Journal Entry #3

What does Bartholomae mean when he says that students must “invent the university” when they write in college?

He means that students must write in various styles for various audiences in various subjects. Students must learn to speak “the language of the university.”

What does Bartholomae suggest is a way for students to become “insiders” within academic discourse?

They must imagine that they have a special right to speak and that they are inside “an established and powerful discourse.” That usually means that students have to bluff, as students must write often without the formalized training that a professor would have.

Summarize some of the differences between the two examples of student writing that Bartholomae examines, and Bartholomae’s opinion of these examples.

The first paper is not as long, but seems to get the job done. However, it has errors in reasoning. The second paper is harder to understand and uses more complex language. But it is the better of the two essays according to Bartholomae.