A Pedagogy Of Punctum:
Voice and the Third Meaning in FYC
Roland Barthes's Philosophical Promenade:
In Camera Lucida, Barthes investigates the evanescent and intuitive nature of Photography. He embarks upon a sort-of spiritual and intellectual journey "to learn at all costs what Photography was 'in itself,' by what essential feature it was to be distinguished from the community of images." He offers two important terms for us in this consideration:
S T U D I U M: The literal subject of the photograph-- "the figures, the faces, the gestures, the settings, the actions." Studium, alone, does not move us.
P U N C T U M: The "element which rises from the scene, shoots out of it like an arrow, and pierces" the viewer. Punctum interrupts the studium through detail which creates a unique and intimate relationship between the Photograph and the viewer.
Barthes also speaks about what he calls the third meaning:
T H I R D M E A N I N G: Beyond informational or symbolic meaning; it "cannot be conflated with the simple existence of the scene, it exceeds the copy of the referential motif."
The third meaning and punctum are widely acknowledged as interchangeable terms. Punctum, or the third meaning, is based in the emotional-- the intimate moments between a person and some counterpart (whether it be art, another person, an experience, a sound, et cetera) that creates a unique relationship and felt knowledge.
In Camera Lucida, Barthes investigates the evanescent and intuitive nature of Photography. He embarks upon a sort-of spiritual and intellectual journey "to learn at all costs what Photography was 'in itself,' by what essential feature it was to be distinguished from the community of images." He offers two important terms for us in this consideration:
S T U D I U M: The literal subject of the photograph-- "the figures, the faces, the gestures, the settings, the actions." Studium, alone, does not move us.
P U N C T U M: The "element which rises from the scene, shoots out of it like an arrow, and pierces" the viewer. Punctum interrupts the studium through detail which creates a unique and intimate relationship between the Photograph and the viewer.
Barthes also speaks about what he calls the third meaning:
T H I R D M E A N I N G: Beyond informational or symbolic meaning; it "cannot be conflated with the simple existence of the scene, it exceeds the copy of the referential motif."
The third meaning and punctum are widely acknowledged as interchangeable terms. Punctum, or the third meaning, is based in the emotional-- the intimate moments between a person and some counterpart (whether it be art, another person, an experience, a sound, et cetera) that creates a unique relationship and felt knowledge.
"The concept of punctum is important for reenvisioning the question of definition for the electrate apparatus, since it provides access to knowledge residing within the body."
- Sarah J. Arroyo
P U N C T U M & P E R S O N A L W R I T I N G
Within literacy, the genre of personal writing within the FYC classroom has been debated. Some, like David Bartholomae, argued that personal writing-- and the metaphor of voice-- deterred students from meeting the goals of the academy, which is academic writing (writing that refers to cited knowledge preceding them). For Bartholomae, voice is irrelevant and even harmful to the goal of academic writing.
Others, like Peter Elbow and Bronwyn T. Williams, argue for the values that voice and personal writing bring to the classroom: "the value of individual experience in intellectual work, the purposes of writing beyond the classroom, and the ways in which experience and writing combine to help writers compose their identity in print."
Just as punctum invokes strong intuition and felt knowledge, personal writing is another way to perform felt knowledge in the electrate FYC classroom.
Personal writing can be both academic and intuitive in electracy-- drawing from both punctum and citation. Punctum supplements academic knowledge, bringing the student to a greater and more vivid awareness of the subject.
Within literacy, the genre of personal writing within the FYC classroom has been debated. Some, like David Bartholomae, argued that personal writing-- and the metaphor of voice-- deterred students from meeting the goals of the academy, which is academic writing (writing that refers to cited knowledge preceding them). For Bartholomae, voice is irrelevant and even harmful to the goal of academic writing.
Others, like Peter Elbow and Bronwyn T. Williams, argue for the values that voice and personal writing bring to the classroom: "the value of individual experience in intellectual work, the purposes of writing beyond the classroom, and the ways in which experience and writing combine to help writers compose their identity in print."
Just as punctum invokes strong intuition and felt knowledge, personal writing is another way to perform felt knowledge in the electrate FYC classroom.
Personal writing can be both academic and intuitive in electracy-- drawing from both punctum and citation. Punctum supplements academic knowledge, bringing the student to a greater and more vivid awareness of the subject.