IC #3: from Post-structuralism to Multiculturalism

For the final Intertextual Conversation of the semester (cheering and fanfare!), you'll be synthesizing the work of two or three theorists in order to better understand their claims, their antecedents, their positions, and their position-ing within the field, where field can—and should, by now—be taking some formative shape in your mind, given your experiences in and outside of the classroom. This week's "theoretical turn" implies movement from notions of structuralism and post-structuralism toward notions of multiculturalism, but by now you may realize that we are complicating the idea of purely chronological or linear "turns." As before, consider this IC an opportunity to chart and unpack some critical relationships between structure (or language) and culture, including where some of those relationships diverge.

The Task
Select any two theorists from this week's readings and describe how one of them reflects either a response to, a disruption of, a continuation of, or a reframing of the other's arguments. (For sake of depth and breadth, I'll ask you to choose from Hartwell, Hairston, Lu, or Alexander & Rhodes, as the "Counterstatement" pieces won't give you enough material.) Note that I have opened up this task more broadly than in past weeks, but I am still asking you to identify a critical moment reflected in what one of them does (or seems to do) with the other's work. However, note also that this means you will have to carefully consider what makes a viable relationship:

• are you putting them together in a relationship that makes sense chronologically?
• are you putting them together in a relationship that is viable ideologically?
• are you putting them together in a relationship that reveals their nuances and dissonance, as much as (or more than) their similarities?

You might think about articulating this relationship as an intervention that you think has been made or could be made into contemporary understandings of "language," "diversity," or "multiculturalism."

At the risk of sounding redundant, remember that IC's are brief (~3 single-spaced pages) but that in spite of their brevity, I'm looking for depth and breadth in your writing—that you can demonstrate how you are beginning to grasp each theorist's overarching argument while also noting its nuances and intricacies; that you can weave together already nuanced summaries; that you can identify the methodology or organization underlying most of their arguments; that you can forward key terms or concepts important to the conversation you are constructing; and that you can provide and cite salient examples from each text. Please include the full citation for the texts that you choose and use in-text (parenthetical) citations throughout your IC where needed.
 
Submission
Please submit an electronic copy of IC #3 to Canvas by 3:30 p.m. on 10/31/17  11/2/17. I will make time to discuss them so that you can share some of your results with each other during class.

-Dr. Graban