224: Questions and Answers

And stuff

Today1. Call and response2. Presentations by:

-Max-Annie-Karlie-Sammie-Andrew-Johnny

Q1On page 378, read the second paragraph (starting “Over the last two decades or so…”). Tease out the ideas expressed here. What is the construction of student writing that Selber and Johnson-Eilola are speaking of from the past, and what are they arguing we have realized?

The traditional construction of student work is that research is done to support ideas and is then cited. This would mean that a “good” research paper includes direct quotes, but those quotes are attributed carefully to sources. In this construction, accidental plagiarism only happens when a student isn’t aware of how to cite properly or is lazy about citation format.The assumption was that rampant, evil, pervasive plagiarism was when students copied other student’s papers and/or tried to pass off copyrighted works as their own, e.g. the person who copies the encyclopedia entry word-for-word as their essay. This construction draws a clear line in black and white between “good” uses of sources and “cheating” by plagiarizing.

Q2What will become of plagiarism as we move deeper and deeper into the digital age? Think here about the awareness of the writer in particular. Will we see less plagiarism, more plagiarism, or will we see plagiarism happening in a different way/being redefined? Will we see all of that? None of that?

As we continue to evolve in the digital age, we believe plagiarism will continue to worsen as well. As more information is put on the web, it is inevitable that things will be remixed exponentially because more and more people will be able to access that information quickly. Virality will be on steroids. Due to this reading, we believe people will have to learn to change their outlook on plagiarism rules as plagiarism will evolve into what the author calls assemblages, or “text built primarily and explicitly from existing texts in order to solve a writing or communication problem in a new context.” (p381) *more*

“Through assemblage, plagiarism becomes less of an issue because students are encouraged to make explicit their barrowings and appropriations…What counts in this new context is the ability of students to remix text in ways that address specific issues, readers, and situations.” (p380) The author goes onto express a need for teachers to recognize that remixing and creating an assemblage is a new form of “valid and valued” academic performance. As more things are available on the web, the less likely students will be able to create something truly original. Ideas and collaboration are more powerful than the individual mind and ownership—a mentality that has been fluent in American culture since the country’s creation. Improving upon former ideas with current technology symbolizes progression of societal thought.

Q3What is the difference between performance and action or effect in context as explained by the authors? (check page 380 if you’re unsure where to begin)

According the authors, we should change the goal of writing from PERFORMANCE to the action/effect in the context. The goal of writing should not be to create "original work" based on citations and correct grammar. The goal of writing should be to remix or "assemble" existing texts in a new way in order to solve a concrete problem or prove an argument. When we remove the objective performance goals, our writing can be constructed "from the conceptual, linguistic, and sociopolitical forces active in several different location." Stop being concerned about formatting, but rather focus on if the intervention of our text has further our discussion/argument. •

Q4What is the traditional purpose of citation in writing? How might that be changing? And should it be?

The traditional purpose of citation in writing is for a teacher to understand what someone else produced and what the student produced in order to set up a hierarchy. Original text has primacy.Students are no longer pushed so hard to hide citations from their sourced. Reinventing the wheel becomes inefficiency, a misplaced waste of effort. Teachers want to put a grade value on the ability to use already existing “chunks” of information. Creativity is being lost and citation is no longer backing up a student’s work but rather downplaying their value and rewarding students of their research, rather then situating the text into new contexts. This should not be the case because students are not finishing the last step of adding their research to context. They are focusing too much on the research and the citation, rather then incorporating what they have read into a new situation. Teachers should encourage students to focus less on the citation, and more on creativity.

Q5What is “intertextuality?” This might take a little additional research if you’re totally unfamiliar with the term, though the article should point you toward the answer.

Intertextuality refers to the way in which the relations of texts to one another often produce meaning. There are two types of intertextuality: iterability and presupposition.

Q6Another term to define: what is an articulation? Stuart Hall might help you figure it out. Why is it important that we know?

An articulation is defined as " the form of the connection that can make a unity of two different elements, under certain conditions." In other words, it is two concepts that can be combined, but depending on the person manipulating them can produce drastically different results. If you combine two concepts and know more about the first one, and your friend combines the same two concepts but knows more about the second one, then you and your friend are going to come up with two very different results. *more*

It is important that we know what this is because it allows us to realize that two people can work on the same project and have two different end results. It also explains why there are so many "original" ideas that come from considering what would happen when putting two concepts together (Such as if an English professor taught an African American Literature course, versus a Black World Studies professor teaching an African American Literature course. You are combining the same two concepts (African American culture and Literature), but both classes would be different.

Q7One more definition. What is an “assemblage?” Why does this idea matter?

•Assemblages, as defined by the article, are “texts built primarily and explicitly from existing texts in order to solve a writing or communication problem in a new context.” According to the article’s definition, “assemblage is itself constructed from the conceptual, linguistic, and sociopolitical forces active in several different locations.” Assemblage is especially important because, according to the article, it has the power to serve as the saving grace for plagiarism. *more*

Although plagiarism alone is wrong, modern teachers are approaching the battle against plagiarism from the wrong angle, proclaiming to their students that anything in their writing taken from preexisting composition is condemned as plagiarized, and thus incorrect. Teachers are overstressing originality in wake of changing times—times in which it is impossible to start composition or rhetoric from a completely original foundation. *more*

Condemning students’ remixing and augmentation of preexisting pieces in their compositions is actually leading to more plagiarism, because original material is being overvalued. Such overvaluing of originality incentivizes students to claim other works as their own, in order to receive credit for a larger amount of “original material.” If assemblage were embraced, students would feel much more comfortable with using relevant preexisting materials in their compositions in an original way, and they would more willingly cite the borrowed sources they used to assemble their remix or modulation of existing ideas. *more*

The practice of assemblage would assist teachers in their departure from the constricting model of composition evaluation of the past. Students would be free to expand on previously existing ideas, consequently exploring solutions to problems considered by rhetors before them. Plagiarism has proven to be a serious problem only when teachers, as mentioned previously, overvalue originality in written and digital composition of rhetoric. Assemblage would both eliminate concerns with plagiarism and allow students to spread their wings and formulate creative solutions to preexisting problems.

Q8“In key ways, the availability and widespread use of templates in activities such as web design signals a hierarchically subordinate value placed on visual elements of a text (the template) compared to primary textual elements (the textual content of the web site).” p. 386Explain.

When Selber and Johnson-Eilola talk about the template subordinating the values of certain things, what they mean is that when you can download a visually set template, the design elements are considered “less” valuable, because you can just go “get” that. This puts a premium on the content that you create, as that becomes your actual work, what is “yours” and is “original.”

The problem this raises is that it ignores the value of visual and or stylistic remix (or assemblage, as they come to call it). In a work of remix, the visual, the elements of template design, etc. could be JUST as if not MORE important than the content itself. In some cases, it IS the content.

Q9“Remixing as a form of composition inhabits a contested terrain of creativity, intellectual property, authorship, corporate ownership, and power” (p. 392). How and why? Why does this matter?

 CEO of the RIAA Cary Sherman stated in February of 2013 that, “Piracy is not only a problem for our economy, it is a problem for our culture.” Really? Piracy is a problem for our culture? That’s interesting, Sherman, because as I recall, a certain Act that was pushed by Hollywood last spring caused an uproar from our society. I’m referring to SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) of course. When this Act was paraded through Washington by people like Sherman, the internet turned on its head. A few small sites like Reddit, Wordpress, Wikipedia oh and that tiny search engine Google (please note the blatant sarcasm, okay moving on) vehemently protested this proposed Act. You know why, Sherman? Because piracy is a part of our culture. *more*

But the problem with calling out things as "piracy" is the criminalization of otherwise innocent entities. We've been shown by documentary filmmakers that everything can be considered a remix. Nothing is an original idea. And that is okay. That's more than okay. What isn't okay is that some people feel as though they are allowed to claim others work as their own, and feel no legal wrath for doing so.*more*

But the problem with calling out things as "piracy" is the criminalization of otherwise innocent entities. We've been shown by documentary filmmakers that everything can be considered a remix. Nothing is an original idea. And that is okay. That's more than okay. What isn't okay is that some people feel as though they are allowed to claim others work as their own, and feel no legal wrath for doing so.*more*

Let's get specific. Was The Gray Album an original work? Depends who you ask. If we go with a strict interpretation of original music (ie. it was composed completely by new pieces of music, designed solely for one project) then no, this was in no ways original. But, to some people, original can simply be anything that hasn't been done before. Prior to Danger Mouse's mashups, these groupings of songs had not come together in a single package. That is the originality of his work. The fact that he took two artists' music, from decades apart, and brought them together in the 21st century is original.*more*

Remixes are merely an extension of the aforementioned culture. Some people are given a free pass on plagiarism, ie. educators. We say they're covered under the Fair Use exception to U.S. copyright law, but at which point are they exploiting this exception? We may not be able to easy say, but what is certain is that, for as long as people are able to make both derivative and transformative works, they will do so. And they're not slowing down.

AGAIN.

PRINT WILL NOT DIE.

WRITING WILL NOTSTAY THE SAME.

LAWS WILL CHANGE.

NEW TECH WILLEMERGE.

BUT

WE WILL ALWAYS WRITE.

RHETORIC WILL NOT FADE AWAY.

PERIOD.(lol)