Click to read details.
Context
I wrote this research paper in Dr. Sundvall’s Foundation of Writing Studies class in my Spring 2020 semester. Many of the articles I was assigned to read in Dr. Sundvall’s course related to the “academic voice,” which is the way students write for the purpose of succeeding or attempting to succeed in their classes. The academic voice is characterized primarily, among other qualities, by (1) the use of advanced vocabulary and (2) the use of standardized argument and writing structures.
My main goal with writing this paper was to present alternative classroom teaching methods that deemphasize the importance of the academic voice and promote equal representation of different cultures in academic settings. Although this goal is fairly broad, I think that my paper did well to summarize the issues surrounding the academic voice, as well as its historical and societal causes.
My favorite elements of this paper are the proposed alternative teaching methods and how they create anti-racist and culturally accountable classrooms. I think that having even a few examples of diverse, equitable, and decolonial academic structures makes this paper a strong foundational piece. My hope is to, at some point, expand upon this paper and provide more theoretical (but evidence-based) academic structures, as well as to conduct my own research on anti-racist pedagogy.
Lessons Learned & Future Plans
I learned that the culturally restricting effects of the academic voice is more far-reaching than I previously knew. The academic voice is a reflection of established power structures, particularly in the ivory tower of academia. The promotion of more culturally diverse voices, writing methods, and argument styles is critical for improving the success of underrepresented groups in academia.
Although I did not conduct my own study that contributes to the pedagogical field, I think that this paper does well in summarizing the current condition of the academic voice and its contemporary effects on pedagogy and related areas of research. I also think that my discussion of recent alternative teaching methods will be helpful for other researchers who may be interested in developing similar case studies.
Cultural accountability in all elements of practice is essential for technical editors, as well as any other professional. I am certain that my research in existing power structures in academic settings will prove useful when working with clients; ethical editing practices, naturally, must reflect anti-racist and culturally sensitive principles in order to best represent my clients and their written works.