Blog #10: So we have a research paper. Where are YOU headed?

So . . .  I'm back from Seaport Village. We got lots of amazing cheeses at Venessimo and also some chocolates from some amazing chocolate place. I don't know what that's called, but the chocolates were amazing.

There are only a few more blogs.
You might have done ENOUGH blogs, but a few extra points never hurt anyone, right? And this one could be useful.

This blog isn't based on a reading. Think about your research paper.

What discourse community/community of practice do you want to research?
Why? What is it about this community that interests you?
What do you already know about this community?

Where are you headed? What will you research?
Remember, this isn't about how great the community is or what this community does. This research paper is about the community's communicative practices.

How do you want to approach this paper? What do you want to learn about the communicative practice?

How are these communicative practices acquired? (Swales, Johns, Gee, Wardle)
What does it take for members to enculturate themselves? (Johns, Gee, Wardle, Mirabelli)
What literacies to members need to acquire? (Mirabelli)
What is this community's "way of being" (Johns, Gee, Wardle)
What does it cost to take on this community? (Wardle, Johns)
What values are reinforced by this community? (Devitt, Wardle, Johns)
How do readers need to see themselves? How do they need to consider authorities? How do they need to align themselves? (Wardle)

There are other questions you could ask based on the readings, but I'll leave it for you to come up with those. 

Who will you interview? What can you observe? What genres does this community have?

And so on. And so on. Begin imagining this paper.  And brainstorm.