Boy was this week’s readings a bit overwhelming. This week we explored Richard Fulkerson and James Berlin’s ideologies. The main premise of these readings were simply about the ways in which educators teach students effectively. Truth be told, before reading about the four philosophies of rhetoric, I always knew that all educators were immensely different from each other. By that I mean, of course there will be formalists, expressivists, mimetics, and rhetorics clashing with each other because not everyone will have similar views. The formalist approach looks at the structure of one’s writing and how eloquently the paper was organized. They do not focus on the content, rather the visual aspect such as grammar, length and usage of metaphors. E.D. Hirsch follows a concept in which he calls “Relative readability” and essentially it is measured by how well the writer understands the concept. Basically, is the writer able to communicate their ideas clearly, and will we the readers be able to understand? I personally think that is relevant in terms of grading because I have definitely written a paper while struggling to understand the content I was required to read, and did not effectively make strong arguments.
Aside from the formalist approach, I relate heavily with expressive philosophy writing since I am also a creative writer. Expressive writing philosophy just seems like teachers encouraging students to find their voice through personal experiences and emotions. Journal keeping is encouraged by expressivists. Teaching students to talk about societal issues or important causes whether its journaling or in class writing can encourage a deeper understanding of the world. For example, one of my classes this semester is writing for social change and my professor deeply encourages us to discuss one’s experiences and how it makes us feel. She encourages free writing and then lets us all share if we want to, but this also shows other classmates different perspectives and experiences which can be crucial in the writing process. One thing I will also say is that “Emancipatory movement in composition” is a type of discourse that encourages students to focus on reading and writing on cultural injustices. This type of writing helps students challenge the inequality happening all around America. James Berlin once said “Our larger purpose is to encourage our students to resist and to negotiate hegemonic discourses–in order to bring about more personally humane and socially equitable economic and political arrangements”(660). My teaching standards would be very progressive due to the fact I will encourage students to dive into social/cultural injustice, but not only in America. I will use writing as a form of freedom and a sense of therapy. I’m assuming CCS (Critical/Cultural Studies) emphasizes critical because it still has a sense of taboo attached to its meaning.
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