Conference Paper Abstracts

As promised, here are the abstracts about papers I'll be presenting at upcoming conferences. The first is at NeMLA, called "Telling Mystories: Heuretics, the Personal, and Composition."

An emerging genre of personal writing outside blogs, social network sites, and reality television is “mystory.” Mystory is a “hybrid” genre invented by Gregory Ulmer that attempts to “invent a rhetoric or poetics” of electronic media and to develop “picto-ideo-phonographic writing.” This genre also allows writers to engage in personal exploration and speculation because it is closely linked with heuretics, another of Ulmer’s terms. Heuretics, which is commonly heralded as a way “out” of the ideologically oppressive and constraining hermeneutics, promises raw invention and speculation instead of critical interpretation.

Many composition scholars advocate courses and techniques that question the institutions that enable or preserve oppressive norms or ideologies. Composition scholars are also examining online writing genres for their critical potential, either under the aegis of heuretics or in terms of the internet itself. But aside from Ulmer’s work, little has been done to explore the potential of heuretics’ relationship to hermeneutics. Scholarship pits them as opposites, with hermeneutics representing traditional, constraining forms of literacy, and heuretics representing liberation from these practices. This paper argues that heuretics can only entirely accomplish its aims if it is necessarily connected to hermeneutics.

This paper links mystory with personal writing, a link that Ulmer implies but does not directly explain. I contend that if composition instructors turn to the personal writing extant in mystory, they can help students not only develop their own “logic of invention” but also understand more effectively their roles in their culture at large. In adopting practices of mystory to the composition classroom, instructors also allow students to enact heuretics’ mission, though only with hermeneutics alongside it., This paper argues that the personal (mystory) should be a key component of the composition classroom because it juxtaposes heuretics with hermeneutics and, in so doing, leads to that more productive heuretics.

The second is called "Thought, in the Proper Sense: Reading Vygotsky with Reflective Writing" and will be presented at the MCLLM conference in March.

Reflective writing occupies a curious place in the composition classroom. Though many scholars have discussed it in various ways, existing scholarship does not account for the cognitive element. This paper, then, investigates the relationship between reflective writing and cognitive development. Lev Vygotsky’s Thought and Language offers a starting point for this investigation. By applying Vygotsky’s theorization of egocentric speech to a student reflective essay, I hope to illuminate moments of complex meta-cognition.

Vygotsky’s discussion of egocentric speech sheds light on the cognitive processes underlying reflective writing. This paper suggests that Vygotsky’s conception of generalization offers composition scholars a more qualitative vocabulary for understanding reflective writing. I argue that reflective writing and egocentric speech are intimately connected: reflective writing often adopts characteristics of egocentric speech. Reflective writing is also a highly analytical mode of cognitive problem-solving, which the connection to egocentric speech helps us see.

This paper presents a sample of student reflective writing to demonstrate how Vygotsky’s theory of generalization elucidates the student’s metacognitive process. As I discuss the sample, I will use Vygotsky’s discussion of generalization to help explain the places where the student is grappling with, and mastering, difficult concepts. Ultimately, I hope to create spaces where more qualitative interpretations of reflective writing might benefit our students and lead their cognitive development.

1st Post of the New Year

I swear, this year I'm going to get better at posting. Likely I'll have to post for Anne's class again, so that will keep me going. But for now, a brief post about my dissertation ideas, since I have not yet had an opportunity to write them out.

At this point, I'm thinking about doing something with personal writing (specifically anecdotes), critical theory (postmodernism/parody), and rhetorical invention. Sounds weird, I know. Likely there will also be heuretics involved, which is Gregory Ulmer's term for how invention works. I know that I want to explore the possibilities of this, but in which ways, I am yet unsure. Also, experimental writing will possibly fit in here, because I see it as linked to new ways of invention.

Linda Hutcheon's A Theory of Parody has been an influential work for me, especially during my Master's degree. I can't remember why I picked it up; I know I did so during the summer of 2006. Since then, I've read it a few times, and included it in my MA thesis. It's an interesting look at 20th century art and literature. Basically, Hutcheon creates a new definition of parody -- based on examples from 20th century art and literature -- that casts it as "repetition with a critical, ironic distance." In other words, an artist consciously repeats elements of a work to critique it and/or critique socio-cultural forces that created it. Granted, Hutcheon does not, to my knowledge, pay much attention to present receptions of these works, though I think she recognizes that works cannot be divorced from either their initial circumstances or present ones.

So how does this relate to any of my proposed ideas? Well, based on my rather limited reading, it seems that imitation (in the rhetorical sense) can operate on a similar plane. I might even argue that what many composition scholars are asking their students to do is parody works. If this is the case, then Hutcheon's conception of parody can also be figured as part of the writing classroom. I'm also thinking that this form of imitation might be linked to invention -- or, at least, used as a means for invention. As for anecdotes and experimental writing, your guess is as good as mine.

In other academic news, I'm going to two conferences this semester: NeMLA and MCLLM. At NeMLA, I'm presenting a paper on personal writing and heuretics; at MCLLM, I'll be presenting a study of Lev Vygotsky's Thought and Language in relation to student writing. Stay tuned for posts with abstracts!

Barack Obama, America's 1st African-American President

November 4, 2008, was a historic day in American history, when we elected Barack Obama as our President. I write this as a record for myself and for my children, who will inevitably ask "Where were you when he was elected?"

I also write this because I am exceedingly proud of the Obama campaign. Obama is intelligent, practical, resourceful, and a hard worker. I believe in his values, and for the first time in a LONG time (probably about 15 years) I am proud to be an American.

I am also glad that we finally have a President I can admire, respect, and is a role model for anyone.

Obama did it for his daughters, and I can only hope that others will follow.

It's been awhile since I posted about the Olympics... in fact, now that I have started the school year, I have been amassing several interesting things to blog/rant about. Unfortunately, I will only have time to cover a few.

The first is my courseload this semester. While it seems more than ambitious to take on 3 Ph.D-level courses combined with two FULL sections of English 101 (which means responding to 48 responses every other day), I'm actually loving it. I love to be busy, because it makes me prioritize. One course in particular is already helping me; it's Jane Gallop's course in critical writing.

In this course, the 7 of us -- 8 including Professor Gallop-- workshop each other's writing. But it's not a creative-writing-style workshop, where we say what we like or what we feel. No, it is, in Dr. Gallop's words, "not a social affair." That means we go word-by-word, line-by-line, and no jumping ahead. Last week, we got through 2 paragraphs in about 45 minutes. Yeah. Next week, when it's my turn, I think I'm just going to cry. It's like the Inquisition.

But it's already helping. For her class, I've been reading Peter Elbow's Writing with Power; that combined with JG's relentless pursuit of clarity and perfection, has led to significant advances in my writing process. I cut down a 3.5 page response to 2.5 pages yesterday... a full page. Not only that, but I'm thinking about my writing more, and stressing less. (I know... I was shocked too. But bear with me, folks). Elbow says that if writers worry less, they will be able to accomplish more writing and better writing. It's not about the generation, but about the revision process.

Some of you are probably thinking, "duh." And rightly so. But this is a new development for me, someone who has always struggled with writing and who has always felt stressed out by it. I've had comments written on my papers such as: "Cut the flab off your sentences," "Your prose is clunky, like an out of tune piano, it stumbles," "Is this an essay?", and, my personal favorite, "No."

But maybe it's my ideas that need more explanation as well. Several professors have told me that I have a fast brain, and that I make connections so quickly without seeing that others don't. I am hoping that being more precise in my writing will allow me to do that.

Somewhat related to writing, my English 101 classes have gotten off to a rocky start. I guess I've just had great ones in the past, because I never expected what I've been getting so far. I must have been lucky. These two are made up of admittedly good students for the most part, and most of them are willing to go along with me, but they're loud. I;ve never had to spend 4 days telling any class that this is not like high school-- I want them to think for themselves. Usually, most classes just assume, or keep it to themselves.

It makes me think about how education is working in this country. I'm beginning to think that students would be much better off not learning "facts" or real information, and instead learn to think in high school, and get the content later in college. But of course, no one listens to me, and then not everyone goes to college. I have to keep remembering that since we choose to educate everyone in America (well, sort of -- if you're white and have money, that is), these problems arise. Then again, I ought to change my expectations a little. I've chastised the English department here for expecting our students to be English critics, and then I enter the classroom with the expectation that they're going to want to break away from the high school mode. Moral of the story: expect nothing, and be ready to change course at the drop of a hat.

Michael Phelps vs. Milorad Cavic; or, the Slimmest Victory in History

Patriotism runs rampant at Olympic time, and though I am generally not outwardly (nor inwardly, for that matter) patriotic, I am addicted to watching the Olympics on tv. As much as I am enjoying it, I feel compelled to discuss my thoughts about the current Games here on my blog.

First, I'm amazed by how NBC is blatantly glossing over the smog problem in Beijing. My mother told me that a few weeks before the Olympics aired, she heard/saw a story on tv that explained how the Olympic committee was forcing the Chinese farmers to give up their rice crops so that there would be enough water for the Games. Understandably, she was outraged, and I share this view. It still amazes me that first world countries -- or, in this case, the West -- colonializes the East so directly and without mercy. Related to this, NBC is promoting Chinese-American unity; many ads for Coke, Budweiser, and Visa depict images of Chinese and American athletes sharing Coke, winning gold in events, or partying at one of Beijing's many clubs with Bud beer. Now, I probably don't have to say how problematic this is, because even though China has embraced Coke, and probably Budweiser as well, this treatment does nothing more than continue to promote the West's takeover of the East.

In addition, the Olympics bring many discussions of unity and world-wide harmony. By watching the games, we're seeing the world through rose-colored glasses, because our minds are taken off of the War in Iraq, conflicts in Georgia/Russia, and even the gas price fiasco. Instead, we're watching as Michael Phelps beats Serb swimmer Milorad Cavic by one one-hundredth of a second to win his 7th gold medal, which then led to his 8th. We're watching the Chinese gymastics and diving teams slaughter the competition, and the women's beach volleyball team remain undefeated. For me, all this is a welcome break from the tragedy and annoying political ads, but at the same time I have to wonder: How much harm is this doing?

I ask this question because I am about to begin a new semester of teaching English 101, and one of the major goals of the course will be engagement in social and political issues. That is, I want my students to be able to think critically about everything, not just texts. I want them to be able to understand how discourses and ideologies work, so that when the next election comes up, or when a problem arises, they can ultimately make the right decision. So this coverage of the Olympics is making me a tad uneasy, because most viewers out there probably haven't read Said, Bhabha, or Hardt and Negri. Nor are they my mom, who, despite not having read any theory, is one of the toughest and smartest critics I know.

To promote unity among the countries is problematic at best; while an admirable goal, and a pillar of these Olympic games, how much unity is there really? And why not just cover the games without the extraneous "packaging"? (I can hear people say, but, Sarah, that's what happens in capitalism"). Have we become so obsessed with materialism and consumer culture that we need to package the Olympic games, too?

Another thought about "unity" NBC's unerring coverage of rivalries and displays of "good sportsmanship." On the one hand, discussing rivalries does little if anything to promote unity; rather, it creates rifts and forces the American viewers to take sides. Furthermore, discussing rivalries continues the trend of simplification: glossing over the "real" issues in favor of ones that "sell" more stories. That is, we all expect there to be rivalries among sports teams or players, and reinforcing our expectations only solidifies the problematic obsession of team sports. Sure, rivalries do exist, but why can't we focus on the "game" or event? And presenting moments of "good sportsmanship" does mend these broken ties somewhat; one could say that it is an attempt to bring teams and athletes together. But in so doing, they gloss over the real meaning --- assuming reality exists -- and significance of the Olympic games: the best athletes in the world showing off their amazing prowess.

Example: Lolo Jones' "disappointment" in the 100m hurdles, or the other American women's runner who came in third in the 400m. Instead of playing up these women's feats and accomplishments, even the runners themselves had been sold on the importance of winning this race! The opening ceremonies of the Olympic games promotes pride and honor for the athletes' countries, and openly declares that they're all "winners" by making it this far. So what happened?!? Where did that go? I mean, I know these athletes have worked so hard to get where they are going, so it makes sense to want to be the best. But, at the same time, why subject them all to the guilt of reliving a two-second interval where they fell off the balance beam, took a step on the landing, or smacked a hurdle? What good does that do anyone?

Perhaps my qualms are related to my fear that visual media is getting all the more manipulative, since we're getting all the more inoculated against it. Perhaps all this is just because I'm an academic, and spend countless hours noticing crap like this, when I'm supposed to be enjoying it like everybody else. Although, I wonder, are they? And how will these games affect China in the future?

Too many big questions.

Back from Summer Hiatus

Greetings, everyone! I am now officially back from summer hiatus, and I'm ready to start blogging again. I also should note that I'm using this blog to work out my reading, writing, and paper ideas. Additionally, I will be having my 101 students blog weekly, so it's only fair that I blog with them!

At any rate, here's a sampling of what I've read this summer:

American Pastoral (by Philip Roth) -- One of the best books I have ever read, hands down. It's fantastic. I try to read a Roth book every summer, and this one was the best. I can't wait to read my next one!

Angels and Insects (by A.S. Byatt) -- Another of my favorite authors. The first novella in this collection (there are 2) was fantastic and positively haunting; the second one I did not like, though the writing was characteristically excellent.

The Brooklyn Follies (by Paul Auster) -- Yet another great read. I literally could not put it down, and it made me glad I picked up my second Auster novel (the first one I read 8 years ago).

Tristram Shandy (by Lawrence Sterne) -- Good, but not what I expected. I had thought it was going to be more like Italo Calvino, but it wasn't. Still, worth picking up.

Luncheon of the Boating Party -- A very good pleasure read. Nothing too spectacular, but I love Renoir, and the author personifies him well, as she does with narrating the painting. So, it was worth it, but a guilty pleasure.

Everything is Illuminated (by Jonathan Safran Foer) --- Great book, a little bit disturbing, though. In my opinion, not as good as his latest, which is below. Interesting, compelling, and ultimately moving, though.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (by Jonathan Safran Foer) -- Awesome. Just awesome. A tad weird, at first, if you don't know his style, but definitely excellent and moving. One of my favorite reads this summer.

Maps and Legends (by Michael Chabon) --Chabon is one of my favorite authors, so he never lets me down. This time, he did not disappoint. His essays were interesting, honest, insightful, and impeccably written. He writes the way I want to write. Pick it up!


There are many more. Academic texts later. :)

Project URL

My first post in May; my last post for this class. :( (Anyone feel a Dickensian onslaught coming on?)

Here is the URL for my project, humble as it is: http://www.uwm.edu/~etlinger/introduction.html

If any of you have trouble with the link, do let me know. I've had some trouble myself, so it wouldn't surprise me if you do, too.

At any rate, I'd love some feedback on this site, as it's intended to be a work in progress and therefore FAR from final, definitive, finished, etc. Please feel free to offer suggestions, criticism, feedback, questions, gripes, how-tos, and the like.

I've enjoyed working with you all this semester, and I will try to find time during the summer to continue the blogging. If nothing else, it'll keep me in touch, and help me prepare for my upcoming first semester review in the fall! :)

Cheers!