Manual de escritura para carreras de humanidades by Federico Navarro (review)

https://discurso.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/navarro_2014_manual-de-escritura-para-carreras-de-humanidades.pdf

¿Cuáles son las secciones de una monografía? ¿Es distinto leer en historia y en filosofía? ¿Cómo se prepara un examen final oral? ¿En qué se parece una reseña estudiantil a una experta? ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre describir, comparar y justificar? ¿Cómo se discute con las fuentes? ¿Qué enseñan, solicitan y corrigen los docentes? ¿Cómo se planifica la respuesta a un parcial?

The above sampling of questions taken from the back cover of the Manual de escritura para carreras de humanidades addresses only a handful of the important topics in this recent publication. The manual presents a clear and practical approach to teaching and learning a variety of discourses in the humanities. And, remarkably, this innovative text is openly available without cost online.

Federico Navarro is the coordinator of this manual “que materializa cuatro años de trabajo sistemático y de participación de muchas personas especializadas o genuinamente interesadas en las prácticas letradas en la universidad” (7). His work is especially noteworthy considering the number of contributors—sixteen main authors and an even larger team of advisory faculty and editors—and the seamless continuity of its pages. Following preliminary notes from Charles Bazerman and Liliana Cuba de Severino, as well as a useful introduction that outlines some of the book’s unique features, the Manual presents nine chapters separated into three major sections (“Herramientas para la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de la comunicación académica,” “Géneros académicos de formación,” and “Géneros académicos disciplinares”). Each chapter is subdivided into units with a consistent progression of activities for each concept: introducción → lectura → ejercitación → sistematización. Such a process requires that teachers and students actively engage in collaborative learning. Furthermore, students are routinely asked to begin discussions “[a] partir de [sus] proprias experiencias” (239), thus enabling the existing knowledge of each student. The manual clearly seeks to help students “desarroll[ar] sus destrezas” (92) as it extends its focus beyond the what of language discourses to the importance of the why.

The Manual de escritura para carreras de humanidades is a fascinating exposition on communicative discourses, particularly within educational and professional settings. For me, the authors successfully demystified many elements of the teaching-learning process that are often misunderstood by teachers and students alike. There is not space to discuss all of the excellent points made in this book; however, a few stood out to me. First, I appreciated the Manual’s emphasis on responsible scholarship, including the honest prefacing and contextualization of citations. I also found several discussions on writing with purpose to be expertly crafted, acknowledging that “[l]a escritura responde a propósitos determinados por la situación comunicativa en la que tiene lugar” (174). Topics such as the monograph as a genre, the writing and taking of tests (both written and oral), and the educational experience itself as a communicative discourse were also of particular note. Throughout its pages, the manual skillfully uses authentic texts, expert testimonials, effective discussion questions, interactive online resources, and a number of well-designed activities to foster an educational environment that seeks solutions to the following student concern: “Siempre tuve la sensación de que me faltó ese aprendizaje, de que me evaluaban sin haberme enseñado en qué consistía” (196). In doing so, the manual provides a model for teaching the meaning behind required assignments and learning activities.

As the Manual “establece una íntima relación entre lectura y escritura” (171), it also promotes active contact between teachers and students. The book’s approach demands copartnership in the educational process. Moreover, it holds teachers accountable by laying bare instructional devices and encouraging students to consider what superior teaching, testing, and learning should be. Throughout the manual, students are asked to break down prompts...