EH 101: Composition 101
Genre Analysis
Peer Review Draft Due: Friday, November 20
1nitial Draft Due: Monday, November 23.
In this unit, we have been discussing discourse communities by using six specific criteria as used by John Swales. The
next step is then to understand why they are important. For this next paper, we will be breaking down exactly how
discourse communities can communicate with one another, specifically through the use of their genres.
The genres that a discourse community uses to communicate with one another can illuminate a lot about the writing
process. At the same time, we can also learn about how discourse communities actually manage to accomplish task, get
work done, or generate new knowledge using carefully selected genres. What some of you may discover is that the
communication is successful thanks to one or many more successful genres working separate or in conjunction with one
another. Analyzing how these genres can be successful can help ourselves understand how to write succesfuly in the
multiple genres we will encounter in our professional and personal lives. However, some of you may recognize that there
are conflicts in your discourse community (reference Johns’s “Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice”
piece) or there are problems with how the discourse community communicates with one another. Seeing the issues that
your discourse community may have with its genres can ultimately lead us to better problem solving in the future and
allow us to better work in groups regardless of the situation.
For this project, you will analyze the genres that your discourse community uses and ultimately making a unique
argument about what we as writers can learn about how to communicate effectively across multiple genres. For this
project, you can choose to focus on a single genre or multiple genres that your discourse community uses.
Invention, Research, and Analysis
Begin with what you already know about the genres that your discourse community uses. Then, try to figure out what
conventions of the genre are in place. It will also help you to think about what the purpose behind the genre is or how it is
actually being used in the discourse community. I’ve attached some worksheets here to help you further think through
how to specifically analyze the genres that your discourse community uses.
In order to collect more data, you will need to do some more significant research. In class, we’ll spend time talking about
collecting scholarly sources. However, we will also discuss how to collect primary sources. For this assignment, you’ll
have the option to interview people in your discourse community, conduct ethnographies and auto-ethnographies, or even
collect surveys from members in the discourse community. This can give you a larger idea of how your discourse
community uses genres to help them accomplish tasks and generate new knowledge.
Once you analyze your genres, you need to figure out how your research this can help us as writers learn more about
writing in different genres. Use the below questions to help you think through exactly this:
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Are there conflicts within the community? If so, why?
Do some participants in the community have difficulty? Why?
Who has authority here, and where does that authority come from?
What are the “modes of belonging” that newcomers are attempting to use?
What sorts of “multiliteracies” do members of this community possess?
Are members of this community stereotyped in any way in regard to their literacy knowledge? If so, why?
Planning and Drafting
Your analysis should include four important parts:
1. An introduction and description of your discourse community.
2. A claim about how genres are used in your discourse community.
3. A full description of the genre(s) you are analyzing along with a clear analysis and argument about them.
4. A conclusion section that discusses the implications of your research.
Who Is Your Audience?
In thinking about the audience you are addressing in this assignment, it will help to think of yourself as joining the
conversation about discourse communities and the social nature of writing in which the authors we’ve read throughout the
semester are participating. Your audience, then, consists of the group of researchers and scholars interested in the analysis
of discourse communities; they are just not familiar with your discourse community. Be sure to be detailed enough to
give us insight into how your discourse community uses genres, but also be sure to demonstrate that you understand the
theories behind discourse communities and genres.
What Makes It Good?
This assignment asks you to show a clear understanding of what a discourse community is and what a genre is and
demonstrates your ability to analyze and explain them carefully and thoughtfully. The most successful writers will use
class readings to effectively anchor their terms, discussion, and analysis. The claim is clear, arguable, and answers the “so
what?” question. Remember, analysis answers “how” and “why.” Appropriate analysis that follows should address, for
example, how genres function in the discourse community. Analysis should always support your claim. As always, the
essay should be clear, organized, interesting, and well edited.
Nuts and Bolts
 Your genre analysis must be 6-8 pages in length. This means a full 6 pages. (Don’t think one sentence on the next
page equals a full page). If you do not get a full 6 pages, there will be point deductions. All pages must use 12point Times New Roman font, be double-spaced, and use 1-inch margins on all sides. All pages must be
numbered. You should set your Word specifications to have no extra space between paragraphs (0 pt spacing).
 Don’t think you can get away with making your periods or commas bigger to make your paper longer. I will
notice this, and I will count off for it.
 Your paper should be formatted to proper MLA standards.
 Your genre proposal should have an informative and creative title.
 You must turn in your peer review draft and peer review worksheet on the day the initial draft is due in class.
They must be put in a folder with your name clearly marked on it. If you are not present for peer review, you
will receive a 10 point deduction.
 As always, the comments on the grammar errors or typos will be limited.
 This paper must include a reference to Swale’s “The Concept of a Discourse Community” and Miller’s “Genre as
a Social Action.” Not citing these scholars will result in point deductions.
 You must also include at least four outside sources to help you explain/describe your chosen discourse
community. These outside sources can include, but are not limited to, scholarly sources, online sources,
interviews, ethnographies, and/or surveys.
 All references to outside works must be cited parenthetically in the work and on a Works Cited page using MLA
formatting.
 Don’t forget that the Writing Center is there to help you. Use them!
How to Turn in Your Genre Analysis
 You must upload it to USA Online prior to class on the day it is due. I will not accept late papers.
 You will turn in your peer review worksheets and drafts inside a folder. Do not turn in loose papers. This is how
materials get lost.