Does “voice” that resonates compete with or enhance “academic voice”? How can we write successfully as “academics” and still have voice? Or, you can talk about how important you think voice is in teaching/grading: how do you teach “voice”? How do you assess it?
First of all, I believe that a voice that resonates within a text, regardless of what type, is absolutely necessary. You have to have voice just like you have to have an author to a text. Granted, there are times when an author is Anonymous or Unknown, but even then there is someone out there who wrote that text in question. As far as academic papers/texts go, I would still advocate some type of voice within. The author has to argue/point out/discuss/manipulate/work with/present their text in a way that is accessible to their audience and, in doing so, must ‘speak up’ or give life to what is being said. Some would argue that academic texts should only be written in the traditional manner because opinions are like assholes: everyone has one and not everybody wants to smell or hear it in this case.
When teaching, I think voice is a critical issue that needs to be discussed with the students. Activities and exercises that get students out of a rut when writing are great. However, it is a tricky area of study. I think the key component of teaching should be how to adapt to any situation/audience in way that doesn’t exclude your voice entirely, but doesn’t alienate the audience either. This process needs to be started earlier rather than later in one’s education so that when they do want to publish in college/grad school, they will be able to recognize what elements of their own voice to include.
micahheatwole said,
September 17, 2009 at 2:33 am
I like what you said about the author needing to give life to what they are writing about. Voice in writing is the driving life force if you will. A piece of writing without voice is like Luke Skywalker without the force.
Somshukla said,
September 17, 2009 at 2:39 am
I agree that voice is important in writing, and it is important for the writer to find a voice as early as possible. But are we teaching our young writers to find their voice or we are still strangled in the web of formats and formulas? Take for e.g. 1301, how much scope we have to let our students practice their own voice within the array of the assignments. Of course, it will be a bias to say that there is absolutely no scope but aren’t we somewhat limited?
jvontung85 said,
September 17, 2009 at 2:15 pm
I agree that even academic texts must have a voice. I read for another class a couple weeks ago an article that I, for the life of me, simply could not understand. I didn’t have a clue what the author was talking about or what he was saying. At the time, I couldn’t quite figure out what it was that was lacking, but now I know that his essay had no “voice.” It didn’t sound like a person wrote it. I think we all have to interject ourselves someway into our writing, even academic writing. I actually like scholarly writing that doesn’t sound really “academic.” I’m able to interact with the text more.