Category: Project 1

Project 1: Discourse Community Analytical  Essay

Draft Due: March 2nd ||  Final Project Due: March 9th

The Assignment

In this first assignment of the semester, you will write an analytical essay that analyzes a discourse community that you are a member of. First you will analyze how the community is an example of a discourse community looking closely at the 6 criteria explained by Dan Melzer. Then, you will carefully look at an artifact from the community and explain how and why the artifact is meaningful to the community. The analysis will be approximately 1000 words. 

Task One: Choose a Discourse Community! 

Investigate a Discourse Community. Choose a Discourse Community that you are a member of. When choosing a Discourse Community, consider that you will have to conduct research on it, so there must be a certain amount of information available on the Discourse Community for you to access, research, and observe. 

Due Feb. 16: Choose your Discourse Community (Prof. Coleman must Approve)  

Task Two: Prove It! 

What makes the community you chose a DISCOURSE community? According to Dan Melzer, Discourse Communities share: 

1. A Broadly agreed upon set of common public goals
2. Mechanism of intercommunication among its members
3. Use of these communication mechanisms to provide information and feedback
4. One or more genres that help further the goals of the discourse community 
5. A specific lexis (specialized language)
6. A threshold level of expert members 

Describe for an outsider the rules of the Discourse Community, how you gain entry (if you can!), the group’s values and beliefs. Is there a unique “identity kit”? Do they have a unique way of communicating? 

Due Feb. 23: Write a one-page introduction to your discourse community. It should be about 250 words. 

Task Three: Find and Analyze an Artifact! 

Find one artifact from your Discourse Community. The artifact might provide information about their mode (way) of communication, their values, their beliefs, their “identity kit” etc. It is preferable if the artifact is a primary source. The artifact should provide information about the Discourse Community or be meaningful to the community. 

Examples of artifacts: an interview with a member of the community, a song, a speech, an example of the Discourse Community’s publications (brochure, newsletter), letters, a poem, a book, biography/ autobiography, a tattoo, memes) 

Fill out the Discourse Community Artifact Analysis worksheet about your artifact. The worksheet will help you look at the artifact from a number of angles that will help you prepare for your final task of the project. 

Due Feb. 28: Discourse Community Artifact Analysis Worksheet

Task Four: Write about it! 

Now it is time to write about your Discourse Community! You are going to write an essay that analyzes your Discourse Community for an outsider. 

Determine your audience and the purpose. Think about how to write your essay in a way that will match your intended audience and purpose. Write your essay, using the research you have compiled from Tasks 2 and 3.

The essay must be at least 1000 words 

Task Five: Revise and Edit!

This task is often forgotten and glossed over. It is actually one of the most important parts of the writing process. We are going to separate the revision and editing process and really focus on what it means to make meaningful changes to our writing. We will also discuss the process of peer revision to allow our classmates to help us become stronger and more effective writers. 

Draft Due: March 2nd Final Project Due: March 9th

Format

Each component of the essay must be typed. Your essay must be double- spaced and have one-inch margins.  Please add the word count at the top of the project. Please spell-check and grammar-check the project. You may choose to use the template provided to submit the final version. 

Grading Criteria

1. 1. Required Elements. Have you completed each of the 5 tasks? Does your Discourse Community essay contain all of the required elements?  
   2. Genre awareness. Do you know the “rules” of the genre (essay!) you’re working in? Do you include the common elements of the genre? Does the style generally reflect the genre?
   3. Audience awareness. Who is the audience? Does the genre match the audience? 
   4. Research. Did you dig deep in your research and find a relevant artifact? Did you learn key information about your Discourse Community? Did you present the information clearly and in a well-organized manner?
   5. Presentation and Formatting. Is your essay at least 1000 words? Have you revised and edited for clarity, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Is each element properly formatted? If relevant, is your bibliography properly cited? Do you cite all your sources?  Title your project! Come up with a title of the project that engages the audience and draws in readers. Edit, revise, and take the time to present your project with the love, care, and respect it deserves! 
   6. Effectiveness of Message. This one is simple to explain, but not always simple to do. Does your point get across to your intended audience? For example, did you use appropriate rhetorical appeals?