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Genre Analysis Assignment

This document outlines an assignment asking students to analyze three examples of a specific technical genre and write a report answering questions about the genre. The report must introduce the genre, discuss its purpose and audience, identify its key parts and structure, analyze how trust, emotion and facts are used, provide criteria for evaluation and common errors/advice, and suggest improvements. The goal is for students to understand how to effectively participate in the genre.

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Will Kurlinkus
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279 views

Genre Analysis Assignment

This document outlines an assignment asking students to analyze three examples of a specific technical genre and write a report answering questions about the genre. The report must introduce the genre, discuss its purpose and audience, identify its key parts and structure, analyze how trust, emotion and facts are used, provide criteria for evaluation and common errors/advice, and suggest improvements. The goal is for students to understand how to effectively participate in the genre.

Uploaded by

Will Kurlinkus
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Assignment 2.

1: Genre Analysis

Due: 10.6

One of the key skills of any technical writer is genre analysis: entering an environment, scrutinizing the
patterns of communication that occur there, and creating a text according to (and improving upon) the
standards discovered. Thus, the genre analysis assignment asks you to analyze 3 examples of a specific
technical genre of your choosing* (lab reports, grant proposals, journal articles, etc.) in order to teach an
audience how to participate in that genre in the future. To do so, you will use your 3 examples, as well as our
readings on discourse communities and genre, to write a short report that answers the following questions:
01. Introduction to Field, Genre, Discourse Community: Start by introducing me to the genre you

are analyzing. What is it? What is the field it exists in? Who is it written for and by? Whats its purpose?
And what are the three examples you are using?
Goal of text: Why was this text written? How is it supposed to be used? How can you tell?
Primary Audience: Who was this text written for? What are their values? How can you tell?
Context: Where might this text occur in the wild? Why does this context matter to the content of the
piece?
Criteria: What are the rules of this genre?
02. Parts of the Genre: What are the key sections and parts of this genre? What goes inside them?

Introduction; Key Internal Moves; Conclusion?


How do your three examples differ from one another? Which structure do you like best?

03. Ethos, Pathos, and Logos Standards: How do trust, expertise,

emotion, and facts/examples work in this genre?


Write briefly about all three.
Choose one and analyze something atypical and important to
understand about its role.
What do ethos, pathos, and logos tell you about the values of this
community?
04. Evaluation

How do you know a member of this genre has succeeded or failed?


What criteria (3-5) might you rank examples by?
Briefly evaluate and rank your three examples.

05. Common Errors and Advice

Top three common errors that people creating this genre might
commit.
Top three pieces of advice that people creating this genre should
follow.

06. Improvements for the Future

Requirements

In addition to these 6 sections.


Your report must also:
Be 4-6 single-spaced
pages
Use specific examples
and quotations from
your three texts to
illustrate your answers
Be designed for
scannability
Cite our two genre
analysis readings
Use correct 2009
MLA Citation (or
another agreed upon
standard)

In order to be more successful, what might members of this field and


writers of this genre take into account that, as far as you can tell, they
havent yet.
For instance, how scannable are these documents? Might they employ images? How might they be
designer better for non-native English speakers? How might they be more useful?


* One of the best places to start the genre analysis is by talking to professionals in your field (friends, family, and
colleagues who work in that field; professors; and graduate students).

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