Introduction

Discourse Communities:
- Defined as a community that uses methods of intercommunication amongst
members, uses participatory mechanisms to provide info and feedback, uses at
least one genre to communicate goals, and has a specific lexis
- Members have a suitable degree of relevant content & discoursal expertise,
develop a sense of silential relations (how they use silence), and develop
horizons of expectations

Rhetorical Moves
What are rhetorical moves?
- Rhetoric is the argument for acting in a certain way in relation to exigence
- Exigence is the event that lets the rhetoric exist
- Purpose is the why and how of what the argument wants you to do.
Different Rhetorical Moves
- Move 1 (Establishing a Territory): This is accomplished by demonstrating a
general area of research that is important or otherwise worthy of investigation
and/or by introducing and reviewing key sources of prior research in that area to
show where gaps exist or where prior research has been inadequate
- Step 1: Claiming importance of writing action, describing the research
problem and providing evidence
- Step 2: Generalizing topics and providing statements about the current
state of knowledge
- Step 3: Reviewing items of previous research (Not a literature review, but
reflection of key studies)
- Move 2 (Establishing a Niche): Creating a clear and cogent argument that your
particular research is of value, indicated by challenging an assumption, raising a
question, hypothesis, or need.
- Step 1: Introducing an opposing viewpoint or gap in knowledge prior
research has that weakens the prevailing argument
- Step 1b: Develop the research question around a gap in knowledge
- Step 1c: Present key questions about the gap in prior investigation
- Step 1d: Extend prior research to expand upon or clarify a research
problem
Most Important Notes:
Genre
- Is a category of type of expression, and is characterized by form, styles, and
subject matters (ex. resumes, cover letters)
Medium
- The means by which something is communicated (ex. Written, oral, painting)
Modality
- The variety of ways within a medium which something can be rendered (ex.
Check marks on a paper, drawings on a paper, or charts on the paper). Can
basically be assumed to
Syntax
- The sentence structure, how long or short they are, and why?
Diction
- Diction is the word choice and includes any lexis applicable to the discourse
community
Formality
- Usually ties in with the tone, and how informal or formal the language is. Is often
based on the target audience.
Constraint
- A constraint is what the artifact can’t present because of limitations (like cost,
medium being unpresentable to certain audiences, and the location of the
artifact).
Logical Fallacies
- Slippery Slope: A conclusion based on the premise that if A happens, then
eventually Z will happen too through a series of small steps.
- Hasty Generalization: A conclusion based on insufficient evidence. It is rushing
through a conclusion without all the relevant facts, like judging a class based
entirely on its first day
- Post hoc ergo propter hoc: A conclusion that believes if A occurred after B,
then B caused A. It is an assumption that correlation equals causation.
- Genetic Fallacy: The conclusion based on the origins of a person, idea, institute,
or theory to determine its worth, like that the Volkswagen Beetle is evil because it
comes from Nazi Germany.
- Begging the Claim: the conclusion that the writer should prove is validated
within the claim.
- Circular Argument: the conclusion is based on the reasoning and the reasoning
is based on the conclusion
- Either/or: this is a conclusion that oversimplifies the argument by reducing it
down to two sides or choices.
- Ad Hominem: This is an attack on the character of a person rather than their
opinions or arguments, like saying that someone is fat and ugly and thus their
arguments are horrible.
- Ad populum/Bandwagon: An appeal because everyone else does this thing.
Everyone else is doing it so you should too.
- Red Herring: This is a diversionary tactic that avoids the key issues, often by
avoiding opposing arguments rather than addressing them.
- Straw Man: This move oversimplifies an opponent’s viewpoint and then attacks
that hollow argument.
- Moral Equivalence: Comparison of minor misdeeds with major atrocities,
suggesting that both are equally immoral, like the person who double parked is
as bad as Hitler.
- Appeal to Authority: When someone uses authority in an irrelevant field to
suggest that they know what’s right, like a police officer