This assignment is about the "ways that language and literacy work in the discipline in which you are majoring." Professor Calhoun has defined your initial analysis:
Your initial analysis will specifically address the questions: what are the one or two most important or most distinctive characteristics of writing in this discipline? How are these characteristics similar to and/or different from other ways of writing? Later analysis will consider potential challenges your discipline will face in the future.
This guide is designed to help you find the scholarly and professional conversation in the discipline in which you are majoring. Most of this conversation takes place in academic journals, but there are also books, often published by university presses; professional magazines (like the magazine College & Research Libraries News for academic librarians); association websites (like the American Psychological Association); conference proceedings; professional blogs; and more. Where the conversation is happening and how it is happening depends on the discipline. For example, in academic libraries, a lot of important communication happens on Twitter.
Academic disciplines and professions have their own jargon, which is one of the aspects of language you'll discover.
Project Products
Instead of writing a multi-page essay, you will be composing a multi-layered project, and assignments over the next
few weeks will guide you through the construction process. As such, you will be completing your work in assigned
stages, culminating in both a formal written outline and a visual presentation of your work.
Stage One: Oct. 31- Nov. 9
Getting Started (An Exploration) - in this stage you will be doing preliminary work, starting with an informal
browsing through works related to your discipline to construct a working focus, culminating in a “Zero Draft” where you assemble your thoughts about your topic (i.e. what you already know/need to know/want to know).
Next, you will be doing a more formal research, where you will be asked to find two articles related to your working focus and compose annotated bibliographies. This assignment will be repeated later in the process, after you have formalized your focus.
Stage Three: Article Critiques/Rhetorical Precis Nov. 16-21
Once you have completed your interviews, you will be asked to find additional articles from professional or
academic journals related to your discipline and compose article critiques. Article critiques will utilize Harris’
“Coming to Terms” (critical summary) as well as composing a Rhetorical Precis (pronounced “pray-see”). This
assignment may be repeated later in the process, as you formalize your focus.