Devitt, Barwarshi, and Reiff Response

Materiality and Genre in the Study of Discourse Communities by Devitt, Barwarshi, and Reiff

Summary: This article Materiality and Genre in the Study of Discourse Communities by Devitt, Barwarshi, and Reiff focuses on the discussion and use of Genre and materiality in and around discourse communities. Devitt argues that understanding and participating in genre is very important to understanding how the material texts contribute to the idea of a discourse community. In the article, Amy Devitt examines legal genres dealing with lawyers and jurors and Anis Bawarshi looks at a medical form in the discussion of doctors and patients. Devitt talks about the difference of language in the court room and how the jurors see words and readings differently than the lawyers do. She talks about the difference in understanding and ideals between members and nonmembers of a certain genre or discourse community. She explains how it is important to know what genre you are assigned to. She argues that you need to know your purpose and agenda because these separate communities can be prevented from interweaving and revolving around each other. Devitt argues for the importance of knowing and being a part of your genre and the implications that come with it. Then it transfers to Bawarshi who talks about the relationship between patients and doctors through paper work and forms such as the PMHF. Bawarshi argues on the exchange between language and social interaction. That you have to become aware of the differences and importance of language in genres and the concepts they deal with. Bowarshi talks about how doctors use these forms to medicate and treat patients but it is solely off this information it could have everything about your physical health but nothing on your mental health. While these two were sharing their own ethnographic research, Mary Jo Reiff finished the article by discussing ethnography or the theory of observation and interaction as a in which we can learn about a certain community of interest. Reiff argues the importance of observing but also participating in a community of interest. This is because through observation you can see and learn their guidelines and some set values but it is through interaction that we discover deeper insight and understanding of the community and all that goes into it. She argues this allows people and students as she specifically discusses to learn the written and unwritten language and context of the community as well as the immersion and relevant context in discussion. This article is overall not necessarily about discourse communities but genres instead for not all genres we are in lie within the same community. This is about the importance of knowing, observing and interacting with the genre you wish to understand or join.

Synthesis: This article correlates to the article written by Gee when he discusses the importance of secondary discourses and what is needed to be knowledgeable of them and r a part of them. Gee argues for the importance of knowing and comprehending the literacy of the group and their specific language. Gee also talks about how you must go forth in apprenticeship in this community in order rot fully understand their literacy in all aspects including values, beliefs, language and so forth. This is just like the article here by Devit, Bawarshi, and Reiff in that they all talk about genre and how you go about knowing and participating in them whether ones you need to know or want to be a part of. They use examples like the ballot or doctors and patients to explain how important It is to know language and to be able to interact and understand these interactions you make. This is just as Gee describes but slightly different and in regards to different topics because this is focused on genre and the discourses surrounding it while Gee talks about your secondary discourses which are communities you choose to join or become a part of.

Questions for Journaling and Discussion:

2. I have to deal with and scrimmage with writing everyday just as described in switching genres. For instance taking this English course while taking I-Art at in the same semester leads to issues and discouragement at times. When writing for this English class I have to learn to write properly and use correct grammar and so forth. Also most of my writing involves reading and research and this differs from I-Art incredibly. In my I-Art class all the writing that is done is based off of opinion and your thoughts and feelings. This class just calls for deep thinking, involvement and discussion so there is no need in proper writing or structure while you must do this with English.

3. Here at Ohio University we have many genre sets or areas so intellectual discussion within a certain discourse community. There is all the halls that have classes for specific majors and there is also the gym for athletes and people who work out a lot. Also the library for clubs, organizations, and students to do homework. There are millions of places even bars and house off campus are place or genre sets for discourses to meet or communicate. I believe that I myself am part of the musician discourse as I go to brick city records meetings and I help with the organization. I am also one who works out a lot and consider myself part of that as wells as someone who is a member of the social discourse community if you will.

Applying and Exploring Ideas:

3. I think through observing and researching a discourses genres and forms of communication the smaller or hidden things a article or book cannot tell you. This form of studying and research will teach you the forms of greetings, dismissing, meetings, language, phrase and communicating (phone, text, twitter, notes etc.). This will show you and help you find commonalities they all use and share and develop the meaning behind them. This form of research will disregard the basic information and teach and explain the detailed things, it is like going from learning addition to calculus. The only difference is this is a research choice where you won’t be confused but better yet develop a keen understanding of the discourse community.

Meta Moment: I think that ethnography is a very strong method for learning about a discourse community. This form can teach you so many things that articles couldn’t as well as have you informed on the latest of things as some articles may be out of date. Although this is all true I also think that articles and scholarly research can teach you a lot about a discourse community and show you so much more then ethnography can. I think that articles overall will do much better for you as you can learn all the basics as well as key details. Then you can branch off of this or explore more but I think that ethnography is too reliant on unreliable forms although they can be very helpful they can also be a complete failure to your research.

Opinion on Article: I think that is article was a very insightful read and presented a lot of valid points. I never thought of understanding and knowing a genre as something so specific. I also never thought of a genre in this way before I always thought of it a general area of search for a group or set of common topics but it is in fact more precise than this. Also thanks to this article I have knowledge and examples as to how genres work and the importance of understanding all that is withheld in them specifically the ones in which you are intertwining with or wish to become a part of. This article was hard to interpret but the three examples were very helpful and all three pieces presented valuable information in my knowing and understanding of genres, discourse communities and all that is enticed between the two. I was glad to have gotten the chance to read this as it has helped tremendously with my understanding of these topics: what goes into them? How they affect each other? How to go about understanding, joining and knowing a genre fully? This article was a good read and presented a lot of useful information to the world of language and interaction.