If you are studying a genre that is fairly public, you can pull several examples of this genre from online sources/newspapers/personal archives. If you are studying a genre that is less public such as the patient medical history form from bawarshi , you might have to visit several sites like a clinic or doctor’s office in order to find several examples. By collecting a variety of samples you will be able to gain better perspective on the moves common within the genre, as well as the variance that the genre exhibits. The more samples of the genre you collect, the more you will be able to notice patterns within the genre. identify the scene and describe the situation in which the genre is used.

Seek answers to the questions listed below about the genre’s situation: setting. Where does the genre appear? how and when is it transmitted and used? what other genres does this genre interact with? subject. Does the genre address? when people use this genre, what knowledge must be known beforehand in order to understand or write this genre? participants.

Who writes the texts in this genre? are multiple writers possible? what roles do they perform? what characteristics must writers of this genre possess? under what circumstances do writers write this genre e.g. Who reads the texts in this genre? is there more than one type of reader for the genre? what roles do they perform? what characteristics must readers of this genre possess? under what circumstances do readers read the genre e.g. At their leisure, on the run, in waiting rooms ? identify and describe patterns in the genre features. What recurrent features do the samples share? for example: what content is typically included? excluded? how is the content treated? what sorts of examples are used? what counts as evidence personal testimony, facts, statistics, etc. ? what rhetorical appeals are used? what appeals to logos, pathos, ethos appear? how are texts in the genre structured. What content knowledge would you need to have in order to understand the text as a writer.

Total points /250 genre analysis preliminary draft due 2/3/10 at pm. genre analysis final draft due 2/17/10 p.m. to deepen our understanding of discourse community concepts, we will analyze both traditional and multimedia documents as genres. When we conduct a genre analysis, then, we are looking at the forms of two different texts within or across discourse communities. The purposes of this assignment are to help you understand the importance of genre and discourse community knowledge to writers. Additionally, this assignment will reinforce your understanding of the ways writing differs among genres and allow you to strengthen your skills in writing in the genre of a textual analysis. Locate and photocopy or print, save, link, or scan two types of genres on the same issue or topic. Consider our discussion on the concept of genre, how to recognize different genres, and the features that differentiate one genre from another. You should begin the process by creating a matrix that shows the differences and similarities through the four areas of genre analysis: rhetorical issues, content, structure, and style/language as a way to formulate/outline the content in the body of the essay.

design: as you begin, read about different genres such as posters, documentary photography, instruction sets, editorial and opinion pieces, essays, and comics in section 3, pages 315 509 in your textbook: compose, design, advocate. Carefully choose two different genres about the same subject matter for your genre analysis essay. Address the following areas, and use evidence from the genres to support your discussion, and maintain third person voice throughout: · start with a brief discussion of the subject/topic that the two genres are focusing on. Include the title of each piece, the genre type, and the author or company name of each in the introduction.

Your thesis, which goes in the last paragraph, is the synthesis of the two genres. · how are the genres organized to convey its message? · how does the structure facilitate the purpose of the information in the genre s ? · how formal/informal is the language? · what specialized vocabulary is used? · what other language features do you notice? · which genre was more effective in conveying its message? why? · offer a final comment on the impact of genres on discourse. product testing: you will receive comments on drafts through peer review, the writing center, the evaluators, and/or your instructor. Submit a 4 6 page essay in which you analyze and compare two genres on the same subject/topic. choose your genres carefully poor choices will lead to an insufficient genre analysis.