English 102-47: Intermediate College Writing
Jason Dietz
Formal Assignment 2:
How does your target secondary Discourse make meaning and knowledge (according to its members)?
Overview:
In order to complete this assignment, you should use the primary research instruments we will generate in class to conduct
interviews with two people you feel are members of the academic or professional secondary Discourse you have chosen to
target. You should use the information you get from those interviews to generate an essay which reports your findings.
Purpose:
This assignment is designed to:
 Demonstrate your ability to develop, conduct, analyze, and synthesize from primary research.
 Demonstrate your ability to combine information from multiple sources with your own thoughts to create single,
focused paragraphs.
 Articulate your understanding of your target secondary Discourse.
What to Do:
Critical Thinking/Reading/Writing/Listening (Analysis)
1. Conduct two interviews with people you view as members of your target secondary Discourse. Make certain that
you both record the interview (video or audio) and take notes during the interview. After you have completed the
interview, compare your notes to the interview recording; write down anything you feel that is important on the
recording which does not appear in your written record.
2. Select (at least) four rhetorical analysis tools we discussed in class. Use them to analyze what you have
written. What do you discover about how your target secondary Discourse makes meaning and
knowledge?
3. Consider the answers to the following questions (remember: the more in-depth you answer the
questions, the more you will understand):
a. In what areas did the people you interviewed agree on what makes up your target secondary
Discourse?
b. What areas of disagreement did you note?
c. What do those agreements and disagreements mean?
d. What are the issues members of your target secondary Discourse are interested in?
e. What are the key venues in which those issues are discussed in your target secondary Discourse?
Composition
Synthesize the primary source information with your own listening, thinking, reading and writing to generate a
coherent discussion, at least six double-spaced pages (1500 words) in length in which you report some of the ways
in which your target secondary Discourse makes knowledge and meaning. The majority of your body paragraphs
should reference both of your sources and include your own thoughts on the references you provide. This paper
should also include multiple paragraphs addressing questions 3a, 3b, and 3c; at least one paragraph for each of your
interview participants, talking about the interview itself; and a conclusion, which clearly expresses what you learned
about how your secondary Discourse makes meaning and knowledge.
Evaluation Criteria:
Your essay should fulfill the purpose of the assignment (listed above). It should include sufficient content and its
organization should be such that the essay gives your reader a coherent picture of what you discovered about how your
target secondary Discourse makes meaning and knowledge.
Once again, I view the learning experience you should have with this assignment as essential to your ability to succeed in
the university and in life. Consequently, I am once again looking for serious engagement with this topic. I’m especially
interested in you discovering the ways members of your target secondary Discourse make meaning and knowledge.
Again, please remember: I will evaluate what you write and offer you suggestions, but I will not grade your writing.
Due Dates: See the daily schedule (on Blackboard) for all due dates associated with this assignment.