Reflections

We had our last class for the module today and I find myself wondering how time has passed me by. It seems to me that it was just yesterday that I was seated outside the classroom on the first day of class, waiting for the lecturer to arrive.

After taking this course, I find that I now have a better understanding of the intricacies of communication. Communication is a crucial part of our lives, be it spoken, written or typed, serving many functions including providing knowledge, expressing feelings, socializing, etc. I found it really interesting when we learned about the norms and rules of communication which we use subconsciously, conditioned by our interactions in society.

I really enjoyed reading the lecture on Face and Politeness since I have been using all the maxims and politeness strategies all along, and learning the theories allowed me to understand the human psyche better, particularly my own. It would have been interesting to discuss the topics in class, but it was just too bad that the lecture fell during e-learning week. Another interesting lecture I felt I had missed out on was the lecture on Gender Interactions. The section on how the English language is sexist particular interests me because I have thought it was all along and to have a detailed analysis of the ways it is just enthralls me.

I also enjoyed the other lectures on cultural differences. Living in a globalised world today, I think it is essential that we learn more about how different people from different cultures communicate. This can help to prevent misunderstandings from taking place and faciliate greater tolerance and understanding.

I thought that the use of tutorials in class to practise the concepts taught in class is a good idea. And while I had intially thought that the weekly online entries are a hassle, I find that I have learnt much more because of it. Writing weekly entries meant I had to take the effort to read through the notes, revise the topics taught, before reflecting upon the topics taught. I have also enjoyed reading the thoughts and opinions of my classmates since many have them laboured to share new insights into the topic or post relevant links/pictures/videos.

Finally I have to say working on my individual research paper has been interesting as well, even though it is a laborious process. Reading the different reseach articles have allowed me to learn more about gender differences in speech acts as well as other variables that affect the apology exchanges. When noting down my data for research, it occured to me that I probably would not have realised how the same speech act can vary so greatly depending on the context. Since my research was based on Singaporean apologies, I was really excited when I was able to make my own conclusions based on my own research finding and apply it to the theoretical concepts. This meant that I was able to add value to the research topic rather than just solely proving/disproving the theories.

Hopefully my final report on the topic would be a piece of work I can be really proud of, despite the fact that my conclusions are greatly limited due to my sample size.

The presentations given by my classmates during the last 2 lessons have also allowed me to gain greater insight on the different variables that could affect communication in many ways.

It has been a wonderful semester. I thank you Dr Deng and my fellow classmates for sharing this learning journey with me. :)

Business & Professional Interactions

When the time comes for me to graduate, I have no doubt I would be drafting many letters of application to various companies in order to try to secure a job. After studying Week 10's notes, I have learnt more about the structural moves of the application letter, and I believe the knowledge would be useful to me when I write my letters of application in time to come.

I attempted the tutorial on my own and below is how I answered Activity 2, which required me to identify the moves in the letter of application given.


Dear Sir, [Opening]

I wish to make application for a lectureship in the Department of English at this University. [Offering Candidature]

I have a Ph.D. in English from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, where I studied under such distinguished scholars as Professors K.R. Sisson and P. Hogg. I also have an M.A. in English from Napoli University. [Promoting the Candidate]

I have taught English at a number of American and Canadian educational institutions, including Purdue and Oklahoma universities. I have also taught at Lohis College in Tehran, Iran, where I had experience teaching English as a second language. Currently I am on the staff of Riyadh University in Saudi Arabia. [Promoting the Candidate]

I have written about ten research articles in the last seven years, all of which have been published in scholarly journals. I have also written two books, one on Shakespeare and the other on the teaching of writing, which are being published by Guelph University and will be out in a few months. [Promoting the Candidate]

My speciality is Shakespeare and Renaissance drama in general, but I am also qualified to teach a wide variety of other courses, including the Novel, Poetry, Composition, writing and teaching of writing and ESL. [Promoting the Candidate]

I hope this letter of ‘application’ will clarify some of the information on the enclosed C.V., which outlines my qualifications, experience and research interests. [Enclosing documents]

I am required to give notice to Riyadh in early April and therefore look forward to hearing form you soon. Since I do not have a telephone, I will be happy to call you should a telephone discussion become appropriate. [Polite Ending]

Sincerely yours

XYZ [Signing off]

The 5 moves used by the letter writer in the tutorial are the main structural moves of writing such letters as Henry & Roseberry(2001) have found them to be present in all of 40 letters they collected. Therefore when writing such letters in the future, I would make sure I at least cover these 5 moves as well.