Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

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USE Thoreau’s “Civil Disobediance” and MLK’s “Facing the Challenge of a New Age” as the Main Readings of this Assignment.

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

Due for submission (at least 5 pages + works cited): April 13th

By identifying and stressing the intertextual nature of discourse…we shift our attention away from the writer as individual and focus more on the sources and social contexts from which the writer’s discourse arises. According to this view, authorial intention is less significant than social context; the writer is simply a part of a discourse tradition, a member of a team, and a participant in a community of discourse that creates its own collective meaning.

-James E. Porter (34, 35)

Now that we’ve spent some time considering Porter’s concept of Intertext, we will try applying his theoretical model to an analysis of the rhetorical strategies of Thoreau and King. Your challenge will be to explore Thoreau’s and King’s essays as two projects within one “Web of Meaning” (in other words: a “community of discourse”). Rather than analyzing how the texts illuminate individual writing styles and individual ideas, you’ll be focusing on the sources and social contexts of each text, and thinking about how each author borrows and arranges traces in order to “effect change in communities—without fear of exclusion” (Porter 42). You will be doing research to help you achieve the various objectives outlined below. Three credible research sources (at least 4 pages in length each) are required. At least one source must be a peer-reviewed article from an academic journal. You may use Wikipedia, as well as other credible information sources recommended by Google, for simple fact-finding. In both cases, however, you’ll need to cite these information sources. Wikipedia and other fact-finding sources do not count toward the required three research articles for the paper.

Below are the specific objectives for the paper. You do not need to approach the objectives in the sequence assigned. The organization of your paper is up to you.

1) Explain Porter’s theory of text as Intertext and the concepts of “traces” and “presuppositions.” Discuss any other ideas you deem integral to Porter’s theory. Include 2-3 succinct quotes from Porter to help clarify his ideas.

2) Identify a discourse community (a “Web of Meaning”) that contains both Thoreau’s and King’s texts. Name this Intertext and explain the rules of acceptability (Porter 43) for participation in it. Within this Intertext, what are appropriate topics of discussion? What are some formal conventions (in terms of style, argumentation, etc.) generally adhered to? What are some values and beliefs central to this discourse community?

3) Work your way through Thoreau’s text by exploring his use of presuppositions and traces. Focus on a handful of prominent presuppositions and traces that enable “Civil Disobedience” to pursue its purpose. The goal here is to illuminate Thoreau’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces in order to advance an argument and effect change. Some traces will be explicit, in the form of quotations, references, and citations. Some will be less obvious: aphorisms, symbols, cliches, etc. Explore a variety of different types of traces. You will have some help with this part of the paper, since the annotations provide context and identify sources. However, when referencing the annotations (the footnotes) you will need to properly attribute the information. We’ll talk about how to do this.

4) Work your way through King’s text in the same manner as Thoreau’s, by exploring prominent presuppositions and traces. Additionally, consider how King borrows traces from Thoreau, placing those traces in new contexts, and hence expanding their meanings. As with Thoreau’s text, the goal is to illuminate King’s rhetorical strategy of borrowing and arranging traces to advance his argument and affect change in his community. You will do some research to better understand King’s use of sources and references, since we don’t have the editorial annotations provided in Thoreau’s text.

5) Explore how the Intertext containing both Thoreau’s and King’s texts asserts itself today in a new, present-day context. To do this, find a current text (an essay, a poem, or a song) situated in the same “Web of Meaning” as Thoreau and King. Show how this newer text makes similar presuppositions and borrows traces that can be connected back to Thoreau and King (including, perhaps, traces from Thoreau’s and or King’s texts!). You will conduct research in order to better understand the cultural and literary context of your chosen text.

As the grading criteria below illustrate, proper use of quotation and citation will be weighted heavily in the paper’s grade. About 15% of your paper (give or take 5%) should consist of quotes from class texts and research sources.

Grading Criteria:

Sufficiently achieves all 5 objectives: 50%
Sufficiently attempts to attribute all sources (through direct reference, quotation, and citation): 25%
Sufficient clarity (including grammar, organization, and proper use of quotation/citation): 25%

 

Reference no: EM132069492

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