Student number 50012345 WRIT1001 Critical Reflection SAMPLE My writing is influenced by my social, cultural and educational background. In the week 2 ‘My Journey’ statement I shared my background – I was born in Indonesia to an Irish father and Malaysian mother (McAllister, 2021a). This crosscultural background, along with my education in Malaysia, shapes the way I communicate. Everyone writes in a unique voice that reflects personal values and experiences (Lavelle, 1997, p. 476). My critical reflection leads me to agree more with Ulla Connor’s findings, that communication can be shaped unconsciously by overlapping cultural influences (2011, p. 26), more than Holcomb and Killingsworth’s argument that style is conscious performance of identity (2010, p. 3). My upbringing in Malaysia, which is a diverse society with multicultural classrooms (Lee, 1996, p. 74), helps me communicate with good intentions but did not prepare me for asymmetries of power in Australian classrooms. My week 12 post to the WRIT1001 Discussion Board aimed to help my peers understand Ten Canoes (2006). I started with “To bring this discussion into context” before explaining the film’s production background and plot (McAllister, 2021c). I learnt this style of writing at school – outline context before stating an opinion. This indirect strategy avoids confusion and builds empathy between communicators and is very useful online, where you do not always know your audience. I noticed other students were direct in stating claims. Amy Beach’s post began with ‘Ten Canoes is a powerful film that shows the importance of respectful communication‘ (2021). While I agree with Amy’s point, I was shocked by the outright claim to begin a conversation. Perhaps less emphasis on contextual narratio is a feature of Australian academic conversation. Student number 50012345 In week 11, I replied to a student, suggesting Milk’s rhetorical strategy of re-appropriating derogatory language has been used by feminist activists such as the organisers of ‘SlutWalk’. I wrote ‘These movements are informed by the same rhetorical moves’ (McAllister, 2021b). I was excited because my friends replied enthusiastically, one mentioning that this movement is not known in China. But our conversation ended when Barry Hoven wrote ‘Good points – censorship always destroys free speech in Asian countries’ (2021). Barry, who grew up in Sydney, was trying to be supportive, but his comment confirmed a stereotype that government control in Asian countries is absolute. Because he did not mention how students like me and my friends can influence our own cultures (even large cultures, in Connors terms, 2011, 32), we were not seen as having power. An unintended consequence was we stopped posting. In reflection, I would have liked to say more but I was silenced by the ‘language of the discipline’ (O’Brien, 59) – a way of speaking that excludes non-Western students. Even though I have described miscommunication, I don’t think the discussions were unethical. Ethical communication is a rhetorical act that is often indirect and occurs in situations of asymmetrical power relations (Barton, 2008, p. 599). This means that ethical communication can include miscommunications due to cultural misunderstanding. My classmates were sharing ideas and even supporting their Malaysian and Chinese peers. But ethical communication can improve with better crosscultural understanding, particularly by recognising the agency of international students in the classroom and their home countries. Student number 50012345 References Beach, A. (2021, 29 Oct). ‘R12A Discussion Board: Ethical Rhetoric in Milk’. WRIT1001 Canvas. University of Sydney. Connor, U. (2011). Intercultural Rhetoric in the Writing Classroom. Ann Arbor: U Michigan P. Holcomb, C., and M. Killingsworth. (2010). Performing Prose: The Study and Practice of Style in Composition. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP. Hoven, B. (2021, 21 Oct). ‘R12A Discussion Board: Ethical Rhetoric in Milk’. WRIT1001 Canvas. University of Sydney. Lavelle, E. (1997). Writing Style and the Narrative Essay. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 67(4), 475-482. Lee, M. (1996). Unity in Diversity: Teacher Education in Multicultural Malaysia. London: Routledge. McAllister, J. (2021a, 12 Aug). ‘R12A Discussion Board: My Journey to WRIT1001’. WRIT1001 Canvas. University of Sydney. McAllister, J. (2021b, 21 Oct). ‘R12A Discussion Board: Ethical Rhetoric in Milk’. WRIT1001 Canvas. University of Sydney. McAllister, J. (2021c, 28 Oct). ‘R12A Discussion Board: Intercultural Rhetoric in Ten Canoes’. WRIT1001 Canvas. University of Sydney. O’Brien, K. (2008). ‘Academic Language, Power and the Impact of Western Knowledge Production on Indigenous Student Learning’. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education. 37 (1), 56-60. Ten Canoes. (2006). dir. de Heer, R., act. Gulpilil, J. and P. Minygululu. Vertigo Productions. Student number 50012345 APPENDIX 1: My post and response to the Week 11 Discussion Board [… screenshots…] APPENDIX 2: My post and response to the Week 12 Discussion Board [… screenshots…]
