Summary of Inventing the University

This is a summary of Dr.David Bartholomae’s “Inventing the University”

Tyla Iacobucci 

English 1001 

Mr. Maxey 

25 January 2020 

       Inventing the University 

In the article “Inventing the University” by David Bartholomae, starts off by stating how students change the way they write depending on their audience. When students sit down to write for the University, they must speak their “language,” create something that fits the discourse of their community. Meaning as students write they may not know the subject, but they must invent it for the time being. Use your imagination to create something on the valid topic. To spend years at the University you must learn a variety of different voices and languages to meet the requirements of the writing. Students must adapt to the topic of any essay and write about it to the best of their ability. Bartholomae then provides examples of students doing so, to see the different errors that can be made.   

Every student writes in their own way, whether it be a beginner writer or an expert writer, mistakes are easy to be made. In the article, Bartholomae analyzes two essays, one by a beginner and one by an expert. The biggest mistake that Bartholomae mentions is how in one of the articles the author got lost in their own words explaining things but not exactly staying on topic, jumping all over the place, possibly losing the audience. This can very easily happen, especially when you’re unsure with what you’re writing. Being well educated on your topic is important to creating all writing. Remember to re-read your own writing to make sure it makes sense and you’re staying on track.