Zephyrus
Tyrants and Slaves
Hard and social sciences could benefit much from emphasizing clarity in their rhetoric. It's why I'm glad I'm in the humanities.
The "Education" Thread
- Thread starter viewerfromnihil
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Hard and social sciences could benefit much from emphasizing clarity in their rhetoric. It's why I'm glad I'm in the humanities.
unknown
fuck ftagn
I had a professor in college hand out her "model" paper, and I flat out told her it looked like something I would write in high school. She didn't appreciate the comment, but it was true. I ended up getting a B in her class. Whatever.
Einherjar86
Active Member
Exactly.
There's a big push lately in writing and English departments to compose coherent, accessible pieces. It doesn't have to do with "dumbing down"; it has to do with communicating your ideas in a general, effective way. Everyone who's an expert in their field likes to think they automatically know how to write about it. Not true.
Carpe Mortem
Benevolently Batshit
- Aug 21, 2013
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I constantly had teachers in high school tell me this, and it took a long time to sink in and understand what they meant. If it's any sort of research, or providing of information, people don't want to sift through extraneous adjectives and colorful, flowery descriptions of something that could easily be stated in one short sentence. It's not 'dumbing down', it's getting to the point and avoiding literary masturbation.
I find that in the past few years both in my own writing, and when reading others, I have a heavy preference for focus on information, even if it means sacrificing style. There's a place for beautifully written words- in novels, poetry, etc.
"A wise man knows much but says little, a fool knows little but says much."
crimsonfloyd
Active Member
It's really impossible to know about your paper specifically without reading it, but some academic writers are unnecessarily obtuse and obscure. Sometimes writing needs to be complex to express complex concepts, but other times authors make things more complex then they need to be.
Dak
mentat
No, I was told to write as if the person reading it hadn't even a clue about anything, and also needed some sort "icebreaker" - for a research paper introduction. None of the papers I am citing are written in this manner, why am I being taught to write like this? Of course any technical paper is going to lack some degree of clarity for a lay reader, or a person unfamiliar with source materials. Efficiency certainly wasn't the problem. Of course, it is now having to "break it down barney style".
Einherjar86
Active Member
You're turning it in for a class, not publishing it. You're supposed to prove that you understand the processes and information involved.
crimsonfloyd
Active Member
Yeah the teacher can't take for granted that you know what terms mean or perhaps more significantly how you are interpreting the terms unless you articulate your terms and provide context. That's the teacher's way of checking for understanding. It's hard to know if your high-level thinking is on point if you haven't demonstrated that you have a basic understanding of the concepts.
As for APA, it fucking sucks. They make us use it at UCLA and I can't stand it. By far the worst citation format I've ever been forced to use.
As for APA, it fucking sucks. They make us use it at UCLA and I can't stand it. By far the worst citation format I've ever been forced to use.
Dak
mentat
Maybe that's it, just so she doesn't have to go back and check all the sources for the several dozen papers. We are required to use at least 10. If the level of dialogue on the discussion boards is any indication of the average submission, I could sum it up by posting that Britney Spears derp image, so wanting the students to explain it makes some sense.
APA is, I believe, aimed specifically at journal articles. I can see how MLA is far superior for just about any other sort of writing.
On a related but positive note, my actual research gig is moving right along. Working on the IRB submission this week, and my side project has already been accepted for a presentation near the close of the semester.
unknown
fuck ftagn
good luck with IRB. It took me about 4 months and 3 re-submissions before my fucking simple survey could be issued to students. An 11 page submission form. It was ridiculous
Dak
mentat
Yeah I've scanned the online form already. Radio buttons & accompanying blanks for detail out the ass. The study is shooting for an expedited decision because it's drawing from existing survey forms.
Matt
Active Member
Einherjar86
Active Member
My essay wasn't accepted into ALH; no big surprise there, it's a competitive journal. The response I received was also encouraging, although I'm unsure whether to read it as genuine or rote. It went something along the lines of this:
"Thank you for sending your essay on Ralph Ellison to us for consideration. As cogent and engaging as we found it, I am sorry to say that it does not meet our immediate needs. Please understand that our decision reflects the current state of the journal’s commitments and plans, not a negative assessment of your argument or quarrel with your procedures. Another journal, with different contingencies, may see your submission in a completely different light, so I urge you to submit “Infinite Possibilities”: Science Fiction and the Utopian Form of Ellison’s Invisible Man elsewhere."
I guess I'll start looking elsewhere.
"Thank you for sending your essay on Ralph Ellison to us for consideration. As cogent and engaging as we found it, I am sorry to say that it does not meet our immediate needs. Please understand that our decision reflects the current state of the journal’s commitments and plans, not a negative assessment of your argument or quarrel with your procedures. Another journal, with different contingencies, may see your submission in a completely different light, so I urge you to submit “Infinite Possibilities”: Science Fiction and the Utopian Form of Ellison’s Invisible Man elsewhere."
I guess I'll start looking elsewhere.
Baroque
Active Member
Damn bastards complained to the dept. chair about me letting out class early. One can only talk about elementary algebra for so long.. I thought they would be happy to get out a bit early every day. They should have talked to me first.
Dak
mentat
Well at least you didn't get a response like unknown. It's probably a rote response, but I would imagine they have more than one type, and you got the "good, but not our thing" version.
unknown
fuck ftagn
this is something that has always concerned me. My classes are typically two hour classes, but we'll frequently only go for an hour and a half or an hour and forty five minutes. It only takes one to ruin it for everybody
Baroque
Active Member
Yep. But ruin it they did. I'm not happy about this. If I'm going to get in trouble And have to work extra hours, you better believe their tests and my grading just got a lot harder. This is a night class too, 7:30 to 9:20. If they want to stay until 9:20pm listening to a basic algebra lecture then so be it.
uke:
unknown
fuck ftagn
UltimateApathy
Infinite Idiocy
To play Devil's advocate here, I'm a teacher (of adults) as well, and I wouldn't dream of finishing a class before the alotted time. They probably pay good money for those classes, so why on earth would you cheat them out of the time they paid for? Complaints are inevitable otherwise...
Dak
mentat
This guy.Similar threads
