Journal Entry #9

1. Katrina Powell uses the activity theory to determine the goals within the college for the analysis. Also, she looks to examine identity through self-representation. Combining the activity theory with self-representation and performance, Powell examines how students negotiate tensions they encounter within the activity systems while genres liberate and constrain the student at the same time. 2. To collect the data, Powell looks how personal identity and motivation shapes the writing of students. She looks expressly to the resistance, conflicts, and contradictions in writing to help find this out. 3. Many times, students don't get to choose the genre in which we are writing because professors will require that students write from a certain perspective or on a specific subject. However, students can, and should, add their own style to whatever they are told to write about. With some teachers, students risk losing their sense of self to please, or displease, the professor. So, "self-representation" is just a mixture of pleasing the professor and tips or suggestions from peers and teachers. This is seen especially with those students who either admire or dislike the professor. If a student likes the teacher, he or she may mimic the teacher. If he or she dislikes the professor, he or she may purposely ignore all sorts of tips or not pay attention to any sort of advice given.