In Class/OutClassed

Everything that went on in class today made we realize how much I've come to love ESem. I'll admit it, In the beginning, I was quiet, unsure, and cursing myself for choosing a topic which I knew nothing about. After these 13 weeks I'm glad to say that I definitely feel differently. So, like we did with Parkway, I have some thank yous for you all as well:

Thank you for introducing new points of view to me, and being willing to share your unique backgrounds.

Thanks for always being such an open, understanding group. 

Thanks for being the only one of my classes that I actually feel close to, and that I know everyone's name.

Thanks for being so awesome outside of class, too. 

And finally (and repetitively), thanks for being my friends. It really means a lot. 

I hope that we can continue to remain close. Thanks for a great semester!

Hayley

            On Tuesday, I decided to participate in a direct, non-violent action against PNC bank in Philadelphia instead of going to class. The group I participated with is called the Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT) and although they are primarily an environmental justice group, the action was actually focused on jobs and economic justice as well as environmental justice. PNC invests in mountain top removal coal mining in Appalachia, where basically mountaintops are blasted off to get the coal in the ground for energy uses. EQAT has lead a campaign to get PNC to divest from this for the past three years now. However, during the two groups’ last interaction, PNC defended their investment by stating that it creates jobs for the people in Appalachia, an area that happens to be a very poor part of the country in general. While this does provide jobs, it’s jobs that are harmful to the employees and are not sustainable. Also, the practice itself adversely affects the people who live in Appalachia in many ways – cancer rates have increased, more babies are born with birth defects, and many people don’t have access to clean water in their homes.

Hello All,

 This collage is titled “New Points of View,” and it aims to represent the various experiences and cultural capital we bring with us here to Bryn Mawr. Ultimately, social class is another form of diversity such as gender, race, or ethnicity. It shapes who we are and how we experience the world around us. However, social class is different from all of these things in the fact that the topic is alarmingly taboo. Although, like race and gender, it is something we are usually born into, we feel uncomfortable embracing it or even acknowledging its existance. This collage aims to ask the viewer whose culture has capital. Do we all have cultural capital? Whose is most important? Is anyone's cultural capital more valuable than others? Is there a way that we can acknowledge these differences rather than ignore them? And finally, how do we “bridge the gap” and learn from one another? 

What differences do you see between the left side and the right side? Are these differences important? Which one more closely mirrors your experience?  

What are your feelings about the American Dream? Is it attainable for everyone?

As some of you may know, the Occupy Phildephia site was evicted this past Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. As a sign that there's still people who believe in the movement and are working toward a different society and way of life in the US, the working groups organized a march on Saturday. Some other Bryn Mawr students and I went and marched in solidarity. It was incredible. We marched, chanted, and danced our way from City Hall to Independence Park. The march itself was filled with such a strong, positive energy and we got many gestures of support from people on the sidewalks (as well as some people who were against what we stood for). After we arrived at Independence Park, we held a People's Assembly where anyone can speak up and say whatever's on their mind in regards to issues pertaining to the Occupy movement, social inequalities and injustices, voting, the role of the police in the movement, etc. One thing that was announced that I found very intriguing and pertinent to this course was one young man who said he and his friend were starting a Free University of Philadelphia. He stated that they would give anyone who wanted one, an education. I twinkle-fingered this announement (meaning I put my hands up to signal that I agreed with it/supported it) because I agree with the sentiment that everyone deserves access to free education.

When I think of academic writing, I think of a composition that utilizes sophisticated language, complex sentence structures, and, quite frequently, an abundance of sources to support its main argument. With this definition in mind, I most certainly believe that the majority of academic writing is classed for two specific reasons. The first reason is author orientated – for in order to have a firm grasp of how to successfully compose an academic piece, one must presumably have the background of a good education that has laid the foundation on which such academic writing is constructed. Education, as we have defined it within our class, is also a rather classed institution that is often seen as discriminating against the lower class, and as academic writing is a result of education (and is also intended for the use of education), it may also be seen as discriminating against lower classes in a similar manner. The second reason that academic writing might be seen as classed is audience oriented. For in writing anything, one writes with a specific audience in mind and it seems that in academic writing, with all of its complex words and flowing sentence structure, the intended audience is always meant to have achieved a “good” education, just as the author of an academic piece presumably has. 

Academic writing is just as classed if not more than education. The label of "academic writing" in itself expects a certain level of education and sophistication in the reader. While in an ideal world education would not be determined by class, the two are very interconnected. Class determines access, plain and simple. It is not that nobody will give opportunity to those of less privilige, but awareness of opportunity/ability to maximize opportunity is limited by class. The complex world of Academia is included in that cycle - public vs. private institutions, better or worse school districts, a lot or not so much time available for studying, etc.

It is also fair to say that academic writing is more classed than education becuase not only must you have access to the education that might allow you to understand it, but you have to be able to apply that education to the text. Whether it's disability or having to allocate after school hours to work instead of researching details of the writing, there are a multitude of things that not even attending the right school could allow you to fully appreciate academic writing. Between this is and the occassionally stifling formality associated with academic writing, it is not my favorite writing to produce but as a student I cannot argue that it has it's place in my studies.

When thinking about the class dimensions of academic writing, I wouldn’t instantly see class as being a determining factor of whether or not a piece of writing is academic or not. But I think that this class has made me second-guess myself and think of the class dimensions of academic writing. I would like to say, “yes, class is a determining factor of whether or not a piece of writing is academic or not” but as I think about it some more, I say to myself, “well…that was ignorant”. I think that my confusion about this has led me to rethink the definition of “academic writing”.

I think that there are many different ways to express and communicate ideas—it’s not only about sophisticated and often times confusing academic papers, it’s also about poetry and performances that are useful in communicating ideas to others. I think that ultimately, you can communicate ideas in whichever way to you want depending on how you understand and want to convey the idea. 

I have to admit.  My first thought is; "Fuck yes!".  Though this class has exposed us to a variety of academic texts that are rooted in the personal, academic writing definitely relies on a classed structure of densely worded prose and almost deliberately confusing wording.  In order to unlock the meaning of many academic texts, one has to have been taught or taught themselves an extensive vocabulary that is not used in every day speech.  When was the last time anyone used the word "hegemony" in everyday language?  Additionally, there are academic snigletts that get used in discussion and writing, such as "problematize", while coloquial delects are excluded.