Performing Tribal Rituals: A Genre Analysis of “Crits” in Design Studios

Grounded in a communication in the disciplines (CID) theoretical framework, this study was the first phase of a multiphased project exploring oral genres in the academic discipline of design. The purpose of this study was to provide a baseline understanding of how faculty perceive and assign meaning to the oral genres that students performed in their studios. Through qualitative observation and ethnographic interviewing over a year-long period, I explored the types of oral genres in design education, their distinguishing features, skills faculty ascribe to success for these genres, and the role of oral genres in the social communities and practices of design studios. Results illustrate four distinct oral genres in this context—specifically defined by the prominence of visual and spatial elements and audience feedback—within which specific skills mark success. Results also suggest oral genres function as ritualistic performances—a metaphor that illustrates the social, situated, and rhetorical role of oral genres in this context. Ultimately, this study provides an empirically grounded foundation for communication across the curriculum practitioners and makes important theoretical contributions by suggesting a complex connection between orality and the academic discipline of design. Keywords: Communication in the DisciplinesOral Genres in Design EducationTeaching and Learning CritiquesCommunication Across the Curriculum This paper was originally presented at the National Communication Association Conference, New Orleans, LA, November 2002. This paper was originally presented at the National Communication Association Conference, New Orleans, LA, November 2002. Acknowledgments The author wishes to extend special acknowledgements to the administration of the College of Design at North Carolina State University and the faculty who were interviewed for this study. Their interest, support, and willingness to discuss communication issues have made my work not only empirically rich but also enjoyable. Notes This paper was originally presented at the National Communication Association Conference, New Orleans, LA, November 2002. Additional informationNotes on contributorsDeanna P. Dannels Deanna P. Dannels (PhD, University of Utah, 1999) is Associate Professor of Communication and Assistant Director of the Campus Writing and Speaking Program at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC