This document provides an overview and agenda for a class on genre analysis. It outlines the following key points: 1) The goals for the class are to discuss readings by Devitt, Bawarshi, and Reiff, have students find three articles to analyze, and understand how to complete a preliminary genre analysis assignment. 2) Students are assigned to read Devitt's work and work on their preliminary genre analysis paper before the next class. 3) The class will break into groups to analyze different elements of genre, such as patterns, subjects, and features, and then present their findings on a class Facebook page. This will help students understand how to approach their assignment.

1. Starting your
Genre Analysis
Wednesday, May 16th

2. Goals for today
 Discuss Devitt, Bawarshi, and Reiff
 Find your three articles
 Understand how to write your Preliminary
Genre Analysis assignment
 Be ready to work on this assignment as
much as possible before Monday.

3. Homework and Reminders
 No class tomorrow (Thursday)
 Read Devitt (posted on Webcourses) and
take notes in your journal
 Work
on your Preliminary Genre Analysis
paper
 You can send me drafts at any point

4. In your groups
 Each group gets a section from the
assignment sheet (Patterns, Subject,
Participants, Features)
 Lookthrough the questions listed in your
section, and write 1-3 paragraphs that
address those questions. Type and post on
your FB Page.

5. Example
Setting: Where did you find your article? What other articles were published in the
same issue or journal? How did you access your article?
The article, “Materiality and Genre in the Study of Discourse
Communities,” written by Amy Devitt, Anis Bawarshi, and Mary Jo Reiff, was
published in the 2003 issue of College English. According to the journal’s website,
College English is “the professional journal for the college scholar-teacher. CE
publishes articles about literature, rhetoric-composition, critical theory, creative
writing theory and pedagogy, linguistics, literacy, reading theory, pedagogy, and
professional issues related to the teaching of English. Each issue also includes
opinion pieces, review essays, and letters from readers.” This article was also
published along with multiple other pieces concerning how genres mediate
activities in discourse communities. These articles include Amy Devitt’s,
“Assignment by Design,” which focuses on how teachers can help students
understand how to analyze genres more effectively. Though I accessed this
article through the online database EBSCO Host, the journal is also published and
available in hard copy.

6. What to work on?
 Find your articles
 Start your analysis. Look at the patterns.
 Read Devitt before Monday, and take
notes in your journal.