A Tour of DU

Primary Orality:

DU is a great school in the best city. Let me show you around campus so you can get a feel for the school.

**Walking and touring campus while talking

Personally, I think the school is the perfect size. It’s not too small but it’s also not too big. You’re always seeing both new and familiar faces. Academically, it’s really nice because you get the opportunity to form relationships with your professors. This is huge because it gives you such a different experience when it comes to classes. The campus is also not too big so it doesn’t take more than 10 minutes to get to the farthest building.

**Arrives outside Sturm Hall

This is where almost all of the arts and humanities classes will be. There are a couple different floors and the numbers of the rooms are ridiculously confusing so I would definitely get here early on the first day if you have a class here. Guaranteed you’re going to need extra time to find the room.

**Walks to library section of campus

This is the library on the left and the Daniels College of Business straight ahead. If you’re thinking about going into business, then you will be spending a lot of time over there. There’s also a bagel shop in there.

**Finishes tour

Overall, DU would be a great fit for you if you like small classes, great academics, phenomenal sports teams, the mountains, and a very healthy and laid back Colorado-type lifestyle. There’s so much to do around here from skiing to hiking and the weather is truly hard to beat.

Secondary Orality:

DU is a great school in the best city. Let me show you around campus and give you more information so you can get a feel for the school. Here’s a little pamphlet and school map in case you want to read more information on the school.  

**Walking and touring campus while talking

Personally, I think the school is the perfect size. It’s not too small but it’s also not too big. You’re always seeing both new and familiar faces. Academically, it’s really nice because you get the opportunity to form relationships with your professors. This is huge because it gives you such a different experience when it comes to classes. The campus is also not too big so it doesn’t take more than 10 minutes to get to the farthest building.

**Arrives outside Sturm Hall

This is where almost all of the arts and humanities classes will be. There are a couple different floors and the numbers of the rooms are ridiculously confusing so I would definitely get here early on the first day if you have a class here. Guaranteed you’re going to need extra time to find the room. In my experience, I’ve always had a lot of textbook readings in all my classes in Sturm so prepare for that.

**Walks to library section of campus

This is the library on the left and the Daniels College of Business straight ahead. The library is a great place to do your homework. It’s my favorite place to read because it’s always quiet and I don’t get distracted. They also have lots of books that you can check out as well as a writing center. If you’re thinking about going into business, then you will be spending a lot of time straight ahead in DCB. There’s also a bagel shop in there which does not take your meal plan so bring $.

**Finishes tour

Overall, DU would be a great fit for you if you like small classes, great academics, phenomenal sports teams, the mountains, and a very healthy and laid back Colorado-type lifestyle. There’s so much to do around here from skiing to hiking and the weather is truly hard to beat.

Reflection:

It would definitely be easier for someone who has been exposed to academics - including reading and writing - to be familiar with the idea of college. However, when writing my tour, I did not seem to change what I would have said that drastically. Giving a general tour of the school does not require too much literate culture. It's fairly easy to show someone around and explain what the school itself is like. According to Ong, primary orality is a culture in which there is no literacy. This means no reading, writing, texting, etc. Every form of communication and every method of gaining knowledge is all done orally. On the other hand, secondary orality is a culture which has been exposed to literacy and does indeed know about reading and writing. In my tour, I did not go into detail about what you learn in college or how you learn it. If I had done so, it would've been much more complicated for the individual with primary orality versus the individual with secondary orality. In secondary orality, it's assumed that the individual knows he or she will be required to read many books throughout their education. However, someone who has never been exposed to written culture would probably assume that they would be taught everything orally. The thought of using any other tool or device would not even strike them. It's crazy that the concept of literacy is foreign to some. I have grown up with literacy my entire life so I cannot imagine my world without it. Reading and writing is happening constantly throughout my days. Going even further beyond reading and writing, there is technology. Ong argues that these devices, such as computers, are unnatural. But, many of us rely on these devices every single day as a critical component of our oral culture. Nowadays, we can't even come to college without a computer (an idea that would be completely foreign and absurd to the individual with primary orality). I'm not sure how I would try to explain this to them ...