Discourse Community Profile

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Assignment by Michael S. Garcia, Bedford New Scholar 2020

What is the assignment?
For this assignment, you will compose a text which describes and examines a specific discourse community of your choice. Your text will need to directly feature 3 - 4 specific examples of writing/discourse that occur within that community. You will then examine these instances of discourse and discuss what we can learn about the community and its use of language through these examples. You will also reflect upon your own connection with this discourse community, and why/how you chose to profile it. 

What’s the purpose of this assignment?
An important aspect of being an effective writer is having the awareness and flexibility to adapt to a variety of rhetorical situations. Examining the rhetoric of a discourse community presents an opportunity to think about the ways in which purpose, audience, and genre are key to producing “good” writing, putting you on the path to becoming a more rhetorically aware and flexible writer. 

Who is my audience, and what genre will I write in? 
Write for an academic audience: your instructor, classmates, other professors, etc. Do your best to write in edited academic English. For this assignment, the default genre is an academic essay. It should be in MLA format (double-spaced, size 12 font). There is no set number of paragraphs, but it should be around 1000 words in length.

You may also choose to change the genre and create a video for this assignment; if you do, it should be around 5 minutes long, and accomplish all the same things (listed below) as the essay.

What are the main things my assignment should do? And how will it be evaluated? Here is the criteria your assignment will be graded on, along with the weight of each component:

• Introduce the topic: make it clear which discourse community you will examine from the beginning of the text, and provide the necessary background information (10%)
• Describe the ways in which the community you have selected meets the characteristics of a discourse community (20%)
• Examine at least 3 examples of writing/discourse that occur within this discourse community (30%)
• Reflect on why you chose to write about this discourse community. Do you consider yourself a member of this community, or are you just interested in it? Did you research and locate this community solely for the purposes of this assignment, and if so, why did you choose this community over the others you came across? (15%)
• Be organized clearly and logically (10%)
• Be edited so that it is a polished and professional document with minimal errors in MLA format (15%)

I need help! Any tips? Sure!

• Consider that members of 21st century discourse communities will often use multiple genres of communication, not just one. Thinking about the different types of writing in the community you have chosen should present opportunities for your essay.
• Think about the lexis, or vocabulary, of this discourse community. Explain some of the terms and jargon that a reader outside the community might not be familiar with. 
• I recommend writing about a discourse community that matters to you personally; however, you are free to write about any discourse community you choose.

What are the important deadlines for this assignment?

• First Steps is DUE by 11:59 PM on Monday, September 16
• First Draft is DUE by 11:59 on Monday, September 23'
• Second Draft is DUE  by 11: 59 on Monday, September 30
• The “Final” Draft (worth 10% of your course grade) is DUE  by 11: 59 on Monday, October 7

(Optional) Further Revision: If you aren’t satisfied with your grade on the "Final" Draft, you can submit a revision* at any time before grades close at 11:59 PM on Monday, December 9.

*Please note: Revision is not a method for extending assignment deadlines. You cannot submit a revision if you missed the minimum word count by more than 30%, and any late submission penalty on the "Final" Draft will be carried over to the revised grade. 

How important is this assignment?
The assignment is worth 15% of your grade in the course. 

Remember: If something comes up and you need an extension on an assignment, reach out to me before the deadline. There is a 5% deduction on late assignments, plus 2% for each additional day late. 

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