Inventing the University

One very interesting thing that I learned in the "Inventing the University" paper was how writers will write for their audience if they know who is going to read it. Depending on who is going to read your paper determines how most individuals write. If they know that the dean of students will be reading it then most people will try too hard and use vocabulary they wouldn't normally use just to try and impress the dean.

Another thing I found interesting is how writers will offer advice rather than an academic conclusion. This got me thinking that I have been guilty of this same thing before in previous writings. I also found it very interesting when they talked about building bridges with the audience. I think this is very important to know because it is easy for the writer to be in their discourse community and to ramble on as if the reader has an education of what the writer is talking about. I believe it is a common mistake among a lot of writers, they should take a step back and make sure their vocabulary is described clearly so the reader can follow along. The phrase they used "describing baseball to a Martian," is a good example of this. There are so many things that may sound basic to me but to a Martian you will have to break down every little term for them to be able to understand.

Some topics and issues dicussed in my major "Exercise and Sports Science" are sports, sports injuries, nutrition, and exercise. Coming into the major I thought I knew a general amount of information about sports, but there are a lot of things contained in it that I did not know. I have heard a lot about the history of sport and where it derived from. I actually found myself in a discourse community that I thought I was fluent in. To be a part of this community means that you most likely enjoy sports and exercise. Most of the people in this academic community are former athletes like myself. My academic community learns about the human body and its movements and functions to where as a Earth Sciences major learns about the Earth's materials and functions.