Reflection Of Lee's Inventing The University By David Bartholomae

Upon entering Columbia College, writing was one of my weaker areas. It was very important that I gained the necessary knowledge and confidence to become a better writer. I didn’t know how to express myself and felt as though my writing was not my interest. As a result of taking English 101, I have gained a better understanding on how to properly research and build a satisfactory paper. Every paper that was assigned seemed like a struggle to complete. Before entering this class, I did not know the meaning of a thesis or why it was important, however, I obtained this skill quickly. I noticed that every paper has an argument and the thesis helps clarify the rebuttal. Now, I have a new outlook on writing. It’s a way to express my thoughts and allow others to see things through my eyes. There is no doubt that I still have a long way to go, but I know if I continue to write, I will get better. Just as I developed more skills in class, the various papers assigned helped to better structure the writer in me. In addition, the subject areas were not only interesting, but very informative and made it much easier to write about my experiences.

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

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.”

Chapter 2 of Successful College Writing written by Kathleen McWhorter focused on several different points. However, the main core of the chapter is mostly focused* on college writing and what is expected of it. It mentions* how college introduces you to new forms of writing, and also using sources to support your information and arguments in your essays. This chapter not only mentions the new writing styles you will experience, but also how to be successful in them by giving you helpful tips and aiding you in figuring out your learning style.

As the semester comes to a close, it is always interesting to look back and reflect on the events and opportunities my English class has given me throughout my first semester as a whole. At the beginning of this semester it was evident that I was feeling uncomfortable due to the adjustment that I was going through as a student moving to college. It was very difficult expressing myself through my writing since I was nervous about good impressions and my good grade. While this class was one of the most difficult courses that I have taken this far, it has become quite evident to me that I have grown a substantial amount as a writer and as a person; Especially, when it came to explaining my ideas, writing academic essays, and making arguments.

In Dan Berrett’s article, “Students Come to College Thinking They’ve Mastered Writing,” the idea of freshman thinking they are or must be a refined writer is discussed. Students may think this way coming into college, but their teachers do not. While students might feel satisfied and think that they are prepared with their writing skills, professors found that these students did not necessarily meet the expected level (Berrett 1). Many students reported that they would normally write around 25 hours every week. They said that most of those hours of writing was for more formal purposes like passages to make changes in society (Berrett 1). It was found that one reason the new students might feel this way is that their assumptions about writing differed greatly from those of faculty members and their expectations. One big thing that students will not get for a while, is that good writing is not just listed as a bunch of steps one is to follow that automatically make one’s writing good. Good writing requires one to be in different mental states; it requires the understanding of how to write for different audiences and different reasons (Berrett 2). Berrett includes in the article that writing is not just universal and that in order to do very well, writers must use different forms of writing specifically for their purpose (2). It seems as though students think that, before they even take a class, they are supposed to know everything about writing; in reality, they are supposed to learn new skills and enhance others (Berrett 2). Berrett says that many believe the schools these students previously attended with their test focus might cause these feelings about writing (2). Berrett ends his article by saying that students these days do not think that informal writing actually counts as writing, and that students should practice writing for informal purposes because it can help them (2). Even if they feel like it, students are not fully prepared to write in all contexts when they arrive at college.

Composition 1, also known as English 101 or FYC (First Year Composition) is an entry-level course taken by a majority of college students to introduce them to college-level reading and writing. FYC is a prerequisite course at many colleges and universities and therefore must be taken before students can enter into courses specific to their major. Though FYC serves as a bridge to college-level reading and writing many students and even some compositionists (those who teach writing in a college or university) do not see the relevancy of the course and instead view FYC as a course with very little applicability within the majors and future careers of college students. Others, including Nathalie Singh-Corcoran, believe FYC is a crucial prerequisite course that does teach skills crucial to the futures and lives of college students. In her essay, Composition as a Write of Passage, Nathalie Singh-Corcoran first, speaks to the purpose and overall goals of an FYC course before explaining how the skills learned in FYC can actually be applied to the majors and future careers of college students.  From the very beginning of her article, Singh-Corcoran establishes a strong foundation from which she can reach her main audience, but, she fails to support her main points in the best possible way by a very sparse use of non-anecdotal or personal experience based evidence.

“Inventing the University”, written by David Bartholomae, dives into his theory on what skills a successful student should possess. The main idea throughout the piece is that one should speak and write a certain way, and if they cannot, they should pretend to- meaning that, in an academic setting, if one wishes to become a scholar and converse with other scholars, they must imitate the discourse of the privileged until it becomes natural to them. The discourse- a way of speaking, writing, and thinking, or an identity kit- is only available to those who “must learn to speak [their] language. Or [who]...dare to speak it, or to carry off the bluff, since speaking and writing will most certainly be required long before the skill is learned.

In “What Is It We Do When We Write Articles Like This One- and How Can We Get Students to Join Us?”, English professor Michael Kleine conducts a research of his own the similarities and the contrasts of students and professors when it comes to writing academic papers- what makes professors differentiate in methods of writing an academic writing piece versus a student and how to have students be more open in writing about their own interests? Mr.Kleine concluded this essential question by observing high school and college students on one Sunday night, writing research papers. He noticed a pattern in all of the students in which they were actually doing, copying. “I know they were writing research papers because they were not writing at all-

In “Expectations for College Writing,” the author indicates the importance of thinking and communicating to succeed after college. A writer’s style acknowledges a social or academic expression. A writer’s skill to rationalize ideas and think critically demonstrates an essential technique for enhancing communication in the work environment.

As a University of Tampa freshman, I would have never guessed how much progress I could have made as a writer in class FYW 100, taught by Professor Birnbaum. Coming out of high school from one of the most prestigious, well-known schools in the nation, gave me an ambiguous amount of certainty to receiving an A in her class. Before beginning my journey in college, Jesuit, which was a college preparatory high school, gave mandatory four-year English courses to every student. With that being said, there was no doubt of me coming into freshman year of college with high confidence in my English skills.

Thonney states, “a study of scholarly research articles from six disciplines provides insight about academic writing that composition instructors can use to prepare students to write across the curriculum” (2011 pg. ). Moving forward, Joseph Williams and Lawrence McEnerney’s essay, “Writing in College” targets students currently enrolled in college which is clear from the title itself and its first opening sentence at the beginning of the first paragraph. The author states, “Some students make very smooth transitions from writing in high school to writing in college, and we heartily wish all of you an easy passage” (Williams and McEnerney page 1). Throughout the essay, the author provides a set of structure and tips that first year college students should know when writing an academic paper. Among this paper, we are able to see that there are students whose instructors are dissatisfied with their paper because it is “lacking something” ( Williams and McEnenery’s pg1 ), it isn’t “quite there” or “You haven’t change”. Both passages consist of informative research that first year college students can identify themselves.

“The Novice as Expert: Writing the Freshman Year” reflected my writing experience while I transitioned from elementary writer to a critical writer. Sommers and Saltz write, “freshmen need to see themselves as novice in a world that demands ‘something more and deeper’ from their writing than high school” (Sommers and Saltz 134). This line highlights the hardship that most students face when trying to write successfully. My earlier written works were much weaker than my current pieces because I often wrote for the sake of passing the class. While developing my writing, I focused on the new ideas that were introduced rather than limiting my argument to familiar techniques and ideas. Because of my new attitude towards writing, I began to demand

The observation of the written account “Inventing the University” by David Bartholomae, is in the mistakes of primary writers failure to come up to expectation and how their shortfall of comprehension of a discourse community averts them from conclusively being accepted as a part of that educational community and flourishing in their scholastic fascinations. Bartholomae defines what is inventing the university, and he says, “He has to speak our language, to speak as we do, to try on the peculiar ways of knowing, selecting, evaluating, reporting, concluding, and arguing that define the discourse of our community (pg. 403).” Bartholomae gives an explanation of the endeavors of unsophisticated writers, the method proficient writers compose, and

In “Inventing the University” (1986), Bartholomae discusses how someone who has no prior information on a subject is able to convey through their writing that they actually do. Bartholomae examines several essays from college freshmen and describes the variety of essays, which range from bold and daring to dull and mundane. While the author goes into detail over several essays, including how well each student performed on their essay overall, he almost entirely overlooks the syntax of the papers. Instead, Bartholomae focuses on how well the writer immerses their writing in the specific discourse with which they want to engage.