The subject I found the most interesting in this class was the week on Orality and Literacy.
I'm a big fan of language/linguistics so the switch from oral tradition to writing fascinates me, especially because not everyone today can read or write are are totally satisfied with their oral culture.
Ong claims that orality and literacy create different kinds of human consciousness, or different kinds of knowledge. "Knowledge expressed through the oral medium takes the form of something directly experienced, where as knowledge written down can be conveyed in detached analytic categories." I've been doing some research, and it turns out some researchers, writers, psychologists are unsure as to whether listening to a story or group of words is different than reading that story when it comes to memory and recognition. Some are certain that listening is better for younger kids and reading is better as you get older. Some claim that we should wipe-out the teachers all together and have kids learn from computers with software and a lot of reading.
Back in 700 BC when the Greek alphabet had developed, Ong claims this was a shift that "freed the mind for more original, abstract thought." however later on Plato ironically writes that "writing is a mechanical, inhuman way of processing knowledge, unresponsive to questions and destructive of memory."
I want to argue for Plato, and explore the differences in thought processes, brain, and memory activity with oral/listening processes as opposed to writing/reading. I don't think that students (college or elementary) should have to get an education online because listening to someone more knowledgable of the subject than you is just as important as reading and writing about it. Visuals are important, and experiencing knowledge directly is important as well.
Different aspects I am trying to organize and put together: Oral noetic/noetic, left and right brain processes, oral cultures vs written cultures, human consciousness, proto-rhetorics
I know I need to narrow things down, so any suggestions would be appreciated.
Well, you know, Plato doesn't really need arguing for -- lots of scholars are cool with Plato. And in general, you've described an incredibly huge topic. I'm not sure how you went from Plato to students "having to get an education online" -- and who is saying they "have" to?? -- and so from that statement onward don't see anything that begins to narrow things down to a specific argument. So, there's nothing I can really comment on or provide tips for doing in that regard, other than find something very specific that you can argue in 8 pages.
ReplyDeleteNote that while blog assignment #12 is due by Thursday, 12/02, 5:00pm, that does NOT mean you can't do it earlier. In fact, in order to get the best comments that would help you do the best work, the earlier you do this, the better (since the paper is due via e-mail by Friday, December 17th at 9pm). Assignment #12, the longer proprosal, should be the short proposal fleshed out, plus a tentative works cited list (with annotations, as described on the assignment sheet).