Last night, we discussed Purdy and Walker's "Liminal Spaces and Research Identity." Purdy and Walker contend that introductory composition classrooms are liminal spaces, transitional spaces between the non-academic world and the university, in which students are learning to acquire an “academic discourse.” As set up now, however, they argue that the textbooks in introductory composition courses require students to forget their old existing research practices in favor of learning new academic research practices, an approach that undermines the development of “robust, flexible research identities.” To support their argument they conduct a content analysis of texts (online and offline) to teach research writing and find that it is taught in a linear manner that doesn’t represent it accurately. Thus, they recommend that pedagogy should find ways to connect the research practices that students already have to academic and primary research practices, and to see research not as
It was great meeting everyone and getting started with our course! Our first night was an introduction to the course, research methods and methodologies, readings, and tools, such as zotero and hypothes.is, that we can use for the class and for research. We also discussed what brought us into the MA Writing Program and possible research interests. Interests ranged from memoir writing to instructional design to therapy and more. Keeping in mind that a research proposal is due at the end of the semester, start thinking now about a question related to your interests that you could research and the method(s) and methodology that could answer that question. See you next Monday!