Browsing by Author "Davis, Ken, 1945-"

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    Correctness and Clarity in Applying for Overseas Jobs: A Cross Cultural Analysis of U.S. and Flemish Applications
    (Publisher of the original article: Walter de Gruyter. [BREAK][LINK]http://www.degruyter.com/[/LINK], 1995) Connor, Ulla, 1948-; Davis, Ken, 1945-; Rycker, Teun de
    This study examined cross-cultural similarities and differences between US and Flemish letters of job application as a promotional business-writing genre. Altogether 74 letters were collected and analyzed for 'correctness' and 'clarity', two linguistic properties that strongly correlate with communicative success in getting invited for a job interview. The results show that a typical US applicant writes more than the Flemish applicant and makes fewer mistakes. Differences were also found in the degree of clarity, i.e., content and length of information. The typical US applicant provided more supporting arguments for the application, discussed benefits for the employer and the applicant, but was not as direct in asking for an interview. The results correspond with previous contrastive rhetoric research showing cultural differences in writing for specific purposes (Bhatia, 1993; Jenkins and Hinds, 1987; Maier, 1992).
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    English for Academic Public Speaking
    (2008-04-16T12:59:54Z) LeBeau, Stephen Allen, Jr.; Upton, Thomas A. (Thomas Albin); Goering, Elizabeth M.; Davis, Ken, 1945-
    With a basic understanding of the connection between EAPS and the goals of public speaking I will focus on issues especially challenging to EAPS students due to cultural and language differences, which include: communication apprehension, understanding your audience’s frame of reference, rhetorical organization, and non-verbal communication.
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    Feminine Guidance: An Augustinian Reading of Joyce's Stephen Dedalus
    (2010-02-01T21:48:26Z) Russ, Jeffrey J.; Eberl, Jason T.; McDonald, Brian C.; Davis, Ken, 1945-
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    Last Word in Art Shades: The Textual State of James Joyce's Ulysses
    (2008-03-06T16:35:24Z) Tully-Needler, Kelly Lynn; Davis, Ken, 1945-; Eller, Jonathan R., 1952-; Touponce, William F.
    James Joyce’s Ulysses is a work of art that engendered scandal in every stage of its production, dissemination, and reception. The work is now hailed as the prose monument of modernism, a twentieth-century masterpiece, and revolutionary in its stylistic technique, its foregrounding of language and psychological drama, and its ambiguity. Ulysses is, in truth, a simple tale, about a lifetime of one day, in a world of one place, in the lives of one people, played out on a stage of pages. The telling of the tale is far from simple—it is among the greatest literary artifacts of our cultural heritage. But the text of Ulysses continues to be entangled in the tension of its status as both a literary artifact, created by an artist, and a cultural artifact, influenced by the aspects of its currency. Among the many questions the novel begs is, who controls the meaning of a work of literary art? This thesis begins to answer that question. Chapter 1 surveys available materials and outlines four waves in the history of textual scholarship of Ulysses. This chapter reads like the prose version of a library catalogue. Sorry, it is a symptom of academese. Chapter 2 outlines the history of censorship and suppression of Ulysses. Chapter 3 gives a historical context to legalizing the work and discusses the implications of the ban upon the development and reliability of the text. Chapter 4 outlines the second scandal of Ulysses, at the close of the twentieth century, now commonly referred to as the Joyce Wars. Chapter 5 discusses the influences upon Gabler’s editorial method and the resultant text. Together, these chapters tell the story of the book's creation and life in print.
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    A Role for Film in Writing Pedagogy
    (2010-02-26T19:50:39Z) Wieland, John A.; Fox, Stephen L.; Di Camilla, Frederick J.; Davis, Ken, 1945-
    This thesis discusses the use of film in the composition classroom. It is divided into four chapters: The Argument, The Audience, Film as a Pedagogical Tool, and The Future. Chapter One (the Argument) discusses the different ideas about using media in the classroom, and how it is good practice to do so. New ideas on teaching from education expert Ken Bain (What the Best College Teachers Do) are presented. Bain suggests that as long as the instructor is confident in his or her subject, any innovative thing they do in class is all right. Malcolm Gladwell’s ideas from The Tipping Point are applied to the classroom: the Law of the Few, Connectors, Mavens, Salesmen, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. Presentations couched within a Gladwell frame can prove to be extraordinarily effective. Chapter Two (the Audience) analyzes the Millennial students, and discusses their views on learning and media. These students see learning as a commodity and view modern media with a bit of contempt. Therefore, to use media in the classroom the instructor must be innovative. Chapter Three (Film as a Pedagogical Tool) examines various different applications of film use in the classroom. It also looks in depth at using David Mamet’s films in the classroom, especially Glengarry Glen Ross, The Edge, and The Verdict, which use classical structure to persuade and argue. Chapter Four (The Future) looks at the work of Howard Gardner and his theory five minds: the Disciplined Mind, the Synthesizing Mind, the Creative Mind, the Respectful Mind, and the Ethical Mind and how we must prepare to teach to them all. In the conclusion I posit that the students of today and the students of tomorrow will require new and innovative techniques to be taught effectively, and that film is versatile and flexible enough to do it.