Assignment 1: Language/Discourse CommunityAutobiography
(@ 900-1000 words)
Polished Draft Due on Thursday, Feb 15 (by 11:59pm PST)
Context:
Literacy is a difficult word to define. In Language and Literacy: Studying Discourse in Communities and Classrooms, Eleanor Kutz tells us that “literacy involves not just reading and writing but all the ways of using language and of interpreting texts and the world” (249). As we move throughout our discourse communities (from home, to school, to work, or to the gym), we modify the language we use for each environment, illustrating the ways in which our literacies are shaped by particular contexts. As Kutz writes, “[o]ur literacies are acquired within particular contexts and they are shaped by those contexts” (249). We may flow easily from one literacy to the next as we move between contexts. We may write in various forms or genres, from essay writing to texting to reading newspapers and blogs. Or we may experience friction among the different identities that are created by the various literacies we use.
Where do these threads of literacy intersect? How do these intersections reflect our personal, cultural and academic identities? How are these intersections influenced by our discourse communities? And how does our definition of “literacy” affect what language practices we value? Consider these questions as you think about what literacy means in your own life.
Goal:
The goal of this assignment is to develop metacognition, i.e., self-awareness about how different contexts and rhetorical situations may shape our use of language. How do we use language to communicate with others? How does our rhetorical situation determine our linguistic behavior? As Andrea Lunsford puts it, how does our use of language move our audience’s heart, win their trust and change their mind (Lunsford, and Ruszkiewicz 92)?
Preparation:
o Review the assigned materials for Language/Discourse Community Autobiography
o Build from the discovery work during course unit modules and resources
o Using the Observation Notes Worksheet (Assignment 1 Folder), take notes on your rhetorical/linguistic interactions as you move in and out of your various discourse communities and through different rhetorical situations.
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Assignment and Writing Task: There are 3 options below; please review all of the information.
Prompt: Option 1, Discourse in Real Time (@ 900-1000 words)
o In this assignment, you will be a linguist (somebody who scrutinizes language) and ethnographer who analyzes the customs of people. Your goal is to explore the way you use language in real time and in various contexts and to document the linguistic choices you make in everyday lives.
o In your paper, please compare and contrast your spoken language varieties at home, online, work, and school. What is the prestige or value of these languages in different spaces? How do power relations and feelings of comfort or familiarity impact your linguistic choices?
o Please also make meaningful connections to relevant concepts from one or two of our readings and videos. The goal is to construct a thoughtful argument about your use of language in different contexts and substantiating your claim with evidence from your research.
Possible key components of your paper:
I. Intro
A. Hook: A brief, meaningful reference to one or two of our readings. A transition to
your research.
B. Briefly describe the context of your research: Who did you talk to and why (who was your audience)
C. Thesis: Based on your notes, please present an argument (a controversial claim) about your use of language for the variety of discourse communities/rhetorical situations you are doing research on: what did you find out about your linguistic choices in your various discourse communitiesand across various rhetorical situations? What pattern emerged? What is your claim (argument) about these patterns?
II. Body: Based on your research notes, please substantiate your claims by referencing one discourse community/rhetorical situation at a time, i.e. one paragraph per situation. Please be specific by analyzing your word choice, syntax, rhetorical situations, and your analysis of audience and purpose.
❖ List of possible discourse communities & rhetorical situations: Superior at work, Colleague at work, Professor at school, Classmate, A person you dislike, Best friend, Date/Partner, Family, Pet
❖ NOTE: You are welcome to include conversation recaps and/or quotes (please keep in it clean); however, do not record anyone, unless they have explicitly given you permission to do so. Even if they have initially given you permission, you may wish to review the final product with them.
III. Conclusion: Wrap up the gist of your paper and consider the implication of your argument.
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Prompt: Option 2, Discourse in Digital Space/Social Media (@ 900-1000 words)
o In this assignment, you will be a linguist (somebody who scrutinizes language) and ethnographer who analyzes the customs of people. Your goal is to explore the way you use language in various digital space discourse communities and to document the linguistic choices you make.
o Compare and contrast your language/communication varieties by exploring your regular interactions with different audience members in digital space/social media discourse communities. (Among other things, you may wish to consider the following: How do you use text, images, GIF’s, etc. to comport yourself and convey different messages? How do you use these devices to convey different aspects of your personality? What similarities exist? What differences exist? When and how to you shift your messages? For what purpose?)
Possible key components of your paper:
I. Intro
A. Hook: A brief, meaningful reference to one or two of our readings. A transition to
your research.
B. Briefly describe the context of your research: Who did you talk to and why (who was your audience)
C. Thesis: Based on your notes, please present an argument (a controversial claim) about your use of language for the variety of discourse communities/rhetorical situations you are doing research on: what did you find out about your linguistic choices in your various discourse communitiesand across various rhetorical situations? What pattern emerged? What is your claim (argument) about these patterns?
II. Body: Based on your research notes, please substantiate your claims by referencing one discourse community/rhetorical situation at a time, i.e. one paragraph per situation. Please be specific by analyzing your word choice, syntax, rhetorical situations, and your analysis of audience and purpose.
❖ List of possible digital space discourse communities & rhetorical situations: email, text, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snap Chat, YouTube, Tik Tok, etc.
❖ NOTE: You are welcome to include images/snapshot of your digital space interactions (please be sure to keep it clean); however, do not include any images, names or identifying information of others unless they have explicitly given you permission to do so. Even if they have initially given you permission, you may wish to review the final product with them.
III. Conclusion: Wrap up the gist of your paper and consider the implication of your argument.
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Prompt: Option 3, Combing Option 1 & 2 (@ 900-1000 words)
o With this option, you will combine your observations from both Discourse in Real Time and Discourse in Digital Space/Social Media.
o Please see above to review the overview and Possible Key Components for both options.
Final Essay Format: Make sure your work observes the following guidelines. All essays must…
o be between 900-1000 words i
