10.17 DA Writing Assignment

NOTE:  I have posted some handouts[under Notes/Discussions/Handouts on the link list to the right] that may be useful for you as you look through the transcripts.  The Sample Questions handout lists series of questions you might ask that would lead you to a focus for an essay. The Language Features handout lists different "moves" speakers make (e.g. shifting among pronouns) and states what the moves might "mean" in terms of underlying motives.  The Story Sets handout suggests strategies for identifying or picking out a "set" of stories or conversations that fit together to make a single point.

We took a look at the sign-up sheet for  presentations - and it seems everyone is good with the assignments.  They are as follows.

Visual Analsyis

Kathryn J

Catherine R

Ethnographic Methods
Britt

Subrina

Interviews

Amanda
Melissa

Oral history
 Juliana

Katie

Quanitative methods

Nicole

Jazmyne

We will use the format we have used for discussing the other methods - where we begin with the presentation of a sample essay that uses the method under discussion, followed by a more theoretical discussion based in the material in your text book.  Beginning with visual analysis, you will present a discussion/interactive activity to "immerse" the class in the method - and in the following class I will follow up with a discussion of the Griffin essay on the topic.

Discourse Analysis Assignment
We spent the rest of class working into the DA essay.  The assignment sheet is posted to the right.  I belabored the point that this essay needs BOTH to make a series of observations about what is going on in the data, and to make a nontrivial point about the significance of what is going on in the data.  (The assignment sheet points that out about 3 different ways).

You will develop the essay as a series of drafts - and I will provide feedback at several stages before you turn your work in for a grade.  If at any point you feel you need extra input from me = schedule a conference.

After reviewing the assignment sheet we talked through the transcript on Chat rooms.  You noticed features of the talk, similarities and differences between talk in the first discussion, and in the sectond, and we talked about what research question you night use a discussion of those features to explore.

For example:
Features in transcript => use of I in first part & we in the second part; different emotions attached to the two discussions "scary" v "fun"; differences in agency as indicated by active voice, sentence constructions, verb forms etc
Questions: What does A's talk in these two excerpts show about her relatinonship to mainstream stories about  "individualism" ?  What does this relationship suggest about :"stereotypes" associated with gender?  Age?  Connections to others?

or
Features in transcript:  Length of turns in the two segments; kinds of questions (connections between subject's answers and interviewer's questions); interviewer's choice of language for "saying back" etc
Questions: what is the interviewer's role in directing the focus of conversation?  the subjects' role?  What kinds of strategies "work" to get subjects to talk?  How do these strategies change depending on the subject matter?

Blog 10:  Do some more analysis for the Chat transcript + state some questions you might be interested in exploring + the features of the talk you would use as evidence.   Then analyze the Adult learners transcript and post questions and evidence for it as well.  Write into this one.  The more writing you do - the more practice you have for your analysis.

Good class today!

In class Thursday=>
We will talk about ways to re-arrange/re-represent the transcript for presentation in your essay.
Also,  you will share your analyses so far as a way to get a broader idea of the features your classmates are noticing in the transcripts.  We will make a list of these features, and I will provide some additional resources (not required - but if you want more "directions" they will be available in the writing center).