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Jacob Bullard
Nancy Roche
Writing 1010-013
24 November 2014
Literacy Practices of Computer Science
Literacy Practices
Literacy practices are cultural, or community ways of utilizing literacy. Communities
employ literacy by means of social events which emphasize broader ethnic goals. Realizing that
these goals exist is the first vital step to help one fully understand that literacy practices of a
culture or community are paving the way for these collective goals. The events directed by
literacy practices relate directly to the culture or community and how the community functions as
a whole. To understand the functionality of communities, which is synonymous to how a
community implements its literacy practices, will help strengthen the overall functionality of the
global community.
Claim
Success and functionality of communities is vital for human survival. Without
understanding exactly how communities function, we set ourselves up for failure. As noted
above, a huge part of how communities function is based upon the literacy practices within the
community. The community of Computer Science implements literacy practices which include
social events, community collaboration, and general concern for the community. These literacy
practices of Computer Science display its value of a more unified world community. Anyone that
is concerned about the general community in the world should care about the literacy practices of

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Computer Science. The community of Computer Science and its literacy practices can be best
understood by the examination of their literacy artifacts.
Literacy Artifacts
The best way to understand the literacy practices of a community is to analyze the
literacy artifacts in which the community holds. In the community of Computer Science, the
artifacts most produced, used, and valued, are mostly in digital form. Because the nature of
Computer Science is digital, the literacy takes this form as well. That is not to say that the
community does not value any non-digital literacy. Whether the literacy is digital or not will
ultimately depend on the sub-community within Computer Science. Computer Science is
constructed of many smaller communities which value different kinds of literacies. Although
these literacies may vary in nature, the overall practices of these literacies in the community
trend towards achieving the same goals.
Analyzing the Artifacts
For the beginning phase of my research I decided to utilize three different artifacts. These
artifacts included: a description of the undergraduate program at the University Of Utah School
Of Computing, a School of Computing Faculty spread, and a publication by the School of
Computing called, The Utah Teapot. A heuristic was made to interrogate the artifacts. This
heuristic includes the following questions which will be numbered for reference:
1. What is the event this text mediates?
2. What are the social practices?
3. What social institution provided this text?
4. How is this text/social institution dominant, visible, and/or influential?
5. What is the purpose and/or broader goal of the text?
6. How is this text historically situated?
7. Which domain is this text best situated for?
8. Why is this text being written?
9. How is this text being written?
10. Can this text be written differently?

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Artifact # 1: Undergraduate Program @ the School of Computing
1. This text mediates the event of enrolling into the Computer Science program.
2. The social practices this text mediates is obtaining a college degree through going to
classes, working with peers in study groups, and potentially researching in groups.
3. The University of Utah provided this text.
4. The University displays visibility through a section titled, Education at the U.
Dominance is portrayed throughout a section titled, Admissions.
5. The purpose/broader goal of this text is to help a person obtain a career in the field of
Computer Science. This includes maintaining the status quo which involves obtaining an
education and a thriving economy through the monetary influences of a college student.
6. The use of the symbol @ in the main title of the text historically places this text into a
computer science revolution era. There is an image of an Atari controller on the text
which shows how computer science has evolved through history.
7. The domain of college is what this text is situated for.
8. This text is being written for a couple of reasons. One reason is for the University of Utah
to gain a higher reputation through student successes in the program. Another reason
would be to create/fill jobs in society which will help our economy thrive.
9. This text is being written in an appealing, captivating sort of way. It is meant to intrigue
an interested reader even further and even persuade.
10. This text could definitely be written differently. If another school that was competing
with the University of Utah in computing were to write about the Us program it might
not look so sweet. There is a bias from the University of Utah.
Artifact # 2: School of Computing faculty spread
1. This text mediates an event which is hard to point out. Perhaps a student seeking interest
in a particular field is meant to see the text and schedule a meeting with one of the
faculty.
2. Some social practices of this text might include teachers teaching and/or researchers
researching.
3. The University of Utah provided this text
4. The entirety of this text portrays dominance, influence, and is clearly visible. The names
and emphasis of the faculty portray their statuses.
5. The broader goal of this text is to show the faces of the program and portray the
specializations of the many fields of the program. Doing this separates the University of
Utah from other social educational institutions and shows how they are distinguished.
6. There are clearly many elderly faces which show that this program has
dedicated/experienced/long-term faculty. There is one faculty name which includes,
(Starting Fall 2014) next to their name. I believe this shows that the program is growing
with the allowance of new faculty. More importantly, this shows that the program is not
only set on old ways but encourages and accepts new faces.
7. The domain best fit for this text is social education institutions.
8. This text is being written to show the distinguishing aspects of the University of Utahs
School of Computing program. This text is also being written for those seeking
information regarding the program.

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9. The text has been written in a two-tone color system. Follows a binary aspect of one and
zero possibly. There also appears to be some binary symbol notation in the foreground of
the pamphlet. Simplistic. Some faculty have nicknames written next to their legal names
which shows that possess a friendly attitude.
10. This text could be written in a less dignified way if desired. More tones and complexity
could have been uses. Pictures of the faculty could have been excluded.
Artifact # 3: School of Computing publication, the Utah Teapot
1. This text mediates many events. The events are past and future. One event is the general
commencement for the University of Utah. Another event is a series of lectures which are
to be given by an acclaimed researcher from the program.
2. The social practices include the commencement, lecture groups, and past group work
done through the program.
3. The University of Utah provided this text.
4. This text is influential and dominant in the sense of the accomplishments and prestige
displayed throughout the publication.
5. The broader goal of this text is to show how the School of Computing is involved in the
community and the astonishing works done by members of the program. Build
reputation.
6. There is a section in the publication that is titled, School of Computing Participate in the
Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing which signifies the concern the
School of Computing has towards womens rights/roles. This issue has changed
drastically throughout history.
7. The domain this publication is best fit for would probably be the community. It seems to
be geared towards reaching out and expressing reputation of achievements.
8. This text is being written to show the excellence of good deeds of the School of
Computing.
9. This text is written in a very clean and concise manner. There is the use of graphs and
pictures throughout the publication.
10. This text could easily be written through a different lens.
Artifact # 4: email from Zvonimir (Computer Science professor)
1. The email mediates and event to encourage community and connection for women in the
engineering field.
2. The social practices include casual discussions of social equality
3. The University of Utahs Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is the sponsor
who provided the text.
4. This artifact is influential in the sense that womens rights are emphasized as the key
point. There is visibility of the event shown through the location of the event being in the
Union lobby. This location displays openly this communitys involvement with womens
rights.
5. The broader goal of the email is to display the ACMs interest in womens opportunities
in the field of engineering and computer science.

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6. The text is historically situated in the sense that womens rights is a topic that has been
evolving and changing as the times have progressed.
7. The domain this text seems to be situated towards specifically is womens rights in the
community.
8. This text seems to be written to increase the reputation of the ACM through there display
of this event.
9. This text is being written in a light and fun way. Refreshments are mentioned. The email
talks about how nail painting will take place which shows a feminist value of the group.
10. This email could be written in a less feminist sense for sure. This text is clearly written to
give the ACM a good rep regarding womens equality and rights in the field of
engineering.
Artifact # 5: Interview with Zvonimir (Computer Science professor)
1. The event mediated by the interview was in fact the interview itself. Along with a
representation of the School of Computing.
2. Social practices included with the interview include teacher student relationships.
Another practice includes Zvonimir acting as a representative for the University of Utahs
School of Computing.
3. The University of Utah provided Zvonimir for me to interview
4. The interview possesses a sense of influence from Zvonimir because of his position as a
professor in the School of Computing. His position also displays a sense of dominance
and visibility what the School of Computing represents.
5. The purpose and broader goal of the interview on my end was to get information. I feel
that the purpose on Zvonimirs end was to speak for the School of Computing while
maintaining a professional atmosphere.
6. The interview was historically situated in the sense that the scheduling of the interview
took place via email. Also, I was able to keep the interview time under fifteen minutes
due to the fact that I was able to record the audio of the conversation and the need for
note taking was unnecessary.
7. The domain this interview is situated for would be the School of Computing
representatives.
8. This interview occurred because of both my willingness to learn about literacy practices
as well as Zvonimirs willingness. Im not sure what the motivation on Zvonimirs end
would have been.
9. This interview was conducted in his office during his office hours. The audio was
recorded via iPhone.
10. The interview could have definitely been conducted in a different manner. Zvonimir
could have displayed an unprofessional composure and been a horrible representative for
the School of Computing, but he was the complete opposite.
Artifact # 6: Analysis of JSTOR computer science journals

This portion of analysis is based upon the interrogation of three Computer Science based
journals located in the JSTOR database.

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The first thing noticed about the journals observed was the formatting. Upon further
research, it appears as if all three journals followed the IEEE (Institute of Electronics Engineers)
format which is not like Ive ever seen. Each of the journals contained an abstract and a set of
keywords following the titles of the journals. The formatting appears articulate and clean. The
use of bullet points and numbers are common as well in these journals. There is clear distinction
between the different topics covered in the journals. I like this format very much.
Artifact # 7: Observation
For my observation, I chose a location where many Computer Science students gather. The
location was the Starley Commons in the Warnock Engineering building. This location plays an important
part socially for Computer Science students. There happens to be a small caf adjacent to the commons
where groups of students or students by themselves purchase food to eat. Not only are students eating
in the commons but a majority of them are doing homework or something similar to homework. I
noticed two different groups of students discussing the results of an exam they just took. Some of the
language that was common was the use of numbers, mathematical operators, and mathematical
functions such as: Ln (), plus, and control. One gentleman was wearing headphones with his hand
pressed against his head concentrating heavily on something on his laptop. Many of the student in the
commons had laptops. The commons had approximately nine glass display cases which portrayed some
of the accomplishments the School of Computing and Engineering was involved with. These displays
included one labeled Art Challenges Technology and Technology Inspires Art. This display included a
video monitor which showed the technology involved with the animation of multiple Disneys Pixar
films. The overall atmosphere of the commons was a professional and friendly one. There were different
groups of students that were familiar with other groups at nearby tables. I noticed one kid talking about
a video game in which he referred to as League. Because of my role in this discourse, I was able to
catch this. Many students have walked through the commons, appearing to be looking for a seat and
when they cant find one, they exit the commons. The commons is full and people continually walk
through. The groups which were here when I first arrived are still present. The groups appear to be
staying for a while. A group of students purchased food and were seeking a place to sit, when they
discovered there were no seats the group split up and one half of the group nodded to the other half
appearing to have found somewhere to sit outside but the other half of the group ignored and
continued walking down another corridor. Will they meet up, or does the group have a relationship
where they can eat separately? There is a walkway overhead of the commons. A gentleman appears to
be on the phone, listening through headphones. He hasnt stopped smiling for a while. He is peering
down into the commons seemingly ecstatic. The vibe in the commons is definitely a positive one. The
ratio of groups to individual alone is approximately 7:4. There are more groups of students than
students appearing by themselves in the commons. Some groups which started here are growing in size
as new students join. There is a glaring sunbeam shining through the commons. Two separate groups of
people have risen from their seats and moved tables and chairs to avoid the glare. I have noticed two
languages so far being spoken, English, and some form of Asian language. I have heard two separate
instances of different groups speaking some form of Asian. The ratio of men to women that are settled
in the commons is 23:2. At the center of every table is a textual display representing some sort of event.
The displays of text seem to be different at each table. Two tables possess similar text displays. A few
groups have left as I am about to. The tables that the groups that left were sitting at became occupied
within less than 10 seconds. Lets see how long it takes my table with one chair to become occupied as I
leave.

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Summary of Data
After further in-depth analysis into the artifacts, specific literacy practices of Computer
Science were able to be discovered. These practices all seem to have goals geared towards the
collective community. By observing the inventory of literacy practices below, it is clear that each
literacy practice listed has an effect on the collective community which is positive. For example,
ACMs announcement of an event based around supporting women in engineering is a literacy
practice which will help boost awareness and support for women not only in engineering, but
women in the collective community as well. Another example would be the literacy practice of
data analysis which requires collaboration of the Computer Science community as well as
another community seeking data analysis such as Biology, Chemistry, or Mechanical
Engineering. This value in collaboration, and concern for women and their rights, shows the
importance of Computer Science and its literacy practices. These practices are mediated by
literacy; whether the literacy is in digital form, print form, or even vocal form, such as the
instance of the interview conducted in this research, the overall goals of the literacy practices
remain remarkably similar in nature.

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Inventory

Literacy Practice

Artifact

Location (place where it takes place)

Enrollment (for computer science

Undergraduate Flyer description of

Online

program)

the University of Utahs Computer

Science Program

Teaching or Researching

School of Computing Faculty

Campus

pamphlet
Consensus calculation was thought to

Interview with Zvonomir ()

Government locations

Electronic-mail

Union

Interview with Zvonomir ()

Varies

Inform community about many local

School of Computing publication, the

Online

events

Utah Teapot

Community Research

JSTOR Journals

Online

Study Groups

Observation

Starley Commons

be the objective of the earliest

computer
Announcement for ACM group
supporting women in engineering
Data Analysis (using computers in
Biology, Chemistry, Mechanical
Engineering)

Conclusion
Anyone that considers themselves part of society may find themselves effected positively
by the literacy practices the Computer Science field engages in. The effect felt may come from
the value of womens equality and rights if you are a woman, or the general concern that
Computer Science has regarding community collaboration. Although ones interest may not be
pointed towards Computer Science, an appreciation for the literacy practices of Computer
Science must be had. If no appreciation is made for them, Computer Science may not feel like
they are making a difference and their literacy practices may diminish. Without the efforts of
Computer Science and their literacy practices, the world community would have one less fighter

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for the common welfare of the collective community at large. The collective community could
eventually crumble under itself if a lack of appreciation caused every community to stop caring.
Unless living in a crumbled community is desired, appreciation for Computer Science and their
literacy practices must be shown.