Journal no. 3

• What does Bartholomae mean when he says that students must “invent the university” when they write in college?

They must learn to write by the conventions of a discourse. For example, a student writing a Philosophy paper is said to “invent the university” if he/she assembles and mimics the language conventionalized by that discipline.

• What does Bartholomae suggest is a way for students to become “insiders” within academic discourse?

He suggests imagining oneself as being inside an established and powerful discourse and as being given a special right to speak.

•  Summarize some of the differences between the two examples of student writing that Bartholomae examines, and Bartholomae’s opinion of these examples.

The first example is very straightforward and the author doesn’t attempt to use any specialized language. In the second example, the author more aggressively attempts to locate herself within the discourse. She uses a specialized vocabulary and successively references her own ideas and arguments.  Bartholomae argues that the second example better because the author took more of a risk when writing it. The author of the second example made a more pronounced effort to “invent the university.”