Purdue University Inception Genre Analysis

RHET 351: Genre Analysis

Assignment

Write an analysis of how well a text[1] fulfills its purpose, given its audience and genre. Your writing should include both description and analysis—that is, you should both help your audience understand all the complex ways the text functions and develop an argument about how effective it is at performing its purpose.

You should discuss all of the following as part of your analysis:

A description of your text’s genre, including your analysis of how well your text fits the expectations an audience might have for a text in that genre

A description of your text’s purpose

A description of the audience(s) your text seems designed to affect, including your assessment of how well you believe the text is at achieving its purpose for its audience(s)

• Your Audience & Purpose: Write to demonstrate to your professor that you understand the complex way that your chosen text functions in the world as an example of a specific genre. Persuade them that your analysis proves that the text is more or less effective in certain contexts.
• Genre/Length/Format: The exact genre and length of your analysis will vary depending on your professor’s instructions and the context of your specific applied rhetoric course.
• Sources: Generally, a genre analysis requires no external sources beyond the text you’re analyzing; you should be prepared to discuss this single source from multiple angles, in depth.