Rhetorical Analysis of Professional Discourse Communities (RAP DC)

Day 3

Rhetorical Analysis of Professional Discourse Communities (RAP DC)

Updated30 August, 2005

(This activity will be begun together in class, with Step 2 below being completed as a homework assignment and turned in; it is not a major assignment.)

To do a rhetorical analysis means to survey communication and draw conclusions about its rhetorical situation (audiences, purposes, subjects, genre, context, exigence) and the strategies it employs (layout/design, use of visuals, choice of voice, ethos/pathos/logos, etc.).

Wewill study the communication ofthe professional societies that serve the disciplines in which you are majoring.

MAJOR / SOCIETY /website / DIVISIONS/JOURNALS / AVAILABILITY
AB / Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)
www.faseb.org / See website for listing of member societies, most with journal(s).
Link to list of ABBE-related magazines (for Trade Article Assignment). / Can view info about all journals online, but limited availability of actual articles free either online or in library. JBC Papers in Press are available free online.
BE / Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)
www.bmes.org / No divisions. Pick one publication to analyze:
BMES Bulletin or
Annals of Biomedical Engineering / Bulletin: not in library, but in PDF from website, free. Annals: print copies in library, can view some articles for free on website.
ME / American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
www.asme.org / Listing of 37 divisions, each with own webpage.
Listing of journals, which overlap divisions. / Journals fully available online, and in library in print.
BE / ASME (as above) / Bioengineering Division.
Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. / In library and also free online.
ME / Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) (UK/global)
www.imeche.org.uk / Access divisions on website by using pulldown menu: “Industry & Careers—Industry Sectory and Technologies—Aerospace Division” (for example) / Proceedings of the IMechE broken into parts for each division. Each has free sample article online, and can view TOC and general info about journal.
BE / IMechE (as above) / Medical Engineering Division / Journal of Engineering in Medicine
EE, CPE (CO) / Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE): www.ieee.org / See website for listing of member societies, most with journal(s). / Most journals available online through IEEE Xplore (via Logan Library)
CS, SE, CPE (CO) / Association for Computing Machinery / See website for listing of Special Interest groups (SIGs), most with journal(s). / Most journals available online through ACM Digital Library (via Logan Library)
CE / American Society of Civil Engineers:
www.asce.org / See website for listing of Communities of Practice; publications available through link at top of homepage / All articles available free online.
CHE / American Chemical Society: www.acs.org / Select “Divisions” or “ACS Publications” from Quick Find pull-down menu on left navigation bar / Articles from current issue of most journals available free online.
OE / International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE)
www.spie.org / Website lists conferences and products associated with particular interests and groups within the society / Can view info about all journals online; Logan Library has some journals in print.

You'll learn the most about these professional communities if you study them atmutiplelevels of specificity: 1) the most general level by looking at the website as a whole, and then 2) more specifically by focussing on one division within the organization and a journal that it publishes. We will do #1 together as a class, and you will carry on by completing #2 individually as homework. Step 3 below, the analysis of a particular article, goes beyond what we currently have time to do in this course, but is included here just for your information.

Step 1: Survey the general website (completed in class)

Browse the overall website: read everything on the homepage, browse the subpages and links. Consider the following questions:

--Who are the members of this society? What different groups does it serve? What are the society’s functions? How does the website help the society to meet its members’ needs?

--How is the website arranged? Did you find it easy to navigate? Visually appealing?

--What pictures or other visuals are included? Why/ with what effects?

--How does the society establish/show its credibility (ethos) on the site?

--What personal emotions or professional values (pathos) does the site appeal to? Where and how?

--What kind of content is provided on the site? Is it all factual? Are opinions posted as well? If yes, how are those opinions backed up? What kind of evidence is provided? Did you see any logical fallacies?

Step 2: Pick one journal (and perhaps corresponding society division) to focus on. (individual homework, on provided worksheet)

Browse all information about the division provided online. Browse an onlineversion of the journal (as available), as well as the information usually provided online “About the journal” and/or “Information for authors”. Consider the following:

For the division:

--What subgroup(s) are served by this division?

--How large is this division/ how many members?

--What are some of the subject matters with which the division is concerned?

--What does the division do for its members?

--What do you think of the layout and content of the division’s webpage?

For the journal:

--Who are the authors? What are their purposes in writing/publishing these articles?

--Who is likely to read the articles, and why? What will they get out of them?

--What’s the range of content this journal covers?

--What counts as worth publishing in this journal?-- Only new, cutting-edge original research? New applications of old materials and methods? Opinions about what professionals in the field should be doing?

--What else is included in the journal, besides research articles? Regular columns/sections? Advertising?—by what kind of companies or organizations?

--How often is the journal published? Can you tell how much time typically elapses between when articles are submitted and when published (how fresh are the articles)?

--How high is the technical level of the content of this journal? Are you intimidated or turned off (or on) as you browse it? Why?

Step 3: Analyze one article from that journal closely. (beyond time we have in this course, but provided for your information)

Consider the following:

--Who is the author of the article? Where does s/he work? Why do you think s/he wrote this article?

--Describe the content and logos What is the main focus? The thesis? The level of detail? Level of technicality? Kinds of evidence/support provided? What makes this article worthwhile at the time it was published?

--Are visuals included? For what purposes/ with what effects?

--How is the article arranged? Did you find it easy to follow? Why? Were headings used?

--How does the author establish credibility (ethos)?

--Where and how does the author appeal to the professional or personal values or emotions of the reader (pathos)?

--Are different voices (first-person singular or plural, third-person objective, etc.) used in different sections of the article? Which voice is predominant? What are the effects of the choice(s) of voice?