In every discipline, there are many “go-to” examples of how disciplinary knowled

In every discipline, there are many “go-to” examples of how disciplinary knowledge is created, examined, understood, and built-upon. For example, in studies of the novel, one might look at Ian Watt’s The Rise of the Novel (1957); or in new media studies, one might look Janet Murray’s Hamlet on the Holodeck (1997); or in studies of investment stocks, one might look at Peter Lynch’s One Up on Wall Street (1989).
Your first Artifact of Learning entry this semester is to track down a recently popular or a historically important piece of writing in your academic discipline. Then, spend time reading it, annotating it, and trying to see what it means and how it creates meaning. If it’s a short-form text, try to read the whole thing. If it’s a long-form text, do your best to skim the chapters and then zero-in on a specific portion of the text to analyze.
Then, introduce the piece of writing to your instructor and classmates by identifying the following:
Identify the purpose of the text:
Based on your reading, what was the main purpose of the text? Was the author writing to remember, to understand, or to gain perspective (or some other purpose)? Can you tell what the author was exploring through the research and writing?
Identify the audience:
Based on the author’s purposes and the way they use language, who do you think the author imagined as their audience(s)?
Identify the genre:
Is it a research article? A book? A letter? A manifesto? Something else? Why, do you think, did the author choose this particular genre?
Lastly, why do you think this “go-to” text is so important to your discipline?