Selfe Aurality Composing - DMAC Institute
The Movement of Air, the Breath of Meaning: Aurality and Multimodal ComposingAuthor(s): Cynthia L. SelfeSource: College Composition and Communication, Vol. 60, No. 4 (JUNE 2009), pp. 616-663Published by: National Council of Teachers of EnglishStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40593423 .Accessed: 24/04/2014 12:01Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at ms.jsp.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.National Council of Teachers of English is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access toCollege Composition and Communication.http://www.jstor.orgThis content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:01:08 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
CynthiaL giescomposinggobeyondenvironments.As a specificcase gmodalities(speech,music,sound) and examineshowtheyhavebeen understoodsubsumedbytheand used withinEnglishand compositionclassroomsand generallyI insuchsettings.(andvisualhas limitedourunderstandingofcomposingas a multimodalmodalities)and writingand has rrhetoricalactivitytodifferinlightofscholarshipon theimportanceofauralityFurther,makingmeaning.I arguethatourcontemporaryadherenceto nd effortsmultiplemodalitiesofexpression.I encourageteachersand ines,toadoptan increasinglyunderstandingthoughtful- can playin contemporarycommunicationtasks.theroleit- and othermodalitiesParticipationmeans beingable tospeak in ones ownvoice,andand expressones culturalto constructtherebysimultaneouslyidiomand style.identitythroughtheFraser,"Rethinking PublicSphere"-Nancy. . . perhapswe can hear thingswe cannotsee.- KristaRatcliffe,"RhetoricalListening"CCC 60:4/ JUNE2009616This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:01:08 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
SELFE/THEMOVEMENTOFAIR, THEBREATHOFMEANINGA turnto theauditorydimensionis. morethana simplechangingofvariables.It beginsas a deliberatedecenteringofadominanttraditionin orderto discoverwhatmaybe missingasa resultofthetraditionaldoublereductionofvisionas themainvariableand metaphor.-Don Ihde,Listeningand VoiceAjlIl nyonewhohasspenttimeona ationsthethemselves; ingengagetext.Thisphenomenon,however,mayrevealas andoftheseexpressiveaurality writing1history- as atlarge,isoftenundervaluedas a argumenthistory writingcompositioninstruction,as wellas itscontemporaryfunctionsto limitourlegacy,ofcomposingas a on compositionincreasinglyprivilegedand rycentury,wasbothsubsumedin oppositionto,writing(Rusauralityby,anddefinedand Writing-,Β. ingers";thusestablishingandperpetuatinga expressionTannen,(Biber,"Spoken"and geencouragingunderstandingand literacyand roomsarguethata single-mindedignores617This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:01:08 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
CCC60:4/JUNE2009theimportanceofauralityand othercomposingmodalitiesformakingmeanandI suggestthatthealmostexclusivetheingunderstanding theinterestsofindividualswhoseculturesand communitieshavemanagedto maintaina valueon multiplemodalitiesofexpression,multipleand hybridwaysofknowing,communicating,and g Talking;Royster,and "FirstVoice";Hibbitts;Powell;Lyons).Myultimategoal in exploringauralityas a case in pointis notto make- notto suggestthatwe payattentionan eitherto auralityrather/orargumentthantowriting.to bothwritingandInstead,I suggestwe needtopayattentionand othercomposingmodalities,as well.I hopeto encourageteachaurality,ersto developan increasinglyofa wholerangeofthoughtfulunderstandingmodalitiesand semioticresourcesin theirassignmentsand thento sewithall availablemeansofpersuasionand expression,so thattheycan functionas literatecitizensin a ,and linguisticbordersand ity.byWhatis at stakein classroomsandassignments,we privilegeprintas theonlyacceptablewayto makeor exchangemeaning,we notonlyignorethehistoryofrhetoricbutand itsintellectualinheritance,we also ,"English")and theeffectiveness- theyinvolvefundamentalThestakesforstudentsareno lesssignificantissuesofrhetoricaltherightsand aveto identifytheirown communicativeneeds and to kcriticallyandcarefullyaboutthemeaningthatand mosttheyand otherscompose.Whenwe insiston printas theprimary,forwetheseacceptable,modality composingknowledge, usurpformallyrightsand responsibilitieson severalimportantintellectualand social dimensions,limitstudents*sense ofrhetoricaland,unwittingly,agencyto thebandwidthofourowninterestsand imaginations.4I beginbyrecountinga cameto assumeofselective,necessarilyhistory aurality,focusingin enturyonward.I thendiscuss some of the waysin whichauralityhas persistedin English618This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:01:08 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
SELFE/THEMOVEMENTOFAIR, THEBREATHOFMEANINGcompositionclassroomsin the midstof a culturesaturatedby the writtenword.Finally,I suggesthowdigitalcommunicationenvironmentsand compositiontorediscoverauralityas a valuablemodalityofexpression.Theironyofmakingan argumentinprintis notloston me,aboutauralitynor,I suspect,willitbe on mostotherreadersofthisarticle.Indeed,itis verymuchthepointofwhatI icleI haveincludedreferencesto foursoundessayscomposedbystudentsat MichiganTech,theUniversityofLouisville,and The Ohio StateUniversity.I considerthesepieces a crucialpartofmyargumentaboutvaluingauralityas a composingmodality.Hence,I encouragereadersto go to http://people.listento thesesound essays,readwhatcohums.ohio-state.edu/selfe2/ccc/ ,theirauthorshavesaid aboutcomposingthem.AuralComposing: Sample 1, Sonya Borton'sLegacy ofMusicAtthispoint,I ask readersto leavethisprintedtextand go to http://people.wheretheycan listento SonyaBortonscohums.ohio-state.edu/selfe2/ccc/ ,autobiographicalessay,LegacyofMusic,inwhichshe tellslistenersaboutthemusicaltalentsof variousmembersof herKentuckyfamily.In relatingherBortonweavesa c, song supportrepresentsan importantlegacypassed downfromparentsto childrenwithinherfamily.A Short Historyof Auralityin College Composition ClassroomsTheorizingtheroleof auralityin compositionclassroomsis not a taskthatcomeseasilyto ury,writinghas assumed such a dominantand centralpositionin our professional thinkingthatits role as the majorinstructionalfocusgoes virtuallyuncontested,acceptedas commonsense.As PatriciaDunn (Talking)writes,itseemsabsurdeventoon writingin a disciplinewhoseraisond'etreis,likequestionan over-emphasisno otherdiscipline,forand aboutwriting.Thatcommon-sensehowassumption,forus in Compositionto see word-basedever,maybe whatmakesit so difficultoflearning.(150)pedagogiesin lieve"writingis notteachers,Compositiononeofitissimply way knowing; theway"(15). Doxa9or commonbelief,howholdin itsstrongest619This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:01:08 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
CCC60:4/JUNE2009and culturalperspectives.Althoughwritinghas cometo occupya privilegedpositionincompositionclassrooms- and inthemindsofmanycompositionists- historicalaccountsbysuchscholarsas DavidRussell("Institutionalizing"thisand MichaelHalloranconfirmand Writing),JamesBerlin,NanJohnson,situationas bothrelativelyrecentand contested.In ucacentury,tion in Americawas fundamentallyshapedby Westernclassical traditionsand was oralin its focus.As earnedto read,speak,andwritebothclassicallanguageand English- the standardpedagogicalapproachforall subjects- asthroughrecitationandwellas througha ,bothinsideformalclassesand in extracurriculardeclamations,settingssuchas literarysocieties.The goaloftheseactivitieswas to hanencouragingspecializedinquiryas uralandwaslinkedvalues,power,and practicesofizing"Writing),in oral,face-to-facefamiliesin rstobe thehallmarkofan educatedclass.The malechildrenoftheseenterfamilieswereexpectedto helplead thenationin cialand legalarena,or becomeministers.inwritingwas neededotherthanas SusanMillerhas eimbricatedwithTheirpractice penmanship.suchindividualshad to be ablesermonsandpractices speeches,debates,werechargedwithin contextsofpower.Universitiesto speak,as gentlemen,thesefutureleadersto assumetheirrolesand ngthe latterhalfof the dmanufacturing,began change responseexplosionof scientificdiscoveries,and the expansionof the new naltrade.These dresultedinprofoundtendentialwithinvalueon specializationandprofessionalization,an increasingespeciallythe emergingmiddleclass. Such changesrequiredboth new approachestoone designedto meettheeducationand a new kind of secularuniversity,Itneeds of individualsinvolvedin science,commerce,and manufacturing.ofEnglishwas withinthisnew forthemselvesas unitsthatwereable to form,primarilybyforgingaffairs.5educateda rangeofcitizensoccupiedwithbusinessand professional620This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:01:08 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
SELFE/THEMOVEMENTOFAIR, THEBREATHOFMEANINGIn responsetotheseculturaltrends,Russellhas owardspecialization,madeold ad,departmentsof Englishfocusedon uldincreasinglyas Russellrelyon writing,memorandaand"textsas objectsarticles,communications,explainsreports,to be silentlyand ted,- improveding4-5). Supportingthisworkweretechnologicalinnovationsand pens,amongothers- tionsin uringscienceto lend added importanceto writingas a culturalcode,bothwithinthenewuniversityand outsideit(Russell,"Institutionalizing").As theyemergedin modernapproachesto changingcommunicationpracticesand values- hopingto distancethemselvesfromtheold-schooleducationin oratory,whichwas consideredincreasinglylessvaluableas a theircurriculato morebusiness,science,in the modernuniversity.The newpragmaticconcernsof thanindepartments EnglishtaughtGreekorLatin- and separatedthemselvesfroma continuedfocuson oratory,and theclassics,whichbecamedevaluedas ewlyemergentofEnglishfocusedprimarilydepartmentson ecameoneofa veryperiodcentury,writingfewsubjectsrequiredfora harlesWilliamEliot,whobecamepresidentofHarvardin 1869,notedthatin writing-distinguishedinstructionbya natural,uninflatedstyle-was notbutalso necessaryforthesuconlydesirableforstudentsat thenewuniversitycess ofa nationalculturebased on historicshiftthatoccurredfroman nthcentury,based on declamation,and delivery9to a newstyleofeducaforensics,oratory,tionbased primarilyon thestudyand analysisofwrittentexts,bothclassical- and uralityclassroomsis RonaldReid's(1959)comment:621This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:01:08 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
CCC60:4/JUNE2009Themostsignificantwasrhetorics g periodalmostexclusivelyofwrittenwork. . . tedinvariouswaysintothetwentiethAlthoughitwas clearlyon fTeachersofEnglish,JohnClappwas movedto ask in an articlepublishedbytheEnglishJournal,Is therea ninthepast,almostalwaystoreceivea negativefromanswer,(21)departments.particularly EnglishThe generalresponseoftheprofessionto thesequestions,Clapp whichcollegegraduatesare toand writingofverygreatimportance"lead,talkingis positionas a disciplinecanbeproductivelywithina largerhistoricalframeas well- elyafteritsWestbefore,(and seventeenthto thenineteenthcenturies.Attheheartofscienceas a rationalprojectwas thebeliefthathumanscouldunlockthe secretsof natureusingsystematicobservationsand preciselyrecordedIn a worldattunedto the edproof,and- vationsrenderednoteson mathematicalFranklinswrittenofproofs,descriptions volutionrestedon theunderstanding- and afterthe midthatseeingwas believing,it also dependedon writing- on printingandfifteenthas a trievingofscientificmethodsto a widerangeoflegal,military,and henetworkpractices, complexfacturingtheprivilegedroleofvisualand printinformation.to thenineteenthFromtheseventeenthcenturies,then,as thepowerofwaxedin thecontextofa universityvisionand esofwaned,was,power hoseinEuropefora 2This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:01:08 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
SELFE/THEMOVEMENTOFAIR, otes,itwas duringthisperiodthat"thesocialand sunderminedofvisiongraduallyofsensoryexperiencein theWesterntradition"(2.25).ofEnglishand proIn ectsofthisshiftwerefarreaching.Writofgrams Englishcomposition,ingand reading,forexample,became separatedfromspeechin ctsandforinstance),was studieddialogues,Shakespeareanmonologues, poetry,silentreadingand The .educationallinkedto bothclasscontexts,importantly,meta-lessonbecame,as ittodayremains,howobserves,"[t]hemostimportantto sit,write,and readin contentedquiet"(2.25).Itwas throughsuchchangesthatwritingbecamethefocusofa ,and by,privilegedprimarilyIfprintbecame increasinglywithinthenewU.S. universitiesimportantin the nineteenthand meofitspowerand reachin otherlocations,whereindividualsand groupswereforcedto acquirebothwrittenand auralliteraciesbya rangeofinformalmeansorthroughan educationalsystemthatretaineda timeand moneydiscouragedfrompursuinga universityforsucha luxury.Blacks,Hispanicsand Latinos/as,and ter,attended,and deniedaccess to thewhitecollegesand earned- throughvariousmeans and, often,- to deploywritingskillfullywithgreatsacrificeand in waysthatresistedtheviolenceofoppression,manyalso managedto retaina deep and nuancedapinpreciationforauraltraditionsas well:in churchesand sacredceremonies,inandandcontexts,storytelling performancepoetry song.The historyofslaveryin ortunitiesofblackcitizens,manyofwhomsurvivedand resistedtheviolenceand oppressionin theirlivesby developingliteracyvalues mainedpractices-often,623This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:01:08 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
CCC60:4/ JUNE2009invisibleto whitesand thatwere,oftenbecause ofthisfact,highlyeffective.againstteachingblacksto liftedaftertheCivilWar,de factobarriersofracismcontinuedtofunction.Manyblack citizensweredeniedaccess to schoolswithadequateresourcesand othershad to abandontheirownformaleducationto helptheirfamiliessurvivethe economichardshipsthatcontinuedto characterizethelivesofblacksinboththeNorthand s,- ommunitiesarts"(Richardsonand icesbyresisting literacybydeployingthatcontinuedto linktheprintedwordand silentreading,so closelyto formaleducation,racism,and the exercisepowerbywhites(Banks; intheusedracistbyRushdy, part"represents processesinstitutionsto proscribeand s,too,whilevaluinga ;Limon;and Ruiz)also managedtoretain,tovaryingin collectivestorytellextentsand in a rangeofdifferentways,an investmentauralandotherpracticesdevelopedwithina long- anding,cuentos,corridos,continuing-historyof linguistic,educational,economic,and culturaldishas been thecrimination.to thepersistenceofthesetraditionsContributinginand ngualeducationin n,and mentsoftheEnglish-Onlyandthepersistenceas ofdiscrimination,findthemselves"drawnand sometimesforcedback intothe soundscapesofa mes,producwaysskillfullyrangeand yresistmainstreamHalcon;Cintron).624This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:01:08 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
SELFE/THEMOVEMENTOFAIR, gedto sustaina valueon auralasity- wellas on writingand a ntities:contexts,sharedstories,poetry,and song (Clements;Blaeser;Keeling;Eversand Toelken),althoughas bothScottLyonsand Malea Powellpointout,theof tribalhistoriesand the "discursiveintricacies"and complexitydiversityof NativeAmericansliteracypracticesand values remainmisunderstood,in publishedscholarship,and proneto painfuland simplisunder-examinedtic stereotypes.The aural literacypracticesthatmanytribalmembershaveand criticaluse ofothervaluedand continueto value- alongwiththeskillfulmodalities-serveas complexculturaland nstream"(Powell398). aland lvesduringthe occupationoftheirhomelandand theoftheircultureas rationIn sum,theincreasinglylimitedroleofauralitywithinU.S. imatelytiedtotheemerginginfluenceas hangeand recordkeeping,and ofpublicand professionalexpression.This trend,influencedbytheriseofmanufacturingand science,as wellas thegrowingculturalvalueon profesin variouswaysand to varyingextentsin coursessionalism,was instantiatedand universitiesaroundthe countryand enacted variouslyby ccordingto sistentinitsgeneraldirectionand tendentialforce.In rtheenacted,separatedspeechmostpart,in silence.In thisdiscussion,I takean cussingpointLyons,the oral traditionsand practicesofpeople of color,to cede writtenEnglishas "somehowtheexclusivedomainofWhites"(Banks70). The workofthesescholarsremindsus in persuasiveand powerfultermsthatpeople of colorhavehistoricallyanddeployeda widerangeofwrittendiscoursesin aloppositionalwaysretainingdiscoursesand practices.Mygoal in thisarticle,then,is not to suggestthatteachersfocuson eitherwritingor aurality,but ratherthattheyrespectand625This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:01:08 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
CCC60:4/ JUNE2009encouragestudentsto deploymultiplemodalitiesin skillfulways- written,of theaural,visual- and thattheymodel a respectforand understandingthe formationofvariousroleseach modalitycan playin humanexpression,and meaningmaking.In thiswork,theeffortsindividualand groupidentity,ofthescholarssuchas thosecitedaboveas wellas attentionto historicalanddiscursivepracticesof ad ourprofessionandotherpeoplesofcolorcan helpdirectourthinkingin productiveforwardways.Audio Composing: Sample 2: Elisa Norris's"Literacy Identity:Can You See Me?"Atthispoint,pleasegoto http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/selfe2/ccc/ Identity:Can YouSee Me?"and listento ElisaNorriss audiopoem,"Literacywhichopenswitha schoolbell,a teacherreadinga classroomroll,and herownpersonalcall and response,"ElisaNorris,Elisa Norris. is she absenttoday?No.Do yousee her?No."Inthispoetictext,an auralvariationon a conventionalNorrislayersmusic,voice,and poeticimagesto createawritingassignment,herpresenceand thecomplexthataskslistenersto ralidentity.Throughthesonicmaterialityto and racialstereotypesArtifactsof sitionTracinghowauralityin us onlycentury,and perhapsas important,one partofa nglishcompositionthisprocesscan be understoodas a kindofculFromone remediation}5turaland intellectualthecollegeclassroomin hwas presentedas de itscase forsuperioritywhichwas neverentirelyofaurality,backwardsto characteristicsbyreferringas scholarssuchasforerased.Bytheend ofthenineteenthinstance,century,has noted,theacademicfocuson theproducBen McCorkle("Harbingers")to be mediatedby writtention and deliveryof aural textswas increasingly626This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:01:08 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
SELFE/THEMOVEMENTOFAIR, THEBREATHOFMEANINGon deliveryand tbooksbut withinthe contextofthestudentsstillengagedin some oral activities,newuniversity,instructionwas increasinglymediatedbywritingand printed- tycentury,Throughoutintinuedto talkaboutorallanguage,butprimarily nand inthestudyoftenmetaphoricallyand intheserviceofwritingthetoneofan essay,and edonwritlimitedto ngassignmentsin thetwentiethcenturysometimesing.16focusedon topicsthattouchedon auralityand oralperformances-popularmusic,forexample- studentswereexpectedto writetheiranalysesofsongs,toInfocuson writtenorto use musicas a olarlyand thecanon ofdeliveryto be ofinterestprimar(McCorkle,"Harbingers")ilyas a s designedto focusattentionon the discursivepracticesand "voices"of long-ignoredgroups- blacks,Latinos/as,NativeAmericans,women- wroteabout erencesdeliveredwrittenpaper
Rhetoric and compositions increasing attention to multimodal composing involves chal- lenges that go beyond issues of access to digital technologies and electronic composing environments. As a specific case study, this article explores the history of aural compos- ing modalities (speech, music, sound) and examines how they have been understood
Abstract—We present Sensor-DMAC (S-DMAC), a new mech-anism for topology control in wireless sensor networks. A (connected) fraction of the network nodes is efficiently selected to perform the network operation while all other nodes are switched to an en
Transcript of the Testimony of Lincoln Selfe Date: May 18, 2010 Case: Printed On: May 25, 2011 Sargent's Court Reporting Services, Inc. Phone: 814-536-8908 Fax: 814-536-4968
An Introduction to and Strategies for Multimodal Composing. Melanie Gagich. Overview. This chapter introduces multimodal composing and offers five strategies for creating a multimodal text. The essay begins with a brief review of key terms associated with multimodal composing and provides definitions and examples of the five modes of communication.
act of composing the self” (K. L. Arola, 2010, p. 8). I would add that the act of composing within a social media space—be it to post a picture, respond to a posted link, post a status update, etc.—is also an act of composing the self in re - lation to, and with, o
Zoom Video cameras, it will be called “Q3HD_SD”). 3. Video files will likely be stored in a folder titled “DCIM. For Zoom Video cameras, there will be another folder inside DCIM where videos are stored, titled “100_ZOOM.” 4. Click and hold on the video file you wish to import, and drag it into the iMovie Source Area or Project Area.
Onely thou art above, and when towards thee By thy leave I can looke, I rise againe; But our old subtle foe so tempteth me, That not one houre my selfe I can sustaine; Thy Grace may wing me to prevent his art, And thou like Adamant draw mine iron heart. II AS due by many t
The human figure is a popular topic of children's drawings, but there is a strong tendency to overestimate the size of the nead that is drawn relative to the body (Freeman, 1980; Selfe, 1983; Thomas & Tsalimi, 1988). Although there is progress with age towerds drawings with more visually realistic proportions (a
a result of poor understanding of human factors. Patient deaths have occurred as a result. Example: unprotected electrodes n Problems: Device use errors - improper hook ups, improper device settings n Solutions: “Ergonomic or Human factors engineering - See “Do it by Design” and AAMI Human Factors Engineering Guidelines.
