Mapping UNCC

This assignment was to go to a familiar part of campus and examine the different expressions of literacy around us, both obvious and profound.

After receiving this task, the first building I saw walking out of Friday was Prospector, so as I watched people flock into the Chick-fil-a, I decided it would be a great place to start.

I sat down at the high counters in the middle of the room and began watching all that was going on around me.  Some people simply munched their chicken sandwiches in silence while others met up with friends, or downed a milkshake while studying.  But what does this have to do with literacy??  From the outside, not much, but the longer I sat there, the more of it I noticed.

At the beginning of my search, my eyes were pulled toward the bright posters tacked to the column in front of me, the advertisement for the blood drive on the table, and the great wall that divides the room, bearing a chalkboard that is used to promote every known organization on campus.  There were also two televisions, one shouting opinions of the last presidential debate, the other tuned into sports channel, but muted.  To me, these were the conspicuous forms of literacy.

However, in class we have defined literacy as anything that portrays a specific meaning.  As I thought about this, I noticed famous logos that we would all recognize: the Toms banner on a girl's backpack, the apple on a Mac laptop, the NY symbol on a Yankees baseball cap.  There were watches and clocks, which indicate meaning through the passage of time.  I also saw a couple intriguing tattoos; it would be interesting to know the meaning they hold.  I think what we wear can also communicate meaning.  As I sat there, I watched as the janitors, signified by their dull green uniform, were often times ignored for being just that.  Others came in dressed professionally, while yet others entered in athletic clothing.  Each of these spoke just as much as the attention-grabbing posters on the wall, calling out an aspect of the identity of the person wearing them.  This is proven by the acknowledgement of stereotypes and the importance of first-impressions, and serves as a great example of literacy in our culture, without the use of words.