Comparative Genre Analysis
The goal of this writing project is to allow you to consider further the shifts in the rhetorical situation and genre expectations for writing across two disciplinary areas. For this assignment you will be comparing the following two articles: Women and Men in Love: Who Really Feels It and Says It First? (Social Sciences) pgs. 384-389 Hormonal Changes When Falling in Love (Natural Sciences) pgs. 391-396 Using the following guiding questions, describe the basic genre features of the article. 1. What is the rhetorical context? Consider the authors, audiences, topic, and purposes of the articles. 2. What conventions are present in the texts? Consider the structure, language, and reference conventions of the articles. Once you have described the genre features of the article, consider the choices the writers made when they wrote the articles. Why did each write the article in the way that he/she did? How do these genre features work together? You might also consider other elements of the articles: what kinds of questions the authors ask and what kinds of evidence they draw upon, for example. Formulate a thesis that assesses the degree to which the genre features in each category compare or contrast. Organize your analysis in a way that helps your readers follow the main points you want to make about your comparison. Throughout your paper, develop your comparisons and contrasts by illustrating your findings with examples from the articles. Study each article closely and try to rationalize the authors rhetorical decision-making. Student Learning Outcomes: Understand appropriate evidence and effective rhetorical strategies needed to gain authority in a variety of disciplines. Provide scholarly feedback of a written text. Summarize, analyze, and synthesize a disciplinary text to show participation in ongoing academic conversations. Demonstrating flexible academic reading strategies. Requirements: 5-6 pages (approximately 1250-1500 words in length), typed, double-spaced, 1 margins all around, 12pt. Times New Roman or Garamond font, MLA format with a Works Cited page (see pg. 174 for example of essay in MLA format). Grading Criteria: Your essay and report will be graded on your in-depth analysis and evaluation of the articles, the details and examples you include, and your sentence structure and grammar.
