In this project, we’ll explore common assumptions, beliefs, and knowledge about writing that we all share. When we approach a writing task, we all bring our “prior” with us – prior knowledge, prior beliefs, prior assumptions — and our attitudes toward what we think the role of writing is in our lives, both in and out of school. Since writing knowledge – like all knowledge – is socially constructed, it is easy to make general assumptions about what writing should entail or what makes some writing better than other writing. We will explore what it means to write in our society, as everyday writers who continue to learn and to make knowledge about writing. And we’ll begin to explore the knowledge we must continue to develop to contribute to the writing in our lives, academically, professionally, individually, and socially.
This first project will focus on the concepts of rhetorical situation and related concepts of purpose, audience, genre, and context, among others. It will also focus on practices of writing, such as drafting and revising, reflection, engaging in effective peer review, and other practices commonly used by writers in academic, workplace, and other everyday writing situations. By studying these key rhetorical concepts and examining practices of writing – our own and that of other writers – we’ll begin to develop a framework of writing knowledge that can be adapted effectively to any current or future writing situation.
The guiding question for writing the analysis essay in this project is: “What is the writing knowledge I can draw upon to help me in any writing situation, and how do I develop an effective approach for writing in each different situation?”
You must discuss the writing concepts and include examples of the concepts as you identify them in the writing samples we’ve read in class, with detailed explanations to support your ideas about the writing concepts.
Plan to discuss the concepts that are important for a writer to know when writing in different situations — which, if any, are more important for writers to consider than others, and which order of importance would you put them if any? Which concepts are connected most closely and can you provide an example?
What are examples from the readings you can use to support your points about these concepts — for example, what are you planning to discuss about genre and can you use examples from the commencement addresses we read to support the points you’re making?
What did you say about the writing concepts in the assignments throughout Project One so far? What points did you make in those assignments that you might expand on for your draft?
Are there ideas about writing you brought to this class that you can compare to your growing knowledge of the writing concepts and what strikes you as important to keep or to discard from that prior knowledge?
Why do you think the rhetorical situation is an important foundation of knowledge for writers?
What does a writer need to know when approaching a writing situation? What knowledge will that writer be able to draw upon to develop their writing for a situation they’ve never been in before?
What knowledge about writing matters most, based on what you’ve learned so far and what you think overall, for a writer to be successful?
Be sure you support your points or claims about what’s important in writing with examples from the course reading so far. Use those examples to illustrate or “prove” a point rather than leaving it up to your opinion. Remember, this is an analysis essay, so analyze the writing you are learning about and include some interpretation or assumption, but stay clear of personal opinion that isn’t supported by evidence or examples.
You are writing a 4- to 6-page analysis essay about your writing knowledge, specifically constructed around the rhetorical concepts listed above and the practices and strategies you know or learn about, using your own writing and examples of writing provided in class to illustrate and support your analysis. You will include quotes or detailed descriptions from examples that you will integrate to support your ideas about writing.
