Example Essay Organization

Introduction

1. Paragraph 1: Introduce your discourse community and how your discourse community communicates on the website/social media platform you are focusing on. 

2. Paragraph 2: Introduce the different styles of posts/sub-genres in your community, and describe a little about each. Then, as your thesis, state which style of post you will be focusing on (for example: "This paper will focus on analyzing mash-up videos in this community.")

Body Paragraphs

1. Description of the Genre in the Community (the specific style of video you are focusing on). 

   • Provide an overview/description of the genre. 

   • Discuss the purpose of this genre and why it is important within the discourse community. 

   • Analyze the intended audience and the role that the audience plays in shaping the genre.

   • Notes:

     • These sub-topics can be covered in one paragraph or separated out into 2-3 paragraphs. Consider how much you have to say about the audience and the purpose to help you make that decision. 

     • While the overview/description of the genre should be covered early in the paper, the purpose and audience sub-topics could work well towards the end of the paper. 

2. Conventions of the genre: Convention #1

3. • Pick one of the primary conventions of this genre to analyze.

   • Include a description of the convention and use direct evidence from your samples to support your point.

   • Analyze how these features make the genre effective or ineffective for its purpose.

4. Conventions of the genre: Convention #2

4. • Pick another significant convention of this genre to analyze.

   • Include a description of the convention and use direct evidence from your samples to support your point.

   • Analyze how these features make the genre effective or ineffective for its purpose.

5. Conventions of the genre: Convention #3

5. • Pick another significant convention of this genre to analyze.

   • Include a description of the convention and use direct evidence from your samples to support your point.

   • Analyze how these features make the genre effective or ineffective for its purpose.

5. Context and Circulation:

6. • Explore how and where this genre is used in the community.

   • Discuss whether the genre is used in formal or informal contexts, and how it is shared (e.g., in person, via email, on social media).

7. Interaction 

   • Explore how members of this community interact with this genre. Look at comments, sharing, etc. What does the interactions and/or types of interactions show us about the community? 

8. Values and Norms of the Community:

7. • Analyze what this genre reveals about the values, norms, goals, and/or expectations of the discourse community.

   • Discuss how the genre helps reinforce these shared beliefs or behaviors.

8. Broader Implications:

8. • Reflect on the larger significance of the genre in shaping communication within the discourse community.

   • Discuss what this analysis of the genre suggests about how genres function more generally in discourse communities.

Conclusion:

• Summarize your key findings from the analysis.

• Reiterate how the genre contributes to the goals and functioning of the discourse community.

Introduction

1. Introduce your discourse community and how your discourse community communicates on the website/social media platform you are focusing on. Then provide an overview/broad description of the genre that you will be analyzing for this paper. 

Body Paragraphs

1. Audience & Purpose. 

   • Discuss the purpose of this genre and why it is important within the discourse community. 

   • Analyze the intended audience and the role that audience plays in shaping the genre.

   • Notes:

     • These sub-topics can be covered in one paragraph or separated out into two paragraphs. Consider how much you have to say about the audience and the purpose to help you make that decision. 

     • Alternatively, the purpose and audience sub-topics could work well towards the end of the paper. 

2. Conventions of the genre: Convention #1

3. • Pick one of the primary conventions of this genre to analyze.

   • Include a description of the convention and use direct evidence from your samples to support your point.

   • Analyze how these features make the genre effective or ineffective for its purpose.

4. Conventions of the genre: Convention #2

4. • Pick another significant convention of this genre to analyze.

   • Include a description of the convention and use direct evidence from your samples to support your point.

   • Analyze how these features make the genre effective or ineffective for its purpose.

5. Conventions of the genre: Convention #3

5. • Pick another significant convention of this genre to analyze.

   • Include a description of the convention and use direct evidence from your samples to support your point.

   • Analyze how these features make the genre effective or ineffective for its purpose.

5. Context and Circulation:

6. • Explore how and where this genre is used in the community.

   • Discuss whether the genre is used in formal or informal contexts, and how it is shared (e.g., in person, via email, on social media).

7. Interaction 

   • Explore how members of this community interact with this genre. Look at comments, sharing, etc. What does the interactions and/or types of interactions show us about the community? 

8. Values and Norms of the Community:

7. • Analyze what this genre reveals about the values, norms, goals, and/or expectations of the discourse community.

   • Discuss how the genre helps reinforce these shared beliefs or behaviors.

8. Broader Implications:

8. • Reflect on the larger significance of the genre in shaping communication within the discourse community.

   • Discuss what this analysis of the genre suggests about how genres function more generally in discourse communities.

Conclusion:

• Summarize your key findings from the analysis.

• Reiterate how the genre contributes to the goals and functioning of the discourse community.