Fascinating glimpse into non-transparent discourse on “Composition Theory: Me, Thou, Us and Nobody”. It seems to be the course blog for a composition class at North Dakota State University. And of course, since the participants are reacting to readings and discussions they are having, it is a perfect example of a “long conversation” (Janet Maybin) from which I am excluded.
They are currently encountering discourse theory, and I am fascinated by their posts, which in addition to (i) their intrinsic interest, (ii) the successful detective feeling I get when I manage to work out what issue is at hand, and (iii) the feeling of illicitness my reading evokes, illustrate once more that “discourse theory” can have 100 meanings for 100 different people.
The class is not, as far as I can tell, engaging in Laclau and Mouffe’s poststructuralist discourse theory, nor in Habermas. Perhaps CDA, though? And I’d bet on James Paul Gee.
