TRANSCRIPT
Dissertation and Thesis Peer Review Sessions:
Friday, September 20, 2013 Session
Speakers:
Anastasia Coles, Thesis Coordinator, anastasia.coles@ttu.edu
Thomas Leverett, Adjunct Instructor, Applied Linguistics, thomas.leverett@ttu.edu
Anastasia Coles >> THERE SEEMS TO BE A NEED FOR STUDENTS TO GET FEEDBACK ON THEIR WRITING,
ACTUAL TECHNICAL WRITING OF THEIR DOCUMENT. WE'VE COME TO THIS CONCLUSION BECAUSE I'M
A THESIS COORDINATOR. MY BOSS WHO IS NOT HERE TODAY IS THE SUPERVISOR FOR DISSERTATIONS.
WE READ EVERYBODY'S DISSERTATIONS THAT COMES THROUGH TEXAS TECH. WE KNOW FOR A LOT OF
STUDENTS THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF ISSUES WITH THE WRITING. IF YOU'RE OKAY WITH IT AND YOUR
PROFESSOR IS OKAY WITH T WE CAN ONLY SAY HOW MUCH ABOUT IMPROVING IT. IF YOU HAVE A
SENSE OF OBLIGATION TO COME OUT OF THE UNIVERSITY WITH THAT DEGREE AND AN ABILITY TO
WRITE WELL IN YOUR FIELD, THEN YOU MIGHT WANT A LITTLE MORE FEEDBACK ON HOW YOU'RE
DOING ON YOUR WRITING. SO, THE IDEA WAS HOW CAN WE HELP STUDENTS WHO ARE USUALLY AT A
POINT IN THEIR ACADEMIC CAREERS WHERE THEY'RE NOT TAKING WRITING CLASSES AND NOT MANY
CLASSES OFFERED FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS EXCEPT FOR WHAT TOM TEACHES. THAT'S SPECIFICALLY
FOR ESL. BUT HOW CAN WE HELP YOU GUYS GIVE A LITTLE MORE TIME AND FEEDBACK FOR YOUR
WRITING? AND THE IDEA CAME UP THAT THIS IS RELATED TO CURRENT RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF
COMPOSITION THAT STUDENTS DO BEST AND IMPROVE THEIR WRITING BEST IF THEY LOOK AT THEIR
WRITING AS A PROCESS. THEY WRITE, THEY GET FEEDBACK, THEY REVISE, THEY GET FEEDBACK, THEY
REVISE, AND THIS GOES ON UNTIL IT KIND OF GETS TO THE SHAPE YOU WANT IT IN. OF COURSE, MOST
PEOPLE, THEY JUST WRITE BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO GET A DEADLINE, HOPEFULLY IT'S GOOD ENOUGH
AND MAYBE THEY GO THROUGH SPELL CHECK. WE WANT TO OFFER THESE SESSIONS ON FRIDAY SO
THAT YOU CAN BLOCK OFF TIME FOR YOURSELF AND SAY, HEY, I KNOW I'M GOING TO GO ON FRIDAY,
I'M GOING TO SIT THERE, I'M GOING TO SPEND SOME TIME JUST LOOKING AT MY WRITING. NOT
NECESSARILY MY DATA, NOT NECESSARILY MY RESEARCH, BUT HOW WELL I'M PRESENTING IT IN
WRITING. AND TO OFFER YOU A GOOD CHANCE AT FEEDBACK, WE ARE BRINGING IN THE ELEMENT OF
PEER REVIEW, AND PEER REVIEW, UNLIKE EXPERT REVIEW, IS, OF COURSE, YOUR PEERS. THEY LOOK AT
YOUR DOCUMENT AND THEY GIVE YOU FEEDBACK. WELL, WHAT'S THE VALUE OF THIS? THE VALUE IS
IT'S ANOTHER SET OF EYES. EVEN IF THAT SET OF EYES IS NOT IN YOUR DISCIPLINE, EVEN IF THAT SET OF
EYES DOESN'T KNOW YOUR RESEARCH, THAT PERSON IS OUTSIDE OF THE REAL CLOSE READING THAT
YOU'VE BEEN IN WITH YOUR CHAIR, WITH YOUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS, AND YOU YOURSELF REALLY
INVOLVED IN YOUR RESEARCH. AND IT'S ALWAYS WORTHWHILE TO GET A FRESH PAIR OF EYES. YOU'RE
GRADUATE STUDENTS. YOU'RE EDUCATED PEOPLE. YOU HAVE YET A CERTAIN LEVEL OF PROFICIENCY
IN YOUR ABILITY TO BE A STUDENT JUST TO GET INTO GRADUATE SCHOOL. SO, YOU DO HAVE A
VALUABLE POINT OF VIEW EVEN IN FIELDS THAT YOU ARE NOT AN EXPERT IN. YOU HAVE A TECHNICAL
ABILITY TO GIVE FEEDBACK. I MADE UP A LITTLE COVER SHEET THAT GIVES YOU SOME ADVICE ABOUT
HOW BEST TO KIND OF TALK TO THE PERSON YOU'RE PEER REVIEWING WITH, ASKING THEM
QUESTIONS, WHAT KIND OF THINGS TO LOOK AT. THE BASIC IDEA HERE IS WE HAVE SOMEBODY WHO
WILL COME AND TALK AND GIVE YOU SOME LITTLE POINTERS ABOUT WHEN YOU'RE DOING YOUR OWN
REVISION OF YOUR OWN WRITING. WE'LL GIVE YOU SOME POINTERS ABOUT SELF-REVISION, AND
THEN BASICALLY SPEND THE REST OF THE BLOCK OF TIME WE HAVE SET ASIDE TO SWITCH PAPERS WITH
EACH OTHER, READ THAT PERSON'S -- WHAT THEY'VE GOT SO FAR. SO, HOPEFULLY YOU BROUGHT
ENOUGH PAPER ON YOUR LAPTOP AND GIVE THEM SOME FEEDBACK. YOU MIGHT NOT FIND ALL THE
FEEDBACK USEFUL. BUT IN EXPLAINING WHAT IT IS YOU WERE TRYING TO DO THAT PERHAPS YOUR
READER DID NOT QUITE CATCH, YOU CAN MAYBE SEE WHERE YOU NEED TO CLARIFY YOUR OWN
WRITING. THAT'S THE AIM OF THESE SESSIONS. ANY QUESTIONS? YOU ALL LOOK KIND OF SKEPTICAL.
DO YOU WANT IT THROW SOMETHING AT ME, LET ME SEE IF I CAN DEFEND IT? NO? OKAY. WITH
THAT, IF YOU HAVE NO QUESTIONS, DO OUR ONLINE PEOPLE HAVE QUESTIONS? DO OUR ONLINE
PEOPLE HAVE QUESTIONS?
>> NO QUESTIONS.
>> WELL, THAT WAS JUST THE INTRO. SO, I GUESS I CAN TYPE IT TO THEM SEPARATELY.
OKAY. THERE'S THE CAPTIONING.
OKAY. YOU'RE A PH.D., RIGHT?
Thomas Leverett >> NO, ACTUALLY I TAUGHT FOR FIVE YEARS AND [INAUDIBLE] SO, THAT'S ALL I'VE
GOT. AND NOW I'M A CMFL, A CLASS CALLED [SPEAKER NOT UNDERSTOOD] DISSERTATION WRITING
FOR STUDENTS. MY ESL TRAINING IS BASED ON A COUPLE YEARS -- WELL, IN MY EXPERIENCE I'VE
TAUGHT AT [SPEAKER NOT UNDERSTOOD] [INAUDIBLE]. AND I THOUGHT FOR A WHILE WHAT I COULD
SAY TO YOU FROM MY EXPERIENCE THAT COULD HELP YOU AS DISSERTATION WRITERS, ESL OR
OTHERWISE BECAUSE SOMETIMES NOT ALL OUR PEOPLE [INAUDIBLE] AT ESL AND I CAME UP WITH
WHAT I THOUGHT WAS MY BEST SHOT. IT'S ABOUT CULTURE OF FLEXIBILITY AND WHAT'S REQUIRED
TO SUCCEED IN GETTING A PH.D. IN ESL LANGUAGE LEARNING IN GENERAL. AND TO DO THAT I HAVE
THREE STORIES TO TELL YOU ABOUT CROSSING A CULTURAL THRESHOLD OR CULTURE OF DIFFICULTY.
ONE OF THEM IS THE FIRST TIME I CAME TO THE SOUTH WAS ABOUT 20 OR 30 YEARS AGO, AND I WAS
BROUGHT UP IN THE NORTH AND, SO, THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE WHAT WE CALL REALLY THE
NORTHEAST AND THE NORTH. IT'S REALLY THE NORTHEAST AND THE NORTHWEST -- I'M SORRY,
NORTHEAST AND SOUTHEAST, BUT WE IN THE U.S. CALL IT THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH. I CAME DOWN
HERE AND I HEARD SOME SOUTHERN FOLKS TALKING ABOUT A NORTHERN LAWYER WHO MADE A
PHONE CALL AND IN THE NORTHERN STYLE YOU GET RIGHT TO BUSINESS. SO, HE GOES, WELL, I'M A
LAWYER AND I'M CALLING ABOUT THIS AND I NEED THIS AND I NEED THIS, AND I'D LIKE YOU TO SIGN
THIS PAPER AND DO THIS AND THIS. THE LADY ON THE OTHER END WAS A SOUTHERNER SO SHE
LISTENED FOR A WHILE. AFTER A WHILE SHE GOES, FINE, THANK YOU, HOW ARE YOU? AND THE POINT
OF THE STORY WAS THAT SHE WASN'T READY TO START DOING BUSINESS UNTIL SHE HAD GONE
THROUGH AT LEAST SOME BEGINNING POLITENESS AND IT WAS REALLY ALMOST AGAINST HER
CULTURE OR HER THINKING TO DO BUSINESS WITHOUT THAT, OKAY. I THOUGHT ABOUT THAT STORY.
SECOND STORY IS I'M OVER IN KOREA. OF COURSE, IN KOREA YOU'VE GOT TO TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES
WHENEVER YOU GO INTO ANYBODY'S APARTMENT. THAT'S A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE FOR AN
AMERICAN BECAUSE WE ALMOST FEEL LIKE IT'S -- WELL, YOU JUST GET UNCOMFORTABLE IN YOUR
SOCKS AND YOUR FEET [SPEAKER NOT UNDERSTOOD]. SO, I'M IN SOMEBODY'S APARTMENT AND I WAS
ABOUT TO LEAVE AND I WAS PUTTING MY SHOES BACK ON OR SOMETHING. I WAS KIND OF IN THE
DOORWAY AND I'M FEELING A LITTLE BIT UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT THIS WHOLE RITUAL. AND ALONG
COMES A COUPLE OF GUYS AND THEY'RE MOVING A PIANO INTO THE APARTMENT, AND THE PIANO
MOVER IS CARRYING THE ENTIRE PIANO, AND HE TAKES OFF HIS SHOES WITHOUT LETTING GO OF THE
PIANO. HE JUST TAKES OFF HIS SHOES AND CONTINUES TO MOVE THIS ENORMOUS PIANO INTO THE
APARTMENT. I WAS ASTOUNDED, OKAY. BUT IT KIND OF TAUGHT ME THAT IF YOU FOLLOW THESE -WELL, THEY'RE KIND OF CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS. YOU CAN GO AS FAR AS YOU HAVE TO GO AND IT'S
REALLY, YOU KNOW, AFTER AWHILE, YOU FIGURE THIS IS REALLY NOT A PROBLEM.
AND THE THIRD STORY I WANT TO TELL IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR OUR SITUATION, AND
IT HAS TO DO WITH THIS ONE FARMER THAT I MET ONE TIME. AND HE WAS RUNNING A FARM, BUT
REALLY THE FARM WAS OWNED BY A NUMBER OF OTHER FARMERS IN THE AREA AND HE WASN'T
FROM THE AREA. AND HE WAS IN THE HABIT OF LEAVING -- I CAME OVER TO HIS HOUSE AND HE HAD
LEFT HIS LARGE POWER SANDER MORE OR LESS IN THE DOOR WAY. HE SAID, OH, EXCUSE ME, I LEFT IT
IN THE DOORWAY BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE I WAS USING IT, USING IT TO SAND SOMETHING AND I JUST
DIDN'T WANT TO PUT IT BACK. I SAID THAT'S REALLY NO PROBLEM. I CAN STEP AROUND IT. I'M
COMING INTO HIS HOUSE FOR A CUP OF COFFEE OR SOMETHING. HE SAID, THE FARMERS I WORK FOR
KIND OF DON'T LIKE THIS BECAUSE THEY FEEL LIKE YOU SHOULD PUT A TOOL BACK EVERY DAY, YOU
KNOW, LIKE YOU USE A TOOL, PUT IT BACK IN THE BARN. IN FACT, THEY OWN THE TOOLS, YOU KNOW.
SO, ITS WAS KIND OF AN ISSUE THAT THEY FELT LIKE HE WAS BEING SLOPPY OR CARELESS OR LEAVING
HIS TOOLS OUT. BUT TO HIM IT WAS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE BECAUSE TO ALWAYS MOVE THEM BACK
TO THE BARN WAS UNNECESSARY WORK IF HE WAS GOING TO USE THEM IN THE SAME PLACE EVERY
DAY. AND HE WANTED TO PRESERVE HIS WORK. SO, HE WAS THE KIND OF GUY THAT WOULD PULL HIS
TRUCK AROUND SO THAT HE WOULDN'T HAVE TO PUT IT IN REVERSE BEFORE HE PUT IT IN FORWARD
BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE WASTING THE USE OF THE CAR. SO, IT WAS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE TO HIM
TO PRESERVE WORK AND GET MORE WORK OUT OF HIMSELF. AND HE WAS NOT GOING TO
COMPROMISE THAT PART OF HIMSELF JUST TO PLEASE THESE FARMERS FOR APPEARANCES SAKE,
RIGHT? BUT LATER HE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THOSE FARMERS AND IT WAS UNRELATED TO THAT ISSUE.
BUT I COULD NEVER -- I ALWAYS FELT THAT IT WAS RELATED TO THAT ISSUE IN THE SENSE THAT THEY
FELT LIKE HE WAS NOT USING HIS TOOLS PROPERLY AND HE WAS UNABLE TO CONVINCE THEM,
BASICALLY, THAT WHAT HE WAS DOING WAS LEGITIMATE AND THAT THEY SHOULD JUST KIND OF
ACCEPT THAT.
TO GET BACK TO THE TOPIC OF WRITING A THESIS, I THINK ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT
WHETHER YOU ARE IN ESL OR NOT IN ESL, AND I WILL EXPLAIN WHY IF YOU ARE NOT. BUT BASICALLY
WHEN YOU ARE ENTERING A DISCIPLINE, YOU ARE ASKING PEOPLE IN THAT DISCIPLINE TO ACCEPT YOU
INTO THE ACADEMY OF THAT DISCIPLINE, RIGHT. NOW, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO THEM
REALLY IS THEIR TOOLS. THIS IS TRUE OF ALL CRAFTS MEN. IF YOU ARE TRYING TO BECOME -- ENTER
THE BROTHERHOOD OF CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO
CONSTRUCTION WORKERS IS THE WAY THEY HANDLE THEIR TOOLS AND WHAT THEY DO WITH THEIR
TOOLS AND HOW THEY DO [INAUDIBLE]. AND THE TOOLS OF THE ACADEMY ARE THE LANGUAGE,
ARTICLES, COMMAS, PERIODS, THINGS LIKE THAT. DATA, THE WAY THEY HANDLE THEIR DATA, THE
WAY THEY TALK ABOUT THEIR DATA, THE WAY THEY USE THEIR LANGUAGE, THESE ARE THEIR TOOLS.
SO, THIS IS WHERE -- THIS IS THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM FOR US. IT'S KIND OF A -- SOMETIMES IT'S A
KIND OF CULTURAL SITUATION. SOMETIMES IT'S A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE. FOR A LANGUAGE LEARNER
OFTEN IT’S A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE.
LET ME GIVE YOU THE BIGGEST EXAMPLE. FIRST I'LL START BY SAYING THERE'S A REALLY EXCELLENT
MOVIE, I JUST SAW IT THE OTHER DAY. IT'S ABOUT ESL LANGUAGE LEARNERS PROBLEMS WITH
LEARNING ENGLISH. AND BASICALLY A NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT
COUNTRIES ARE TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY HAD TROUBLE WITH LEARNING ENGLISH AND MASTERING
ENGLISH. AND ONE OF THE FIRST GUYS THAT STRUCK ME WAS A COLOMBIAN GUY WHO SAID, "I
WOULDN'T THINK OF GETTING TO THE MAIN POINT BEFORE I ESTABLISH A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
READER AND MAKE HIM FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOOD FRIENDS."
AND I THOUGHT IMMEDIATELY OF MY FIRST STORY BECAUSE IT'S PURELY A MATTER OF CULTURE
WHETHER YOU GET STRAIGHT TO THE POINT OR WHETHER YOU STOP AND SAY, HI, HOW ARE YOU?
FINE, THANK YOU, HOW IS YOUR WIFE AND ALL THIS KIND OF STUFF, AND ESTABLISH POLITENESS AND
A GOOD FEELING BEFORE YOU GET TO THE MAIN POINT. THIS IS VERY FRUSTRATING WITH ENGLISH. IN
FACT, HE HAD TURNED AROUND AFTER SEVERAL YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES, HE TURNED AROUND
AND HAD WRITTEN AN E-MAIL TO HIS FRIEND BACK HOME AND HE GOT STRAIGHT TO THE POINT LIKE
HE WAS IN THE HABIT OF DOING HERE. AND HIS FRIEND SAID TO HIM, YOU ARE SO RUDE. HOW CAN
YOU JUST COME RIGHT OUT AND TELL US WHAT YOU WANT? WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM HERE? YOU
KNOW, LIKE YOU AREN'T EVEN SAYING, HOW ARE YOU TODAY? YOU KNOW. AND OKAY. THERE WAS
ANOTHER ONE. SHE WAS JAPANESE, BUT SHE BASICALLY WAS SPEAKING FOR ALL ASIANS AND SHE
SAID, WE REALLY EXPECT THE READER TO DO A LOT MORE WORK THAN AMERICANS ARE WILLING TO
DO. LIKE WE GIVE YOU A COUPLE OF SIGNALS AND WE REALLY EXPECT YOU TO BE THINKING ABOUT -TO FIGURE OUT, FOR EXAMPLE, OR GUESS WHAT THE PRONOUNS MEAN OR WHAT THIS REFERS TO OR
WHAT I MIGHT BE SYMBOLIZING. AND SHE SAID, THE HARDEST THING FOR ME TO LEARN ABOUT
AMERICAN WRITING IS YOU CAN'T DO THAT. YOU CAN'T ASSUME THAT THE READER IS GOING TO DO
ALL THIS WORK BECAUSE THE READER IS NOT WILLING TO DO THAT KIND OF WORK. AND YOU MIGHT
CONSIDER US LAZY, BUT IT'S JUST A CULTURAL THING. WHEN WE READ, YOU HAVE TO PUT IT ON OUR
PLATE THAT WAY BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY WE ACCEPT IT. THEN THE FINAL ONE WAS A TURKISH
WRITER WHO BASICALLY SAID, TO US, HALF OF THE FUN IS THE JOURNEY ITSELF. AND THAT'S WHY YOU
ADD FLOURISH INTO THE JOURNEY SO THAT YOU ENJOY THE TRIP, YOU KNOW, ON YOUR WAY TO THE
MAIN POINTS. WE PUT IN A LOT OF EXTRA FLOURISH BECAUSE THAT'S KIND OF WHAT -- THAT'S HOW
YOU BECOME A GOOD WRITER. IT'S LIKE YOU MAKE A VERY PRETTY JOURNEY ON THE WAY TO THE
ARGUMENT. AND BASICALLY ONE THING THAT THIS MOVIE POINTED OUT WAS THAT ALL THESE
WRITERS HAD TO STRUGGLE WITH THE CULTURAL DIFFERENCES OF WHAT WRITERS EXPECT. THAT IS
ABOVE AND BEYOND THE LANGUAGE PROBLEM, ALL RIGHT. IT'S A CULTURAL BARRIER. AND
SOMETIMES IT'S A CULTURAL BARRIER YOU FEEL DEEP DOWN YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO CROSS OR IT'S
KIND OF SILLY.
ALL RIGHT. ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES FOR US IN THE ESL AND DISSERTATION AND PROOFREADING
BUSINESS IS THE IDEA OF ARTICLES. AS YOU WELL KNOW, THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE [SPEAKER NOT
UNDERSTOOD] IF YOU HAVE A SINGULAR NOUN LIKE CAR, YOU HAVE TO SPECIFY WHETHER IT'S ONE OR
ANY CAR, OR THE CAR YOU AND I BOTH KNOW WHICH ONE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. AND YOU HAVE TO
SPECIFY. AND AMERICANS INSIST ON THAT. AND, SO, IF YOU JUST SAID, I BOUGHT CAR, THEY GET ALL
UPSET BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T SPECIFY. TO MOST INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS THAT IS THE MOST
RIDICULOUS REQUIREMENT YOU COULD POSSIBLY HAVE OF A LANGUAGE. WE GET ALONG IN THIS
MOVIE AND THE ESL PERSON I HAVE KNOWN FOR MANY YEARS SAID THE SAME THING. SHE SAID,
AFTER MANY YEARS OF READING ENGLISH PAPERS, I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT [SPEAKER NOT
UNDERSTOOD] IS THE MOST RIDICULOUS REQUIREMENT EVER INVENTED, PROBABLY PUT THERE TO
TORTURE POOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS. BUT THE FACT IS WE KNOW THAT IT DOES TORTURE
AMERICAN READERS IF YOU DON'T SPECIFY. OR IF YOU SPECIFY POORLY OR SLOPPILY OR YOU DON'T
WORRY ABOUT IT, IT DOES AND IT CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. SO, I ACTUALLY DISAGREED WITH
HER ON THIS POINT AND THAT IS THAT SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO ALL THESE LITTLE
DETAILS EVEN THOUGH DEEP DOWN IN YOUR MIND YOU MAY FEEL LIKE THIS IS A RIDICULOUS
REQUIREMENT. OR THIS IS -- I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS CULTURE AT ALL. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY
SOMEBODY WOULD HAVE TO HAVE [INAUDIBLE] IN FRONT OF ME, A PARTICULAR NOUN. SO, REALLY
THE ISSUE IS THAT CULTURAL FLEXIBILITY BY ITS NATURE, IF WE GO BACK TO THE STORIES, WE REALIZE
THAT THE LANGUAGE IS KIND OF LIKE THE TOOLS THAT THE FARMER WAS DEALING WITH. AND
SOMEBODY IS TELLING US WHAT TO DO WITH THESE TOOLS, AND DEEP DOWN WE DON'T BELIEVE.
DEEP DOWN WE THINK, I CAN'T AGREE WITH THIS. I DON'T EVEN FEEL LIKE I SHOULD HAVE TO WORRY
ABOUT THIS, YOU KNOW. IT'S ALMOST LIKE I HAVE TO -- FOR PURELY CULTURAL REASONS OR RANDOM
REASONS, I HAVE TO GO WAY OUT OF MY WAY TO DO SOMETHING THAT I NEVER REALLY BOUGHT INTO
OR AGREED TO IN THE FIRST PLACE, RIGHT. BUT IN A SENSE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE READING YOUR
DISSERTATION CONSIDER THESE TO BE TOOLS OF THE TRADE. THIS IS WHAT MAKES YOU A SCHOLAR.
YOU WRITE IT THIS WAY, YOU FOLLOW THESE RULES. YOU PUT YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY IN A CERTAIN
ORDER. YOU PUT THE FAMILY NAME FIRST AND YOU PUT A COMMA HERE, AND YOU DON'T PUT A
SPACE IN FRONT OF THE COMMA, AND YOU SPELL IT RIGHT AND YOU HAVE LINED UP YOUR
BIBLIOGRAPHY OR YOUR MATERIAL IN A WAY THAT LOOKS APPROPRIATE. AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES
YOU A SCHOLAR IN THE SAME WAY TAKING CARE OF YOUR TOOLS WOULD MAKE YOU A PAINTER OR A
CARPENTER OR EVEN A FARMER, OKAY. SO, CULTURAL FLEXIBILITY IS THE ABILITY, REALLY, TO KIND OF
PUT ASIDE YOUR TRUE BELIEF ABOUT SOMETHING, IN THIS CASE ARTICLES. YOU TRULY BELIEVE THIS IS
KIND OF POINTLESS AND ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT SILLY AND YOU JUST SAY, WELL, IT IS IMPORTANT TO
MY READERS IN THIS SITUATION. IT'S A CULTURALLY IMPORTANT ISSUE AND I WILL COMMUNICATE
MORE CLEARLY AND BETTER IN THIS SITUATION IF I USE THESE AT THIS POINT. THAT CULTURAL
FLEXIBILITY ACTUALLY IS WHAT'S GOING TO GET YOU PAST THIS HURDLE AND IT'S GOING TO MAKE YOU
FLUENT IN THE LANGUAGE OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE WE CAN'T -- WE ARE ON THE ROAD TOWARD
PERFECTION OR FLUENCY OR ADEQUACY. AND THAT'S BASICALLY FOLLOWING THE CULTURAL RULES
THEY HAVE SET UP. AND THEY ARE SOMEWHAT RANDOM. OBVIOUSLY I WOULD HAVE THE SAME
PROBLEM IN ANY LANGUAGE AS I HAD IN KOREA AND THE OTHER LANGUAGES THAT I LEARNED.
SO, ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? I JUST THOUGHT I WOULD GIVE YOU AN INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT
BECAUSE THE WAY I SEE YOUR POSITIONS, IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE PIANO STORY, ALL RIGHT. YOU HAVE A
PIANO, YOU HAVE SOMETHING SUBSTANTIAL, YOU HAVE SOMETHING IMPORTANT, YOU HAVE
SOMETHING HUGE. THEN YOU'RE RIGHT IN THE DOORWAY. YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT TO GO WHERE YOU
NEED TO GO WITH STUFF, RIGHT? AND WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU STOP AND YOU TAKE OFF YOUR
SHOES EVEN WHILE YOU'RE HOLDING THE PIANO, RIGHT? SO, I MEAN IT'S KIND OF AN INSPIRATIONAL
TALK WHICH WE'LL SHOW YOU. SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO JUST SLOW DOWN AND DO THE LITTLE
THINGS THAT ARE REQUIRED THAT ARE NECESSARY TO MAKE IT LOOK GOOD SO THAT IT CAN GET TO
THE NEXT STEP.
Anastasia Coles>> I WOULD ADD, TOO, THAT THAT DOESN'T JUST APPLY TO ESL STUDENTS. THAT
APPLIES TO A SPEAKER. YOU'RE AT THE SAME DOORWAY. MAYBE YOU SEE COMMAS ARE POINTLESS
AND STUPID. BUT IT IS SOMETHING YOU NEED TO GET THROUGH THE DOOR. AND I CAN'T TELL YOU
HOW OFTEN I RUN INTO THIS BECAUSE PEOPLE KNOW THAT I MAKE A LIVING BASICALLY EDITING. SO
THEY ALWAYS WANT TO TELL ME, MY GOD, I WAS READING APPLICATIONS FOR THIS JOB FOR HIRING AT
WORK. I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW ILLITERATE PEOPLE ARE. SAY THIS PERSON SAYING THIS TO ME HAS A
COLLEGE EDUCATION IN SOMETHING COMPLETELY DISCONNECTED FROM SPECIFICALLY COMPOSITION
FIELDS, LIKE SOCIAL WORK OR BUSINESS, RIGHT? BUT THIS PERSON FEELS THAT THEY DO THAT
CORRECTLY, THAT ANYBODY THEY'RE GOING TO HIRE HAS TO BE ABLE TO MEET THEIR STANDARDS.
AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE NECESSARILY -- DEDICATE THEIR LIVES TO PROPER
GRAMMAR. PART OF THEIR SELF-IDENTITY AS EDUCATED PEOPLE IS THEY KNOW HOW TO DO THAT
AND THEY EXPECT THAT FROM OTHER PEOPLE AND THEY WILL CONSTANTLY COMPLAIN ABOUT PEOPLE
WHO DON'T DO IT RIGHT. THAT COULD BE A PERSON INTERVIEWING YOU FOR A JOB. SO, AGAIN, IT'S
NOT JUST AN ESL ISSUE. IT'S THE ISSUE OF BEING ATTENTIVE TO THOSE LITTLE DETAILS, FINALLY
GETTING TO THE POINT OF NOT CONQUERING THEM ENTIRELY, KNOWING WHAT YOUR [SPEAKER NOT
UNDERSTOOD] ARE, KNOWING HOW TO WORK WITH THEM. WHAT I'VE OFTEN TOLD THE ENGLISH
SECOND LANGUAGE STUDENTS WHEN THEY'RE AT THE POINT THEY'RE COMING TO ME, WHICH IS RIGHT
BEFORE THEY GRADUATE, THE MONTH, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LEARN ARTICLES RIGHT NOW. GET
SOMEBODY TO HELP YOU. THAT'S WHAT I WOULD SAY TO THEM. DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. WHAT
YOU WANT IS YOU WANT TO BE GOOD. BUT YOU KNOW THAT AFTER GRADUATE SCHOOL YOU'RE NOT
ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE SOMEBODY WHO IS GOING TO GO THROUGH A 200 PAGE DOCUMENT TO PUT
ALL THE [SPEAKER NOT UNDERSTOOD]. SO, YOU KNOW THAT ABOUT YOURSELF. MAYBE THE MONTH
BEFORE GRADUATION IS TOO LATE, BUT LET'S SAY YOU'RE A LITTLE EARLY IN YOUR CAREER. IT'S TIME
TO START BEING A LITTLE MORE MINDFUL HOW YOU CAN IMPROVE T. I'M AN EXAMPLE. I DON'T THINK
I UNDERSTOOD COMMAS AT ALL UNTIL MY MID 30s. SO, YOU CAN TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS.
THAT'S JUST MY 2 CENTS TO ADD IN THERE.
Thomas Leverett >> THE MOVIE MADE AN INTERESTING POINT. THE MOVIE IS CALLED "WRITING
ACROSS BORDERS" IF YOU WANT TO SEE T. ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT THE MOVIE
IS REALLY IT DOES TAKE CARE TO SHOW LOTS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE'S VIEWS, ENGLISH FROM THE
OUTSIDE. SO, IT'S INTERESTING EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT FROM AN ESL BACKGROUND. ONE THING THE
MOVIE SAID IS A LOT OF TEACHERS ON YOUR PATH ON THE ESL STUDENT'S PATH WILL GIVE THE ESL
STUDENTS A LOT OF BREAKS. THE REASON -- THERE'S TWO REASONS THEY DO, THERE'S THREE
REASONS THEY DO. THE FIRST ONE IS THEY'RE NOT TRAINED TO TEACH THE ENGLISH [SPEAKER NOT
UNDERSTOOD]. THE SECOND ONE IS THEY GENUINELY WANT INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN THEIR
CLASS AND THEY WANT TO BENEFIT FROM YOUR PRESENSE AND YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND YOUR ABILITY
AND YOUR GENERAL INTELLIGENCE. AND THE THIRD ONE IS THAT THEY ARE REALLY GENUINELY MORE
INTERESTED IN THE CONTENT AREA THAT THEY'RE DEALING WITH. SO, IF THEY CAN TEACH YOU THE
CONTENT, YOU CAN LEARN IT, YOU CAN PROVE THAT YOU LEARNED IT, THEN THEY FEEL A FEELING OF
SUCCESS FROM HAVING ENGAGED WITH YOU AND TAUGHT YOU SUCCESSFULLY AND HAVING THAT
SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCE ACROSS CULTURES. BUT THE LAST ONE IS THAT THEY WANT TO GIVE YOU A
BREAK BECAUSE THAT'S FAIR. THEY CAN'T REALLY EXPECT YOU TO BE TOTALLY FLUENT IN THE SAME
LANGUAGE AMERICANS ARE THAT HAVE BASICALLY SPOKEN THE LANGUAGE ALL THEIR LIFE. SO,
THEY'VE GOT TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A BREAK. BUT WHAT THAT MEANS THEN GENERALLY IS
THAT IF THE GRAMMAR IS NOT PERFECT, THEY JUST KIND OF FIX IT IN THEIR MIND OR GET SOMEBODY
TO FIX IT OR TEACH YOU HOW TO FIX IT AND THEN OVERLOOK IT, OKAY. ONE ISSUE WITH THAT IS
SOMETIMES THERE IS UNCLEARNESS CODIFIES THAT. OR THEY'LL FIX IT IN A WAY YOU BENEFIT, YOU
MAY NOT MEAN IT THAT WAY. THERE IS ALWAYS A SHADY WAY WHAT'S INVOLVED ASSUMING THEY
KNOW WHAT YOU MEANT OR ASSUMING WHAT YOU SAID WAS WHAT YOU MEANT. MAKING
ASSUMPTIONS THAT ARE NOT ALWAYS COMPLETELY ACCURATE. AND THAT'S THE PRICE YOU PAY. AND
ACTUALLY IN CLASSES THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSITY, THIS IS HAPPENING. IT'S HAPPENING VIRTUALLY
EVERYWHERE, ALL RIGHT. BUT WHEN WE COME TO THE POINT OF A PUBLISHED THING AND YOU'RE
SENDING IT OFF TO A JOURNAL, AND EVEN IF YOU'RE PUBLISHING IT AT TEXAS TECH AS A
DISSERTATION, THERE'S NO BREAKS FOR THAT. YOU'RE PUBLISHING. YOU CAN'T PUBLISH IT AND HAVE
UNCLARITY OR MESSINESS OR MISSING COMMA OR MISSING SPACE OR MISSPELLED WORD OR
SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AND THE REASON THERE IS NO ROOM FOR IT IS BECAUSE NOW YOU ARE
REPRESENTING THE FIELD. YOU'RE REPRESENTING YOUR DEPARTMENT. YOU'RE REPRESENTING TEXAS
TECH. YOU'RE A PROFESSIONAL. YOU'RE PRESENTING YOURSELF AS A PROFESSIONAL, YOU'RE
PRESENTING YOUR IDEAS. ANOTHER THING THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IS AS YOU FINISH WITH YOUR
DISSERTATION OR YOU PUBLISH IT AND GO ON INTO YOUR CAREER, YOU WILL ALWAYS LOOK BACK AT
THAT DISSERTATION AND SAY, THIS IS THE EPITOME, THE BEST OF MY SCHOLARLY WORK. THIS IS THE
BEST THAT I DID. THIS IS THE SUM TOTAL OF FOUR, SIX YEARS OF HARD LABOR, OKAY. SO, IT BECOME
KIND OF A BEACON THAT YOU LOOK BACK AT AND IDENTIFIES YOUR SPECIALTY AND YOUR FIELD, YOUR
LOVE, YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE DISCIPLINE. SO, YOU CAN'T REALLY SEE WHAT IT'S GOING TO LOOK
LIKE IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR SO TO SPEAK OR AS YOU LOOK BACK AT IT. BUT YOU WANT IT TO SHINE
VERY WELL. YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO OPEN IT ANY TIME AND SAY, EVEN IF THE WHOLE LANGUAGE
AND THE FIELD AND EVERYTHING ELSE HAS CHANGED, YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO LOOK BACK AT THAT
AND SAY, WELL, AT THE TIME THAT I WROTE THIS, THIS WAS PERFECT ENGLISH AND IT WAS EXCELLENT
STELLAR WORK AND CUTTING EDGE IN MY FIELD AND THIS IS WHAT I DID. AND IT WILL HAVE THAT
DATE ON IT. SO, IF THE LANGUAGE CHANGES, THAT'S NOT YOUR PROBLEM, YOU KNOW. OR IF THE
FIELD CHANGES, IT'S NOT YOUR PROBLEM. OR IF SOMEBODY CONTRADICTS IT WITH LATER RESEARCH,
IT'S NOT YOUR PROBLEM. IT'S STILL GLOWING THERE AS A STONE THAT REPRESENTS THE BEST THAT
YOU DID. SO, IT'S KIND OF AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN YOUR CAREER AND YOUR LIFE AND YOU HAVE THAT
MUCH MORE REASON TO MAKE IT AS GOOD AS YOU CAN.
Anastasia Coles >> GREAT, THANK YOU. A FEW MORE PEOPLE CAME IN SO I'M GOING TO REALLY
QUICKLY JUST TALK ABOUT PEER REVIEW AGAIN. WHO HERE HAS DONE PEER REVIEW IN CLASSES
BEFORE? ANYBODY? I MEAN, I KNOW SOME OF YOU -- YOU WERE HERE LAST WEEK, WERE YOU HERE
LAST WEEK. OKAY. HAVE YOU DONE ANY -- THIS ISN'T GOING TO HELP ME. MY ENGLISH IS BETTER
THAN THEIRS. THAT USED TO BE MY ATTITUDE. I'VE ACTUALLY HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF DEALING WITH
STUDENTS IN PEER REVIEW ENVIRONMENTS AND HAVE ACTUALLY READ AN AWFUL LOT ABOUT IT AND
IT IS ALWAYS USEFUL. LIKE I SAID, WHEN YOU'RE IN A PEER REVIEW SITUATION WITH A PEER, YOU'RE
IN A DIAD, TWO OF YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE EVERYTHING THAT PERSON HAS TO SAY. YOU
DON'T NEED TO TAKE EVERYTHING THAT PERSON HAS TO SAY. YOU ARE AN EXPERT, TOO. YOU CAN
MAKE AN EVALUATION ON THE FEEDBACK YOU'RE GETTING. THE MAIN THING IS THAT YOU ARE
GETTING FEEDBACK AND THEN YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SORT OF MAKE SOME ASSESSMENT OR
EVALUATION ABOUT IT. THAT'S WHERE YOU ARE GETTING THE GOOD EFFECT OF PEER REVISION. SO, I
MADE THESE COVER SHEETS. USUALLY PEOPLE DO BEST IN A PEER REVIEW DIAD IF THEY HAVE A LITTLE
INFORMATION GOING IN INSTEAD OF HAVING IT THROWN AT YOU. USUALLY WHAT THEY TELL YOU TO
DO IS FIRST READ THIS CHUNK OF WRITING THAT YOUR PARTNER HAS HANDED YOU TO READ. NOW, IF
YOU BROUGHT SOMETHING, YOU MIGHT SAY, I'M GOING TO JUST HAVE THEM READ IT FIRST, THREE
PAGES OF THIS. I'M HAVING TROUBLE WITH THIS PART. I WANT THEM TO RESPOND TO THIS. YOU
POINT OUT WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO READ. SO, THE PEER READS THOSE FEW PAGES. SO, IF YOU'RE
THE ONE GETTING IT, YOU READ WHAT WAS GIVEN TO YOU. YOU KNOW, NO [SPEAKER NOT
UNDERSTOOD] THERE. THEN YOU GO THROUGH THE QUESTIONS ON THE SHEET. YOU TALK TO THE
PERSON AND SAY, RIGHT OFF, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? IS THIS PHYSICS? I DON'T GET THIS.
AND YOU'LL HAVE TO BE LIKE, OKAY, I'M TALKING ABOUT THIS MOLECULAR PROCESS. WE'RE
INTERESTED IN BECAUSE -- GIVE THEM KIND OF AN OVERVIEW. LIKE YOU MAY HAVE TO TO A
NONSPECIALIST AT DIFFERENT POINTS IN YOUR CAREER. AND THEN WHO DOES YOUR -- THE WRITER
OF THE THING YOU'RE READING THINK IS THEIR AUDIENCE? THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. LIKE HE SAID,
IT'S A CULTURAL THING THAT YOU MIGHT NOT DEEP DOWN BELIEVE IN SOMETHING, BUT YOU WILL
WRITE IT BECAUSE OF WHO YOU ARE WRITING FOR. AND I'M HOPING THAT YOU ALL KNOW THAT
YOU'RE WRITING FOR AN AUDIENCE BEYOND YOUR CHAIR, RIGHT, BECAUSE AT THIS POINT YOU
SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT PRESENTING YOUR DATA AT CONFERENCES, SENDING YOUR RESEARCH
OUT, PUBLICATION, THOSE ARE ALSO READER. SO, YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE. AND
THEN YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO THE DOCUMENT, HAVING TALKED TO YOUR PEER A LITTLE, AND
START COMMENTING ON IT. YOU DON'T NEED TO GO IN THERE AND SAY, OH, COMMA, WHATEVER,
THAT SORT OF THING. IT'S ACTUALLY BETTER TO KIND OF LOOK AT IT AS A DOCUMENT IN TERMS OF IS
IT CONVEYING INFORMATION CLEARLY. AND YOU REALLY DO NOT NEED TO KNOW THAT DISCIPLINE TO
TELL WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE MAKING SENSE.
DO YOU BELIEVE ME? I'VE ALREADY TALKED TO ENGINEERS ABOUT THIS. I READ A LOT OF MASTERS
THESES ABOUT STUFF I REALLY DON'T KNOW AND I CAN TELL IF IT'S NOT MAKING SENSE MOSTLY
BECAUSE I KNOW ENGLISH. BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ALL REASONABLY EDUCATED PEOPLE. YOU ALL
HAVE AT LEAST AN UNDERGRAD DEGREE IF YOU'RE MASTER STUDENTS, AND A MASTER'S DEGREE IF
YOU'RE DOCTORAL STUDENTS. SO, YOU'VE BEEN RESEARCHING. YOU ARE INTELLIGENT PEOPLE. IF IT
DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO YOU, MARK THAT DOWN SO THAT THE WRITER WHO YOU'RE WORKING WITH
KNOWS, THIS IS NOT CLEAR. AND YOU, IF YOU GET THAT BACK FROM YOUR DIAD, SAY, TRY TO OPEN
YOURSELF UP TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT IT'S NOT JUST THAT THEY DON'T KNOW YOUR FIELD, BUT THAT
PERHAPS YOU ARE NOT MAKING YOURSELF CLEAR. SO, THOSE ARE KIND OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS I
GIVE FOR DOING THE PEERS.
OKAY. SO, WHO HERE BROUGHT A DOCUMENT THAT THEY WANT TO EXCHANGE? BECAUSE I'LL ASSIGN
YOU TO A PERSON IF YOU DID. AND IF YOU DIDN'T, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SIT THERE AND ASK
QUESTIONS OR WORK ON SOMETHING ALONE OR LEAVE IF YOU WANT TO. BUT DEFINITELY RAISE
YOUR HAND IF YOU BROUGHT SOMETHING TO KIND OF HAVE IT LOOKED AT. 1, 2, 3, 4. ANY OF YOU
GUYS, NO? DOES OUR ONLINE GUY? LET ME SEE. KIM, DOES OUR ONLINE GUY HAVE A DOCUMENT HE
WANTS TO WORK WITH?
OKAY. SO, THE FOUR OF YOU, RAISE YOUR HANDS AGAIN. 1, 2, 3, 4 -- WAIT, 1, 2, 3... 4. OKAY. WHAT
FIELDS ARE YOU IN? LET'S JUST FIND THAT OUT.
>> I'M IN [SPEAKER NOT UNDERSTOOD] SCIENCES.
>> [SPEAKER NOT UNDERSTOOD].
>> [SPEAKER NOT UNDERSTOOD].
>> INDUSTRIAL.
>> OKAY, YOU TWO CANNOT BE TOGETHER BECAUSE YOU'RE IN THE SAME FIELD. SO, WHY DON'T YOU
AND [SPEAKER NOT UNDERSTOOD] TOGETHER, AND YOU TWO ENGINEERS, SORRY, YOU KNOW, SIT
NEXT TO EACH OTHER AND WE'LL GIVE YOU THESE LITTLE WORK SHEETS THAT YOU CAN USE. AND IF
ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME, JUST LET ME KNOW.
DID EVERYONE SIGN IN? THANK YOU.
[Students get into pairs to begin peer review.]