Conversations with Digital Genres

Portfolio Sequence Checklist: - 2 Journal/Blog Entries - 2 Summaries (Maximum 250 words each) - 2 Annotated Bibliography Entries (150-200 words each) - 2 Writing Explorations - Genre Analysis - Genre Creation - Reflective Genre Essay 4-6 Pages - Deeper analysis of genre conventions and DC - Explication of Genre Creation and Response to DC - Reflection Letter: Completed In-Class (500-1000 words) General: This portfolio is designed to help you analyze and adjust your composing techniques to the specific requirements of different genres used in various discourse communities (DC). Given the theme of our class, this project focuses on DCs that exist primarily online, and who thus use various assemblages of technology to create and deploy communicative genres. The possibilities are endless here, but some words of caution: Something like Facebook or Reddit isnt really a DC per saythese are environments. Various DCs use those environments as infrastructures or shared spaces. Be sure to avoid this common misstep. Also, aside from mini-lessons and discussions, most of our class time over the next 4 weeks will be devoted to composing and workshopping the various items included in the portfolio sequence. Be sure to come to class prepared or you will quickly fall behind. We will begin by reading about what scholars have to say about DCs and how genres work in and through them. After reflecting on these perspectives, we will explore your membership in various groups as well as the common genres they use. Then we will analyze and try our hand at composing genres using their respective writing conventions as determined both by your chosen DC and the rhetorical situations they facilitate. It will be important to conference with me and your peers throughout this process to help ensure that your choices of DC, genre, and analysis strategies dont end up too narrowly or too generally defined. In other words, we will need to negotiate, justify, and revise your choices against the complex constraints of this portfolio throughout the entire process. Ideally, you will finish this portfolio with some strategies for encountering and conversing with others texts in meaningful ways as well as a greater awareness about how genre

conventions work within DCs. This will enable you to make clearer, more informed composing decisions regardless of any specific genres or DCs you encounter in the future. As you assemble this portfolio make sure that you have included all requirements from the checklist. Also, please ensure that each piece included in the portfolio works together to support a general theme think about arrangement here. This means that your journals, annotations, explorations, etc. should all broadly focus on a larger topic (your chosen DC) and demonstrate the progression of your thinking throughout the composing process.

Step 1: 2 Annotated Bibliography Entries (150 words each) A common genre within academic communities, the annotated bibliography takes text annotation and summary to the next level. Its purpose is to inform the reader of the sources main argument as well as its relevance, accuracy, and usefulness for a particular task. Going beyond a summary or abstract, the annotated bibliography critically considers an authors point of view (major claims), his or her authority and clarity on a subject, as well as the texts usefulness or application to a particular topic. Using your summaries as springboards, develop 2 Annotated Bibliography entries that are geared toward using sources from class for a larger informative project that addresses a DC of your choice, critically informing its members about their own genres and practices. We will practice this in class and review several examples. Step 2: Writing Exploration Genre Analysis This writing exploration asks you to define and explore a genre that is commonly used within your chosen DC. We will begin in our blogs, free-writing about your initial experiences with the genres under consideration. These free writes will serve as the basis for a more thorough consideration of the writing conventions established within your chosen DC and, more specifically, within a common or useful genre used by that community. NOTE: This exploration may not use the general meme as its object of analysis. Since we used them for an in class exercise, much of the thinking work is already done for you. However, you may choose several micro memes to analyze in relation to the overarching practices and beliefs of a particular DC. Your exploration should identify: - What IS this genre? Be specific: genres often have subgenres or micro genres - What specific structures, styles, and conventions make up your chosen genre

- Why those structures, styles, and conventions are used within the genres of your discourse community - How your chosen genre helps your discourse community go about its work - Remember to incorporate elements of Discourse Community, Rhetorical Situation, Structure, and Style. This exploration might also begin to incorporate the what, why, and how of your own informed opinions about this genre and its place within your field. o How do you feel about this genre and its place within your field? o Are there structures, styles, and conventions that could be improved or changed to make the genre more effective? Are there certain characteristics that you excel at executing? o Why do you think or feel the way you do? o How can you help to improve/change the genre? OR How can you work to master the genre and make it work to your advantage in your field? Step 3: Writing Exploration 3 Genre Creation This exploration is arguably easier than the first. It may be more accurate to say that if you thoroughly prepare the first exploration for this portfolio, this one will naturally fall into place. I am asking you to create your own piece that follows the genre conventions of the one you discussed in WE 2. In other words, I want you to create your own execution of the genre youve chosen to analyze. You have free reign on this piece; however its content, conventions of structure, rhetorical situation, and style should reflect a nuanced understanding of the expectations and communicative practices of your chosen DC. This assignment will give you practice in creating pieces that fit the purpose of composing in your DC as well as identify how well you understand the genre youve been discussing. Lastly, have fun with this assignment! Past projects have come in the form of various subgenres of YouTube videos, product or media reviews, informative articles about a DCs particular topic of interest or debate, infographics, even collections of micro-genres representing variations on YouTube comments, GIFs, galleries, and discussion board threads. Step 4: Reflective Genre Essay (5-7 Pages) This will be the main component of your 2nd portfolio. Building on the work you did for WEs 2 and 3, this essay generally asks you to demonstrate a deeper understanding of how a chosen genre operates within your chosen DC. What makes the genre what it is? How does it

work in your DC? Why is it structured or styled in a particular way? You will answer these questions and more in an effort to represent your growing knowledge about writing purposeful texts within a real community. The first half of this essay should focus on an analysis of the genre in question. Its purpose is to inform me (or any other novice in the chosen DC) about the conventions of a typical genre. It may be helpful for you to compare two different executions of the same genre, OR to compare similar genres from different fields. In any case, remember the properties of Content Knowledge (appropriate for your community), Rhetorical Knowledge, and Process Knowledge as you think about the following questions: Audience and Purpose Questions:

Who is the intended audience for each genre? What discourse community (or communities) is this audience in? What is the audience likely to know? Want to know? Why? How much time will this audience want to spend with the information presented in the genres? What is the purpose of the information presented in the genres? (inform, persuade, entertain, etc.)

Rhetorical Issues:

How does each genre help to establish the information's credibility? Is it effective? How does each genre evoke a specific response from the audience? How does it draw on the beliefs or values of an audience? Which emotions, values, or beliefs? Why? What types of evidence are used to support the claims of the information in the genres? Is it appropriate? Why or why not? How are different elements of the genre arranged?

Structure:

How is the information shaped by the genre (s)? (Consider the limitations/freedoms of space, time, layout, audience, and so on.) How are the genres organized to convey its specific message? How does the structure facilitate the purpose of the information in the genre(s)? How formal/informal is the language? What specialized vocabulary is used? What other language features do you notice?

Style/Language:

The second part of your essay should be driven by your personal reflections and (now) critically informed opinion. Use your own execution of this genre as both focal point and evidence for your discussion. Its purpose is twofold: (1) to explain your composing

decisions from WE3 in relation to the genres purpose within your DC and (2) to express your feelings and opinions about the effectiveness of the genre and its conventions. Do some digging! Find what others say about your DC and, more specifically, about the genre youve chosen. Im looking for a critical response informed by 1 or more solid sources (perhaps in addition to some of the ideas about genre and DC from our class readings). What about your piece works well and what should change? Why? How do you see yourself adapting this genre in order to be more successful? Do you feel the genre as a whole would be more effectively if something were to change about it? A new composing practice perhaps? Maybe a change in structural elements? Or perhaps a new or better understanding of the needs/expectations of the intended audience might be in order? Step 5: In class Reflection Letter Much like the last reflection letter, I am asking you to reflect on the process of composing and assembling this portfolio. Think about how your attitudes have shifted throughout the last 4 weeks of class How have you started to shape your own opinions about writing? What knowledge or skills will you take from this process and use in your future college or professional life? This reflection letter serves two main purposes: 1. To indicate any changes in your understanding of the course learning objectives, changes to your thinking about writing, and any changes to your actual writing practices.

Pick 2-3 learning objectives that seem to stick out for this project, and relate your progress to the field work of this portfolio.

2. To indicate which writing conventions, techniques, and strategies you might take from this portfolio process and use in the future.

Remember to tell me what you learned, why its important, and how you will use it in other situations.