Introduction
This essay draft provides you with an opportunity to discuss an example of a discourse community to which you belong. Your essay builds on our first reading assignment, Dan Melzer’s Understanding Discourse Communities. Drafting is part of the writing process. You can check out a sample draft (attached here).
Prompt
In this essay, combine narrative with academic writing. Before defining your community based on the academic, more formal definition, begin by describing or narrating a short story that shows what sets your community apart or what draws you to your community.
Write an essay in which you describe, define, classify, and analyze a community to which you belong. Drawing on Dan Melzer’s (and John Swales’) definition of a discourse community, write an essay in which you include descriptions, definitions, examples, and comparisons of the following:
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The broadly agreed upon set of common public goals of the community
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The mechanisms of intercommunication among the members and the use of those communication mechanisms
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One or more genres that help further the goals of the community
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The specific lexis of the community
Requirements
Write 400 words of your 600+ word, three of your five paragraph, two and a half of your three page essay in MLA format which includes;
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Double spacing
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12 point font
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An MLA heading
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A works cited page that cites Dan Melzer’s “Understanding Discourse Communities”
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Use primarily third person
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Avoid second person pronouns and use first person where it counts most
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