Notes on Literacy

For my first unit in my composition course, I’ve decided to have students analyze and write their own literacy narratives. We’re spending the first week of class or so figuring out what a “literacy narrative” is, so I thought I might post some ideas here while I think it through for myself.

Questions
1. What does it mean to be literate? I just read David Russell’s introduction to Writing in the Academic Disciplines, and he writes, “”Literacy is thus a function of the specific community in which certain kinds of reading and writing activities take place … As Brazilian sociolinguist Terezina Carrahar notes, a professor may, without irony, express pleasure that her maid is ‘literate’ because she can barely decode recipes and take down phone messages, but complain that her students are ‘illiterate’ because they do not yet understand the conventions of written discourse in her discipline” (13). (We’re gonna go ahead and breeze through the idea that a professor could ever make enough money to hire a maid to take phone messages, and while we’re at it, we’ll forget about the complicated ethics of such a decision.)
2. How do different people/groups define literacy? What is the link between literacy and community?
3. What different kinds of literacies are there? Whenever I am around new people (as I have been recently), I often try to evaluate their pop-culture literacy, because pop culture is important to me and because I make a lot of pop culture references. In fact, even in writing this blog I’ve thought about how literate my readership is with respect to the various references I’m making. In this way, I’m sort of defining literacy as “knowing stuff about stuff” but more specifically in reference to people who read entertainment news, watch TV and movies, etc.
4. Who is our “best” audience for our writing? People who are literate in the same way we are? One of my pet peeves is people who randomly quote movie or TV show lines and then just stare at you as thought you’re supposed to know what they’re talking about. One of my favorite things though, is when people make those references and I get them. It’s like we’re sharing a literacy! So part of knowing your audience is knowing their literacy.
5. What literacies do I have? (Note: Word put a squiggly red line under “literacies”)
6. A literacy narrative is basically a story about language, speech, reading, or writing and learning. How does the style of the narrative reflect the literacy being explained?
7. Are most literacy narratives stories of failure or success?
8. How do we measure literacy?
9. Are some literacies valued more than others?

Yo Soy Movando

(Note of oddness: I picked out the photo on top for my blog in early June, when I first started the blog. The phot directly above is taken from the patio of my condo, which we didn't get until July -- weird)

Many thanks to those of you who have inquired about my move! Mom and I have been very busy furnishing the condo, and thus I have not had much time to contact people. Still, your messages are much appreciated!

Two highlights from the last week:
We arrived at the property early Friday morning, wanting to get one good look around before buying furniture. I opened the front door with the key we got from the real estate agent, and proceeded to try the same key in the second door. It wouldn't budge. Mom tried. Still, it wouldn't move. We twisted and turned the key, threw our weight against the door, and still nothing. It was about 100 degrees (I'm not kidding), and I have technically been homeless since June 1 (special thanks to our summer sponsors, Juliette and Jennifer, for letting me stay at their place this summer). I am tired of moving. We call the real estate agent, who informs us that the lock on the second door is broken, and we just have to push on it and it will open. "Oh," we say. So I threw myself against the door, and burst into my home (and new life in Arizona, etc.) Through the patio, I could see the sun shining brightly on the mountains. It was a glorious moment.

Friday we bought furniture, so Saturday, Mom and I decided to go to Nogales, Mexico for home decor, approximately a 45-minute drive from Tucson. We point the car towards the Santa Catalinas and drive. About half an hour later, the road signs switch from miles to kilometers (that zany metric system!) and my mom becomes convinced that we will accidentally drive across the border and suddenly be in Mexico. We arrive in Nogales, park the car, and because we're white Americans, stroll freely through the metal turnstile into Mexico. We find a beautiful Spanish-style mirror and end tables for the living room. The man selling us the stuff offers to carry it across the border back to our car (did I mention it's at least a mile walk, plus time in customs, plus its 90 degrees, plus there's about a million people milling around?) My mother, the cheapest person I know, insists that we are fine and capable of carrying close to 70 lbs. (50 kg) of home furnishings ourselves. I am bruised and have ruined a pair of capris, but we have gotten a bargain.

I’ve also had a chance to get to know many great people here. I am currently keeping busy designing my syllabus for teaching this year (and watching So You Think You Can Dance – go Neil!) Looking forward to LaRue coming down on Sunday.

More pics are on Facebook!