a school with, though predominately Christian, open-minded individuals of all ethnicities.  A few asian students, some hispanics, and a very predominate African-American population.  Hip-hop and metal are as common as country, and the feeling of alienation I was expecting to wash over me dissipated with time.  I guess I’m still learning about all the feelings and perspectives I have on people and places.  Hopefully, my research journal will help clarify these things.

Expanded Fieldnotes

I have to admit, I’m still in the beginning stages of my ctual research proposal.  The meeting with Carter, however, did seem to  point me on the right track.  As of now, I want to analyze the various differences about the perspectives of economic responsibility and conditions as they manifest themselves within various specific time frames.  Questions needing asking are ‘what do people want?  where do they want to go?’  Although the fieldnotes were taken before my understanding of the meeting and may not involve a direct thesis, I find that the fieldnotes do help me to become better prepared for when the actual work comes.  I chose to become a fieldworker for a class that I am currently enrolled in.  Believe it or not, its economics (preferably microecomics).

I have to admit from the very beginning, it was kind of hard to know what to look for.  Because of my emic perspective already, it was hard to take the stance of an outsider (especially when one is also taking class notes.  I need to make a note that one must approach the fieldworking processs when one is not already doing another task.)  I noticed one thing about the students.  The placement of the seat often seemed to correlate with the participation and engagement of the class.  The ones up front (which included Tyler Hardwell, JenAnne, Allie, and Seth) were up front and engaged with the teacher.  They were the asking and questioning students.  The ones in the middle were neutral.  There was no active engagement in terms of speaking, but note-taking and the memorization of facts was still there.  The students in the back seemed totally disinterested.  Slouching in the chairs and sleep expressions were commonplace.  This leads me to wonder if maybe the position ones in can dictate the opportunites for action?  Though this is just a classroom, it can also lead to economic questions.  Does the environment in which one lives in dictate the opportunites presented?  Can there be an inherent disadvantage or advantage between people?  I already laid this conclusion out in Research Journal 1.

I also noticed in before class conversations about the lack of doing homework.  There seems to be a defeatist attitude among certain students.  Is there a lack of motivation depending on the subjects being studied?  Is an economy to dependent on the ability of people to work their way out of rags to riches?

Professor Schwiff always seems to start out class with a question about current events.  Today it was about the salaries of actors now versus then.  He mentions that because of developments in technology, actors are not in high demand as they once were.  Back then, the tention and story was reliant on the dynamics between individuals and that special effects have taken place.  This of course stresses the colonization of certain behaviors and literacy.  New developments seem to drive obsolescence out of the market.  What dictates which trends to become mainstream?  Are the mainstreams of current generations different from previous generations?  Why?  How does our interactions with people dictate what we think.

Dr. Schwiff has various techniques to keep class engaged.  He very often does not say the last words of his sentences and looks to us.  We, as a consquence, fill in the blanks.  He also relates the lessons of the day with current trends like sports games, movies, and stores.  To him, if information can not apply to everyday life, the information is useless.

And what is the underlying theme?  The fact that humans have a natural tendency to be happy.  Is this true?  I cannot see how.  Is this goal present or absent between generations?  Or maybe the goal is the same, but the means are different?

Though not stated aloud, he has said that trying to get government to do things for people is insulting.  I assume that he is a free-market capitalist.  What exactly does it mean to be a follower of different economic theories?  Does one better conform to one’s beliefs?  Has the economic theory changed between generations?

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Research Journal #11

After reading Moss’s essay on literacy and the process through which ethnography is conducted, I finished knowing more about how ethnography and the subject of fieldworking should be approached.  Although the church and community Moss studied is one of an emic perspective initially, she laid out a generally good and constructive understanding of her task.  She indicates that a fieldworker is not one who already goes into a culture with a preconceived notion of how things should be or are.  Regardless of the contacts that a person within a community has, one must temporarily put thoughts and feelings out of one’s mind to validate both the research and to enhance the opportunities for learning and thesises that arise out of looking at subjects a different way.  As various quotes from movies and scholars point out, everything is dependent on the point of view of the observer.  For me, I will probably struggle the most with this area.  Being a freshman in college, I am still adapting to an environment in which people need to let go of what they learned in high school and how they learned it.  Going from institution to an even higher level of an institution, one must work oneself up all over again.  Dealing with the possibility of economics and the social stereotypes of students within the Commerce community, I need to stop orienting my research on what I think I know or the way I want the paper to turn out in the end.  As Moss said, a good fieldworker and ethnographer will probably have new questions and concerns come up, as well as old questions being reformatted.

When dealing with approaching the community, one must become a benevolent, curious, honest, but nonetheless inquiring outsider.  I constantly think about people who are in your face and want to know everything about everything that a person does.  And when questions are asked, it is the observer/asker who decides what information is relevant.  A fieldworker gains his or her information through the actual process.  Respect is key if one wants to be treated with respect.  Only through respect can dialogue and conversation start.  People need to voluntarily give answers, and isn’t that what ethnography is all about?  Mutual agreements within all aspects of the process (non-verbal observation, voluntary cooperation in surveys, and verbal agreements in interviews) must be met.  Like a behaved child to a parent, one must ask permission and treat the offerer with respect in order to be likewised treated.  If permission is granted, it is a success.  If not, the fieldworker will have to find a way to get around it that does not resort to dishonesty and slander. 

As for the story Mama’s Boy within the book Fieldworking, the college ethnographer is a perfect example of how not to do a research project.  He came in to a culture, that although he was a part of, already knowing the direction and questions he wanted out of the experience.  His college experience served as a hamper because it was through his pens, recorders, and papers that he chose to view a community that he once was a part of.  Although there is validity in this, the story does not suggest that looking at a culture from how he used to view it from an emic perspective woould have been any better.  Whatever ideas he had going in to it, he needed to forget them and let the community and the individuals that made it up speak for him.  Ethnography was not about him, and it is not about me.  Ethnography is always about other people.  If he had just ‘known how to ask’, he might have known how to listen.  I hope that, whatever the process or outcome of my final paper is, it will not be a walking parody like Mama’s Boy.

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Research Journal #10

Part One

After reading Chapter 5 in Literacies in Context, I find myself more comfortable in how I am supposed to conduct research.  I  know the process of what to look for when I do field notes and observations, the ways in which the archives at the library can provide background information, and the importance of professionalism in an interview accompanied by the consent and voluntary contributions of the subject.  I’m still working out ideas as to what direction I want my final ethnographic project to go.  As I have stated in class, it  is much easier for me when I finally get started on a project.  The beginning or introduction to research will probably be the most tedious aspect of the class.  However, I am confident that I will eventually ‘learn by doing’.

I have chosen to analyze Deborah Brandt’s essay on ‘Sponsors of Literacy’ because I feel that no matter what my project is, I will be relying so much on the actual people involved because that is the aspect I most want to develop and utilize.  To me, it is the personal observatoins and interactions with others that comprise what fieldworking and ethnography is all about. 

A)  Deborah Brandt utilized and interpreted contexts within many spaces in her essay, all for different purposes.  She discussed the small, decentralized print shops of antebellum American, Standford University in a small midwestern town, the political lifestyle of Washington D.C., Carol  White’s religious life through her church and city, and Sarah Steele’s home and work location in eastern Pennsylvania.

B)  Deborah Brandt first describes the young intellecutal printers, solicitors, and editors of the print shops in antebellum  American.  Because of the multi-tasking aspects of their jobs during that time period, most solicitors served as the initiators and conductors of strong literacy and political discourses of the age.  However, their capacity for conversation and the dialogue of information and literacy was disrupted with the invention of the steam press which reorganized the economy, resulting the the division and outsourcing of labor between editing and printing.  She describes and contrasts Raymond Branch and Dora Lopez, both of whom were born in 1969 and, as young children, moved to the same university town in the midwest.  Raymond was European-American and was born to a professor and real estate executive.  He was high up on the socioeconomic ladder and held interests in computers and high-tech industries.  He graduated and became a freelance writer of software and its documentation.  Dora Lopez, on the other hand, was Mexican-American  who was born in a Texas-border town.  She was not of a high socioeconomic status; her father pursued an accounting degree and the mother worked part-time at a bookstore.  She was isolated by her language and culture and taught herself how to read and write her own language.  She eventually became a translator whose skills proved valuable within government youth programs and migrant worker programs.  Dwane Lowery is also a subject within the article.  He was born in 1938 in semi-rural midwest.  He was influenced by left-wing newspapers and the union publications of his father.    While doing jobs at auto plants and municipal utility departments, he became influenced by newspapers and pursued a degree in law for unions in Washington D.C.  The final two comparisons were Carol White and Sarah Steele.  Carol White was a poor Oneida girl who worked in clerical  positions most of her life.  She was a person who used her work experience through personal matters by using her oratal skills to convert people to her church.  Sarah Steele, a woman of Welsh and German descent, lived in a coal mining community before becoming a secretary of a glass and law firm.  She used her clericla skills and money management skills to create the budgetary techniques of her home and family life.

C)(I guess D could be added in with this too.)  The print apprentices published and edited various forms of literacy through newspapers, books, and magazines.  They also personally engaged in literary and political discussion.  Raymond Branch involved himself with the technological aspect of Stanford University and taught others the purposes of computers, how to use them, and for what functions.  Dora Lopez, while working for a cleaning company, developed writing and speaking abilites for her Spanish language and served as a translator for migrant workers on when to do their jobs/work lists.  Her billiterate skills were desired in migrant worker and government youth programs.  Dwane Lowery, while working at water plants and other low-paying jobs, got influenced through political editorials and when on to use his law of language to become the representative, defender, and orator of union rights.  He would develop his knowledge of law within direct confrontations of other lawyers who used paperwork and statutes to slow down lawsuit processes.  Carol and Sarah both worked as secretaries and used their developing clerical skills to enhance and maximize home utility.  Carol used it for religious broadcasting and image, while Sarah used her skills to build successful monetary budgets for her home life.

E)  Most of the artifacts that were handled by the various informants and subjects are actually everyday forms of text and objects that were appreciated by each person, dependent upon the situation they were in.  Dwane Lowery and the solicitors used magazines, newspapers, and editorials to shape their opinions and to enhance literary discussion.  Raymond Brandt was a firm utilizer in high- end technology of the period like computers and software programs.  Carol and Steele used typewriters in addition to computers.  All artifacts had to have been used after various other forms of basic literacy like print within books and magazines were already serving as sponsors for them.

F)  Solicitors used their workshops and print shops to both sell literacy and to stimulate conversation through orating.  Raymond read literacy through computer applications, sampled the latest software programs and videogames.  Lopez served as translator and speaker for numerous government programs to teach foreignors and workers linguistics.  Lowery attended courses in school to develop his savvy language for the law and went on to serve as a lawyer in numerous positions for the advancement of the ideals of union laborers.  Carol and Steele worked at law firms and later transitioned their developed competency to the home life.  Carol constructed pamphlets and went door-to-door to enhance and raise church attendance, while Steele used clerical skills to construct a framework through which home finances could be monitored and controlled.

G)  The timeframes for these individuals varies considerably.  Deborah describes antebellum America and the inventions that restructured the economy during the Industrial Revolution.  Specific time periods date within the 60’s and 70’s were technology began to be efficient.  The 70’s served as the backdrop for most of these stories because it was a time of both invention and political discourse as to the proper role that governments took in people’s everyday lives.

H)  Print apprentices served as the deliverers of literacy and current events to inform and educate the American public.  Raymond used his technogical mind to assist other students and adults who had trouble adapting to the times.  Dora served as translator to help integrate foreigners into the economic and English environment of America.  Lowery used his knowledge to serve as a check on power from government and businesses to help a minority of workers.  Carol and Sarah served as examples of how forms of  literacy learned in one field of life could be translated into another.  As a whole, every story within the essay shows us the importance of sponsorships and how almost every person has learned their reading and writing skills through the environment and the sources of information open to us.  Our contacts and habitats often dictate how literate we become.

I)  In my opinion, the solicitors probably felt remorse of having their skills be moved down the ladder due to the efficiency of technology.  They realized that for society to develop, old and inefficient traditions have to be liquidated.  Raymond probably felt enthusiastic in his position.  As a child, he already sought an interest in the computer world and was probably happy to get a position that specialized within that area.  I imagine Dora to feel a sense of accomplishment at how far up she went.  she want from being an isolated individual where her language was not used much to becoming a translator for individuals within our own government.  Though not exactly a rags to riches story, her emotions probably felt that way.  Lowery probably felt rushed and stressed most of the time.  Being within an environment where debate and lawsuits were commonplace, he probably had to thicken his skin and become emotionally detached to achieve the professionalism that is expected of lawyers.  Carol and Steele, though in clerical positions, should feel empowered that they themselves women of low working positions, were able to turn the tide and use their jobs to place themselves higher on their personal ladder in their affairs.

Research Project

1)  Right now, I am going between ideas.  I’m interested in economics, so I want to deal with the different time periods of our country and see how literacy was viewed and functioned.  On the other hand, I might want to investigate the social classes of the university and see how stigmas are attached to those considered to be higher up on the literacy ladder. (honors college).

2)  For the economic aspect, the whole town of Commerce could be my site.  I have had family members who attended and various teachers who lived here.  I could observe classrooms and go into the neighborhoods themselves to observe home life.  I might want to tag along with students as they go home to see the parents and the information they provide.  For the university aspect, the dorms could be used.  To me, the buildings in a way serve as segregators of students by class ranking and year ranking.  I could observe each dorm like Prairie Crossing and Whitley to see how the social life and school life develop differently.

3)  I like to think that both of these proposals provide each access to individuals.  I might be antsy as to going door to door for interviews.  I’m an outsider to this town since I just got here, and I imagine most neighbors will be suspicious of a student coming over for information.  I don’t imagine any problems with the dorm life.  Being a student, I have full access to all the dorms and students.

4)  Most of my research will probably come through personal interviews with people.  I might dab into the archives to obtain the life histories of people who lived during certain periods and who went to the school.  Other than that, observation and communication will be my allies.

5)  I will probably approach students for the dorm proposal.  I will use the example given to us in the papers Carter gave out.  I will ask permission and show the final product to them.  I will  probably have to provide aliases given the nature that kids might have considering privacy.  With neighbors, I will approach them because they are of an older age and will have more experience of past histories.  I will have to tread carefully here because I am totally separated by the resident/student line.  I will probably be upfront about my purpose, but I will not demand information.  I will be upbeat and friendly and give the sense that the subjects are the center of the project.

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College Life

Hey everybody,

This is kind of weird being the fact that this is my first non-english post.  I kind of been wanting to do this for a long time now, but I’ve been busy trying to dig myself out of a homework/test overload that I never got around to it.  Although it seems strange talking about things, I kind of feel better when I post and write something instead of talking to people face to face.  Don’t know why that is, but it’s how I’ve done things.  Anyways, I’m kind of freewriting/blogging simultaneously, so pardon any confusions.

I feel like I need to express myself about how college is going.  Let’s just say that I don’t think anyone can have a clear idea without actually immersing into the campus itself.  I had certain stereotypical ideas about what a small-town college would be like.  I came here thinking that this place was going to be pure-straight hick.  I mean Texas-Drawl, listening to country music about tractors and love, strict college.  And I’ve been blown away by how wrong I was.  Despite some of these aspects being present, I was pleasantly shocked at the number of people who were just like me.  We listen to the same music, like the same video games, and are interested in the same subjects.  It gave me comfort to know that maybe I wasn’t going to be some outsider looking on, pondering how to fit in.

I get those feelings sometimes.  You feel like maybe you are not as connected with people as you would like to be.  It’s hard for me to chill with others without thinking of differences.  Maybe I’m not as sure about religion as most people.  Or maybe I’m not as funny or charming as people expect me to be.  Maybe it’s the fact that though I got good grades, I never really had to try.  Being surrounded by such hard-working and dedicated students, I sometimes sense that maybe I was never supposed to be here.  This, combined with the fact that I’m an out-of-state student with no previous connections to people, kind of makes me feel like I’m in a bubble by myself. If you couldn’t tell, I get upset easily.  And though you want to tell people why, you kind of feel bad for dumping your problems on to others.

I’m kind of homesick a little bit.  I miss my mom and dad much more than I thought I would be.  I guess I never realized how much I loved and depended on my parents until I didn’t have immediate contact with them.  Not only do I feel lonely, but in a sense, I feel guilt about leaving my parents behind.  I know it’s sound stupid, but when your parents tell you that they feel like they’re losing you, let’s just say it’s not exactly a self-esteem booster.  It’s also hard when you lose contact with high school friends.  You know in your heart that most high school contacts were mere acquaintances, but it still hurts when the phone calls are not as frequent, the conversations aren’t as long, and then one day they don’t even bother to call you.

I’m getting better.  I kind of took a break from people to concentrate on my school-work.  It sure helped a lot.  For the past few days, I’ve managed to get actual homework done before midnight(that’s an accomplishment for me).  I’m learning to be more proactive in my studies and not to wait until the last minute.  Hard to do when you’ve become such a excellent habitual procrastinator for most of your academic life.   But progress is progress.  I’m also getting more acquainted with new people so that I always have someone to fall back on.  College is still in a rut, but I know it’ll get better with time.

Well, that was my first personal blog entry.  Feel kind of liberated in a sense.  Maybe I’ll get addicted like all my friends back home.   Anyway, for all who read, feel free to comment on what you thought, maybe even how you’re handling college life.  Hell, some good research questions might pop up from this.  I’m open.

Jeremy (.5 Asian)

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