Wednesday, September 1

Part 1:

Before class, do the following READING:

  • Read my Announcement post! Please! 🙂
  • John Swales, “Reflections on the Concept of Discourse Community”
  • While you’re reading Swales’ work, find two quotes you find compelling. Write down each quotation and then explain what you found interesting (or even confusing). You MUST do this before we meet on Wednesday in order to actively participate in class!

Before class, review the following RESOURCES:

During class, we’ll discuss how to post/submit the assignment below. But you need to do the above reading and notetaking so you’re ready to write! WRITING: Introduction to Discourse Communities 

  • Write a Post/Submit an Assignment in which you do the following (approximately 200-250 words):
    • Create a “double-entry journal” exploring two observations that Swales makes about discourse communities. To do this, use the two quotes from Swales’ work you found compelling earlier. Write down each quotation and then explain what you found interesting (or even confusing).

Follow the template below for this assignment:

Quote 1:

Explain why you feel connected to this quote:

Quote 2:

Explain why you feel connected to this quote:

  • This post must be complete and published under Introductory Work (which is under Student Work) by the end of the day (11:59 PM) on Thursday, September 2. Title it Full Name, Swales’ Quotes.
    • We’ll talk about how to post on OpenLab in class, but here’s a tutorial if you want to figure it out beforehand. (You have to join this class in order to create a post, so if you haven’t done that yet–do it before class on Wednesday!)

Part 2

Before class, do the following READING:

  • Assignment guidelines for “Unit 1: Investigating a Discourse Community” (Email/ask me if you have any questions about these guidelines.)
    • We’ll spend some time in class discussing this, but please review this beforehand!
    • Note: The first draft is due for peer review on October 6! The final draft is due October 13! I know this seems super far away, but October comes quickly!

We will discuss/work on the following assignments during the second half of our class, but start thinking about this project as you read Swales’ work and prepare to write your Unit 1 Major Writing Assignment–you’ll be glad you did. WRITING: Introduction to Discourse Communities 

  • Write a Post/Submit another Assignment. First, think about the basic definition Swales gives (this can be found on page two/paragraph three), and make a list of three discourse communities you participate in. Use a couple of sentences to describe each discourse community you listed, and discuss the basic “values, assumptions, and ways of communicating” found in each one. Create a post under Introductory Work (under Student Work). Title it: Full Name, My Discourse Communities.
  • Respond to the Discussion Question “Problems and Issues”: Go back to your list of Discourse Communities and name two or three problems or issues that are central to each one.
  • Both of these assignments are due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, September 5. 
  • We won’t meet over Zoom again until September 22, but you need to be working/reading for your Unit 1 Major Assignment during this time!