WRT 160: Composition II

This heuristic is adapted from Porter, James. Audience and Rhetoric. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1992. 144–145.

Identify the forum by name and organizational affiliation.
Is there an expressed belief, editorial policy, philosophy? What purpose does the forum serve? Why does it exist?
What is the disciplinary orientation or affiliation?
How large is the forum? Who are its members? Its leaders? Its readership?
In what manner does the forum assemble (e.g., newsletter, journal, conference, weekly meeting)? How frequently?
What is the origin of the forum? Why did it come into existence? What is its history? Its political background? Its traditions?
What reputation does the forum have among its own members? How is it regarded by others?

Who speaks/writes?
- Who is granted status as speaker/writer? Who decides who speaks/writes in the forum? By what criteria are speaker/writers selected?
- What kind of people speak/write in this forum? Credentials? Disciplinary orientation? Academic or professional background?
- Who are the important figures in this forum? Whose work or experience is most frequently cited?
- What are the important sources cited in the forum? What key works, events, experiences is it assumed members of the forum know?
To whom do they speak/write?

Who is addressed in the forum? What are the characteristics of the assumed audience?
What are the audience’s needs assumed to be? To what use(s) is the audience expected to put the information?
What is the audience’s background assumed to be? Level of proficiency, experience, and knowledge of subject matter? Credentials?
What are the beliefs, attitudes, values, prejudices of the addressed audience?

What topics or issues does the forum consider? What are allowable subject? What topics are valued?
What methodology or methodologies are accepted? Which theoretical approaches are preferred: deduction (theoretical argumentation), or induction (evidence)?
What constitutes “validity,” “evidence,” and “proof” in the forum (e.g., personal experience/observation, testing/measurement, theoretical or statistical analysis)?