Analysis Of Inventing The University By David Bartholomae

Edmundson, Mark. "On the Uses of a Liberal Education." From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and a Reader. Ed. Stuart Greene and April Lidindsky. Bedford/ St. Martin’s: New York, 2008. 322-337. Print

In the paper “Inventing the University” by David Bartholomae, he shows the mistakes that basic writers make in college. It shows us what writers are lacking in writing effectively for an academic community. He compares and contrasts the differences between a mater writer and a basic writer. It shows how an expert writer keeps the audience in mind and a struggling writer does not. Bartholomae says that writers in college need to learn to “invent the university” which means they adapt their writing to writing and speak the ideas of an academic setting. Some students may find it hard to develop these new ways of writing and speaking in an academic setting. One way a master writer and a basis writer is different is

At the beginning of the essay, the writer expresses the difficulties experienced by high-school graduates in gaining admission to universities, nowadays. She states,” College as America used to understand it is coming to an end” through Rick Perlstein (Addison 3). To show contrast between the past and modern days, Addison brings another character to the scene. She states that Perlstein had a ‘beatnik’ friend alongside him. The term ‘beatnik’ makes reference to a person of the artistic Beat generation of the 1950s and 60s. During that period, college education, offered in universities, was highly regarded. To further her argument, she claims that admission to universities, nowadays, relies solely on their Curricula Vitae.

In his essay “Inventing the University”, David Bartholomae kicks of his composition by explaining to readers what he believes is the accurate way to speak so that the audience will understand and take in what all you have said. He makes this very clear, for example he points out how all readers must feel equal and the writer must make them feel the same nobody should be looked down on. Bartholomae brings up how using the same dialogue is a major key as well. These mistakes are commonly made by freshman such as myself I’ll admit that. Throughout the essay Bartholomae reviews some pieces of writing that are written by students, while doing so he points out the flaws of the writing and comments on how they can do better. When Bartholomae expresses that he wants writers to learn how to speak the language that we as young adults do, He even brings up the fact that some writers either struggle or just do not know how to write in different commonplaces. He feels as though this student will have this struggle in college while writing many other papers. At some point of the essay Bartholomae tells how he was impressed by one student’s placement essay they had written while they attended orientation. In one of his main points he makes Bartholomae speaks on why students are placed in certain courses, which is based on errors made while taking the university’s placement test. These courses are designed to help students improve in those areas they scored low in. Bartholomae wants students to appropriate their dialogue by becoming one with the audience be comfortable enough to speak to them as if they were historians or members of the academy. Baratholonae says, “They have to invent the university by assembling and mimicking its language.”

Higher education in modern day America has become a debated topic, with some saying that it is not worth it due to the debt it leaves upon leaving, and some saying that it opens opportunities that surpass the results of obtaining one. A resulting view from this conflict is that certain forms of education aren’t as beneficial as others. A primary example of one of these less valuable educations is the study of Liberal Arts. Author Sanford J. Ungar discredits this view in his article The New Liberal Arts where he discusses the many misconceptions that have come to form this interpretation. To convince the reader of these misunderstandings, Ungar uses the appeals of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, with heavy appeal to logic (Logos) over the other two. Each misconception uses and focuses on more of one appeal than others, and by doing this, he is very successful in influencing the reader into considering that these misunderstandings are present.

Within the article titled “The Mistrust of Science” by Atul Gawande, the article is a written document of an address at the California Institute of Technology and describes the connection of science to every single human on Earth. This is done because the presenter defines science as “a systematic way of thinking” since science allows humans to contemplate beyond the information being given to them at any time, such as the questions may follow of how, when, where, why, and how? The presenter states the opinion that, no matter what major you are declared as or the type of occupation you hold, science is embedded into the way you are living, despite you not having any knowledge of certain science topics.

In his work entitled “The Shock of Education: How College Corrupts”, journalist and author Alfred Lubrano poses the question of how receiving education can lead to a harsh reality. Lubrano explains that as a child works toward a higher education, there are certain aspects of life they are forced to leave behind as they enter into a new existence. According to Lubrano’s statement, “At night, at home, the differences in the Columbia experiences my father and I were having was becoming more evident” (532). Additionally, Lubrano states, “We talked about general stuff, and I learned to self-censor. I’d seen how ideas could be upsetting, especially when wielded by a smarmy freshman who barely knew what he was talking about” (533). In answering this question, Lubrano must explore the types of conversations that occurred with other family members, the disconnection from his peers, and how segregating himself from his family

Throughout the passage, Barry alludes to multiple famous scientists. He references the famous French physiologist Claude Bernard, and includes Bernard’s quote that “Science teaches us to doubt”. Barry does so to give himself

Every one of us have our own identity. This identity is shaped and influenced by several external uncontrollable factors that occur simultaneously as we grow up. More specifically, our home, school, society or any particular cultural background that surrounds us. United States is one of the most diversified countries in the world. Most of us come from different discourse communities from around the world. In “Home and Away” BT. Williams argues how this unique identity that we carry along and the discourses we have already learned in our diversified surroundings impact the way we talk, speak and even approach academic writing. He discusses this conflict between the academic discourse in the classroom and primary discourses that the student has

“Additionally, issues of identity and values are important factors in neophytes ' abilities and willingness to learn to write in and for new workplaces, as they must choose between ways of thinking and writing with which they are comfortable and new ways that seem foreign or at odds with their identities and values” (Wardle 285) When I was first accepted into The University of Arkansas, the first thing that came to my mind was to put effort into my grades and into building my resume. Those would be my top priories. Before I knew it I had been accepted into a discourse community of members that were striving for the same ideals that I was-The Greek fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha. Through the proses of being an initiate, I learned life long core values of community between other members. Interviewing the president of Lambda Chi Alpha, Luke Crenshaw, I uncovered the rigorous involvement of academic writing skills and how that plays a giant roll in this discourse community. These benefits are included in the values and beliefs of a discourse community.

These skills also helped attain preference and support among princes. Nevertheless, the school system did not teach youth how to behave in daily life situations. They spent too much time on Grammar, Rhetoric, and Logic(doc 13). Those studies that were realistic, enlightened men's minds, and prepared them for life, were reserved for the Universities(doc 10). Therefore, students had a slight understanding of the meaning and the true use of knowledge. They were only able to write Latin(doc 3), which no one of judgment would want to read, and when they went to universities, they wasted their friends' money and their own time. Afterwards, they would return home again, as unsophisticated and uneducated as they were before.

Mark Edmundson, the author of “On the Uses of a Liberal Education”, is an English teacher at the University of Virginia who expresses his concerns about the trajectory of the universities and colleges in America. Edmundson depicts how college students today have “little fire, little passion to be found,” towards their classes (4). In an effort to find the source of this lack of passion, Edmundson describes contacting other professors about this issue while refining his own ideas. Ultimately, Edmundson comes to a conclusion. He believes that the consumer mindset of college students has hindered American universities as a whole. My target audience is my professor, Professor Chezik. Looking closely at his wording, formation of sentences, and idea structure, one can see a recurring theme throughout Edmundson’s essay. Edmundson uses fragments, specifically at the beginning of his paragraphs, to start his point, pose counter arguments, and to have a poetic refrain.

Throughout Cronon's essay the structure that he employs plays a critical role in his gentle persuasion of the reader. Cronon is crafty and subversive in his persuasion of the reader through the use of his inductive structure. Beginning his essay with a question, "What does it mean to be a liberally educated person?"(156), Cronon temps the reader with an intriguing question. The reader is enticed with the proposition of an answer as the phrase is plastered on many surfaces and never thoroughly defined in modern society where a clear working definition would be exquisite. While entrancing the reader Cronon's opening question serves another purpose as well: building the foundation for his thesis. While he attempts to answer this confusing question he slowly crescendos towards the new and controversial thesis, which explains the connection between love and a liberal education.

What is scientific research without competent scientists? John M. Barry’s The Great Influenza, characterizes scientific research as a commendable venture. Barry uses rhetorical strategies such as repetition, compelling diction, and vivid imagery. These tactics aid the reader’s comprehension of the author’s purpose. The purpose is to convince readers that scientists require certain traits to overcome the challenges of scientific research. The passage in reference suggests that John M. Barry holds scientists in high regard.

In The Basement of the Ivory Tower is a very illustrative and witty analysis that presents the idea that not everyone is suited for college. The author, who goes by the alias Professor X, presents himself as a man of scholar with the difficult task of teaching English to students he believes should not even be in college. He is an adjunct professor that teaches at two community colleges as a last resort. Throughout this article, he argues that there are too many unreachable students. During his efforts in exploring various strategies to help these students, he claims that they are deficient in ability to complete any college course—especially English. Overall, with a lack of statistics and research, Professor X utilizes his professional character by sharing multiple anecdotes that feebly argue higher education is simply not for everyone.