Social literacy P3 Original

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Community engagement

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Literacy in Social Interactions!

Traditionally, universities has focused on promoting results and increasing their capital, yet from previous years, universities focus on increasing a student’s literacy. Literacy has no definite definition as it constantly fluctuates and depends on the individual of how they want to evaluate the word Literacy. Literacy is commonly defined as the ability to read and write; however with society and times changing, the definition of literacy has evolved and can be seen as an individual ability to intentionally guide their world. Literacy has become a power to impact an individual’s learning ability from technological to social impact. In today’s society we evolve from a rigid and stagnant understanding of literacy to seeing literacy as just the truck of a tree that has many branches to it that impacts an individual and society. Social skills such as conversation skills and the ability to interact with society correlates towards the social branch of literacy. Social literacy is based off of communication and the depiction and sharing of information, expertise and experiences. The ability to communicate and express our emotions and thoughts, whether verbally and nonverbally, towards another individual or group depicts the boundary of social literacy. Social literacy will always change based on society, an individual’s environment and the ability to mediate their world through communication. Being able to cultivate communication skills, universities are a major environment that is fundamental to the expansion and manipulation of an individual’s social literacy through many mediums from organizations and clubs to technologies such as social networks. Social literacy flourish with community interaction in universities.

Social Literacy largely developed within an individual surroundings, from a student interaction with the education system, to the interaction with parents and authority figures. From a young age, individuals begin to communicate to society and generate their social literacy; however without proper guidance, one’s social literacy becomes stagnant and never develop to complement their surroundings. This is mainly seen with individuals who communicate with two different languages. Min-Zhan Lu is an example of an individual whose literacy conflicted with each other. School was able to teach Lu social literacy by the interaction with other students and authority figures, yet another social literacy Lu knew came with a different sets of rules as Lu interacted with her parents. These conflicting social literacy shaped Lu life and was able to allow her to become successful communicating within different surroundings. Having the ability to speak and interact between two different worlds is highlighted in Lu’s From Silence to Words: Writing as Struggle. Home, and educational institutions gave Lu the ability to interact with society, so by becoming a teacher, Lu is able to give back, to the environments that shaped her social literacy, and become a factor to future generation’s social literacy development. With the constant changing of society, there has become more environments that increase one’s social literacy. One environment is universities. Universities are an environment designed to teach and develop an individual literacy through instruction, interaction and communication with various authority figures, individuals and groups. From the beginning, universities are what the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) call a corporate university. Universities and higher education in America has been depicted “as defending religious and secular values central to capitalism,” according to David Schultz in The Rise and Demise of the Neo-Liberal University. By focusing on capitalism rather than increase of literacy has lead for individuals coming out of universities focusing on gaining capital and not the interaction with society. This downfall of proper guidance showcase throughout universities has led to universities stagnation and under developing individuals for society. These negative incomes create an ineffective environment to increase social interaction, Discussed in Schultz’s Rise and Demise of the Neo-liberal University, over the years, Universities has evolved and “seen as the great equalizer,”(Schultz 56) becoming a vehicle for educating citizens no matter their race, gender or values.

With the increase traffic of students has generated more opportunities for social interactions within universities. With universities mobilizing around social interactions, “they create conditions for effective literacy instruction and educational equity.” (Haunter and Harman 1979) highlighted in Sylvia Scribner’s Literacy in Three Metaphors. Students use the social space within a university to develop their social literacy. They interact with other students and teachers in a classroom environment from teachers requiring group projects to increase the interaction between students. The constant interaction with others allow for one’s social literacy to expand as they express their thoughts and emotions. This allows for interaction with society to make a greater impact. Students’ dependence on the environment of universities has allowed for their social literacy to exhibit a greater influence in society. Scribner in Literacy in Three Metaphors depicts an individual social literacy in universities as a source of power for social transformation. Social Literacy being displayed as a source of power “creates a critical conscious through which a community can analyze its conditions of social existence and engage in action for a just society” promoted in Scribner’s Literacy in Three Metaphors. Harman in Scribner’s Literacy in Three Metaphors article suggested the relationship between social change and literacy education is a symbiotic relationship that strengthen each other. Universities are the prefect environment to enhance the relationship between social change and literacy education. Scribner highlighted this relationship in Literacy in Three Metaphors by expanding the relationship by defining Literacy-as-power metaphor as an emphasis between literacy and group or community advancement. Students utilize universities as a stepping stone for this relationship to come to fruition.

Not only do the classroom environment leads to expansion of individual’s social literacy, but the connections garner from social interactions with other students expand an individual society literacy. Universities provide an opportunity for students to never feel isolated. This opportunity is showcased in clubs and organizations. By allowing students access to organizations of different varieties, universities allow for social growth to occur. To connect with someone is a social start for individuals as it allows for them to feel at ease and advance with a group who amass the same values. Student organizations serve as a social and academic tool needed to direct one’s social literacy, such as Raza Womyn discussed in Anita Revilla’s Raza Womyn-Making it Safe to be Queer: Student Organizations as Retention Tools in Higher Education. Revilla examine in her article on how minority students felt isolated and disconnected from society, and universities being a one dimensional environment. By catering to the diverse culture and allowing minorities to create groups that allow for students to engage in multidimensional topics, Universities are able to expand their social literacy and fight for what they believe. Universities provide a supportive area and skills for these organizations to elevate community and social engagements, for example, University of Houston-Downtown’s The Office of Student Activities who is dedicated to enrich students’ college experience enhances student’s personal development through social engagement Has over 50 different types of social organization that enriches the diversity of social interactions in society. The progression universities develop is crucial to the development and advancement of social interactions. Teaching how to present oneself during an interview or how to create a resume erupt individuals social connections, as they have the necessary tools to progress and connect successful with those around them. Always having these opportunities for promotion of literacy point out the success universities garner. Holding workshops to present students with opportunities for growth evolve student’s social literacy to merge with society. Overall, universities is a provision that supports and provide opportunities for students to navigate throughout society.

To evolve and advance social literacy, universities has to undergo advancements of their own. Technological advances are a highly important aspect to developing social literacy. Student organizations use to go out and find their members face to face and were unable to gain a high traffic. With the development of technology, students has captured a high traffic volume with the usage of student organizations websites. Christopher Prom and Ellen Swain explains how student organization websites use technology to capture social interactions with the community more fully in their article, From the College Democrats: Identifying, appraising and capturing Student Organization Websites. Prom and Swain reveal that student organizations website allow for organizations to document their activities and produce a lot of emails regarding their group’s agenda and socially connect with their community. While websites, increase social literacy through the ability to provide information directed toward society, social networks allow us to engage closely with society. Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks are used to secure social interactions with a variety of different students. Social networks such as Facebook or Twitter increase the cooperation for students as, they communicate and discuss information increasing their social connection and literacy. Connecting to other students via social networks allows for an impersonal relationship to occur, and any environment is effective to create this relationship. The environment of universities, use social networks to engage with students and allow students the ability to express themselves without restriction. University of Houston-Downtown Facebook allow for students to engage with each other, participate in conversation and, regardless of being an introvert or extrovert, drives social connection. Social literacy increase as universities usage of technology join and expand their horizon.

Communication, sharing information, expressing oneself all illustrate social literacy. Social literacy relates to the environments cultivated to generate social interactions, such as universities and home. The access students have at a universities is important for their future connections with society. Individual’s functional skills, and social power are environmental base. At home, students generate different social approaches then at an educational institution, which equip students with the skills to increase their social literacy and continuous interactions with their communities. These environments progress one’s literacy as they integrate deeper in society. Scribner showcase the different ideology that manipulates literacy, nevertheless social literacy as power is reflective of the environment, resources and communication available in our society. Universities expands individual’s social literacy as they configure the access of social goals on campus through mediums from clubs and organizations to developing technological interactions, use to reflect social connections, such as social networks. Effective environments, such as, universities emerge to progress, teach and increase social literacy in individuals, who make use of it towards their current and future connections with society.

WORKS CITED

Anita Tijerina Revilla. “Raza Womyn—making It Safe to Be Queer: Student Organizations as Retention Tools in Higher Education”. Black Women, Gender + Families 4.1 (2010): 37–61. Web.

Lu, Min-Zhan. "From Silence to Words: Writing as Struggle." College English 49.4 (1987): 437. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

Office of Student Affairs. "Student Organziations." Student Activities & Events. University of Houston-Downtown, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2016. https://www.uhd.edu/student-life/student-activities/organizations/Pages/sae-org-info.aspx

Prom, Christopher J., and Ellen D. Swain. “From the College Democrats to the Falling Illini: Identifying, Appraising, and Capturing Student Organization Websites”. The American Archivist 70.2 (2007): 344–363. Web.

Schutlz, David. "The Rise and Demise of Neo-Liberal University: The Collapsing Business Plan of American Higher Education." Academe 98.6, Professing Service in the Humanities (2012): 56+. JSTOR. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.

Scribner, Sylvia. "Literacy in Three Metaphors." Literacy in Three Metaphors. American Journal of Education, Web. 20 Apr. 2016.