Write post (minimum 300 words)
Choose ONE of the following questions and use Melzer’s essay to answer your chosen question. For each prompt, I’ve pointed you to places in the essay that will be helpful to your analysis (~ 300 words):
Option 1: Analyze whether one of the communities you participate in meet Swales’ Criteria for a discourse community: Dan Melzer begins the essay discussing a discourse community he has recently become a member of. Think of a discourse community that you recently joined and describe how it meets Swales’ criteria for a discourse community. In order to answer this question, re-read Swales’ criteria on page 102 and Melzer’s discussion of how his experience in the guitar group would/wouldn’t meet the criteria. Note that something as broad as “Facebook” does not meet Swales’ criteria of a discourse community, whereas a more specific example, such as the Facebook group, “Black Lives Matter Alliance of Broward,” would better meet the criteria for a discourse community.
Option 2: Analyze how a particular course you’ve taken represents a discourse community: Choose a college class you’ve taken or are taking and describe the goals and expectations for writing of the discourse community the class represents. In order to answer this question, re-read Melzer’s analysis of two history assignments (106-111). You might even pick an assignment given to you in the class and use it to answer this question, so that you can better analyze the genre conventions, expectations, and values being promoted by the teacher as part of a particular academic discourse community.
Option 3: Analyze a genre related your major, field, or career: The author of this essay argues that discourse communities use genres for social action. Consider your major or a field or career you would like to work in after you graduate. What are some of the most important genres of that particular discourse community? In what ways do these genres perform social actions for members of the discourse community? For help, look at the genre analysis questions in Melzer on 114-11
Readings
https://kairos.technorhetoric.net/24.2/praxis/shepherd/whyred.html
