Discourse Community
Essay 1: Close reading of a chosen discourse community; draft of approximately 3 pages, MLA format, due in journals Friday 9/11 by midnight.
For your first essay, you will choose a discourse community and do a close reading and discussion of the aspects of the community, and identify the significance and if applicable, limitations of the community.
You can put a lens on a community in popular culture, within current events; there are infinite possibilities- what discourse communities do you observe or participate in, online or offline, or possibly a mix?
You should also apply close reading and quote from the Swales piece, from at least 3-4 areas and discuss the relevant connections or ways the community differs from these definitions/parameters. You should also quote in several places from the community you are analyzing. Then, focus on what youve learned in order to find something that is especially interesting, confusing, or illuminating.
Don’t just reproduce a list of characteristics; instead, use your analysis to FOCUS on the aspects of the discourse community that will lead to significant, meaningful questions for you to address in your writing and a robust, analytical central argument.
Consult Drafting and Planning on page 668 and 669 of the Swales article. You can find very helpful pointers there, although PLEASE NOTE- for this assignment, we are doing a traditional essay and not video, and interviewing is not required. What Makes It Good? Show a clear understanding of discourse communities and demonstrate your ability to analyze them carefully and thoughtfully.
Don’t simply list the features of your discourse community, but explore in some depth a particularly interesting aspect of that community make your essay significant and unique.
Since this assignment asks you to practice making the moves common to academic research articles, it should be organized, readable, fluent, and well edited. Use sensory description to enhance your observations and draw your reader into your writing.
You can include screenshots or images for illustration/discussion-this doesn’t count toward length. Link to article:
