Bizzell, Patricia, "Arguing About Literacy"

From RhetorClick

Bizzell’s essay aims to examine the ways two different types of literacy--the traditional, academic standard, and the type that veers away from the academic norm. She describes the way minority groups of all types are often at odds with the traditional academic dialogue. She proclaims herself a supporter of “the opposition,” a supporter of change within the style of academic literacy so that it will be more accessible to all scholars. People who support the current standard, she says, want to end debate about who holds the power and what constitutes proper language usage, and end questions relating to the socio-economic and political aspects of academic literacy as it is. She examines the situation by studying students who were previously illiterate and have been taught elementary reading and writing, and then examines what she calls “cultural literacy” in the college level educational system. She examines standard literacy through the eyes of the “humanist” perspective, or the “Great Cognitive Divide” theory, as well as the social scientist lens. Cultural literacy, she says, evolved as a response to the Great Cognitive Divide, and focuses on stylistic and social aspects of knowledge as well as standard literacy. She examines the way rhetors must be “literate” of their audience, and infer and use knowledge from groups they are not a part of. She argues that teaching academic literacy needs to become constructing academic literacy, starting over at the beginning in each class. The problem she sees is that professor and student are not on equal starting ground, and no pedagogy like she has suggested has ever been created because of this foundational problem.--Amber B. 11:14, 3 April 2012 (PDT)