Logan Lampkins

Ms. Thomas
UWRT 1101-101
22 November 2014
I had trouble writing this, but I think I got the overall message across. Everything was
very clear, and I did not find many things to elaborate on. Please check my MLA format and
Works Cited to be sure I did them right.
Discourse Community Analysis: Nihon Club
Nihon means Japan. The Nihon Club at UNC Charlotte is an organization
designed to educate students about all aspects of Japanese culture and history, according
to club president Jason Smith. The club strives to immerse students in Japanese culture and
encourages both local and international students to participate in club activities. Club
activities include lectures, cultural outings, and even off-topic activities that are just meant
to provide interaction between students who share the same interests. I have chosen to
research the Nihon Club as a discourse community because it covers all of Swales six
characteristics of a discourse community, and also because I am a member myself. I will
analyze mainly the effectiveness of the organization as a discourse community, but also its
strengths and weaknesses as well as the social dynamics and how they relate to the
efficiency of the organization.
Research for this discourse community came from my observations in club activities
of all aspects. As a member, I went to both formal lectures and casual events and observed
the presence of the discourse community characteristics. Through my experience, I

developed an accurate sense of the clubs discourse community characteristics, and I

identified both advantages and disadvantages to the clubs style of operation.
The Nihon Club has a large variety of members, and the attendance among the
various club events varies. The full-time members are always informed of every event
through the Nihon Clubs various communication platforms. Most of the clubs activities are
announced on the Nihon Clubs Facebook page, where events and details are posted.
Because the announcements are mostly posted to Facebook, members could be left
uninformed if they are not heavy Facebook users. The Nihon Club also communicates
through the popular smartphone application, LINE. LINE is an instant messaging
application in which the Nihon Club has its own private group where members can
communicate with any or all members in the group. LINE is heavily used in Japan, so this is
used to open communication with Japanese members of Nihon club. This form of
communication helps members to make casual conversation, make bonds, and share
knowledge. However, the LINE group only allows members to communicate in Japanese.
Therefore, lower-level Japanese students have trouble communicating through LINE. Also,
not all Nihon Club members are interested in speaking Japanese, so the LINE group is
indirectly exclusive to students in higher-level Japanese classes. But even for beginners, it
is extremely helpful to be exposed to the language, and this form of communication is
something that no other organization at UNC Charlotte has. The Nihon Clubs
communication platforms are very helpful and full of opportunities, but they do not appeal
to every member for these various reasons.
In the Nihon Club, it is quite clear who the newcomers and old-timers are. The oldtimers are usually students who have been in college for a while, and sometimes they have

even studied abroad in Japan. They have more experience with Japanese language and
culture; so they are often seen as role models and newer students go to them for career
advice, study abroad advice, or language questions. The newcomers are either freshmen or
older students who have just discovered an interest in Japanese. The newcomers gain
knowledge from attending lectures and club outings so that they bond with the older
members and obtain Japanese experience within the Nihon Clubs community. Through
taking more Japanese classes in college, newer members slowly acquire the ability to
communicate fluently in Japanese, and sometimes even with the Japanese transfer
students.
Conflicts within the community have sometimes caused tension between members,
causing them to stop coming to meetings. Conflicts, like in all societies, surface from
disagreements with no resolutions. This occurs in many student organizations, and Nihon
Club is surely not exempt from this situation. Personal conflicts between members are not
common because all members are respectful and courteous, but there are also cases of club
members feeling out of the loop of communication, which contributes to their absence in
club activities. Some of the clubs communication devices to not appeal to all students, and
some students are shyer than others, so this contributes to some members not having as
good of an experience with Nihon Club as others.
The authority of the club is the President, who gets funding granted by the college.
The president and the club staff plan events, give information lectures, and organize
cultural outings. These leaders are usually advanced Japanese-majors who have studies
abroad, and it is common for some of them to be stereotyped based on their Japanese
experience as well as their cultural experiences. Some higher-level students are often

assumed to be in a higher social standing within the community, but the Nihon Club
encourages equal communication with all members, old and new. Older members love
giving new members a warm welcoming, and all new members are encouraged to come to
all events and not be shy.
The Nihon Club has grown to incorporate a large number of students and even
Japanese transfer students. According to Club President Jason Smith, the club only had
about three members before his becoming vice president. Then, the club grew and he
eventually became president. When asked about any flaws in the clubs efficiency as a
discourse community, Smith answered, If we had the available funds, trips to museums
and Japanese cultural events would help members learn more about Japan. Even so, club
members are still gaining knowledge through communication with each other and the
sharing of knowledge between both local and Japanese students. Concerning future plans
for the club after President Smiths graduation, he says, After three semesters as president,
I feel as if I have created a cornerstone that future presidents can use to build an amazing,
improved club. All I can do now is to hope that future presidents have the same ambition
for success that I have had, dedicating myself to this club as deeply I have.
The club presidents concerns about funding are also apparent in newer members,
such as freshman member Selena Bowen: A few more interactive activities would be nice,
but other than that, the group is doing a fine job on its performance. In response to the
question of possible improvements the club can make, new member and junior Ryan Nellis
answered, Nihon Club needs to attract more Japanese students. It also needs to address
lesser known facts about Japan. Both new members as well as the president agree that the
Nihon Club is an efficient discourse community.

Overall, I have concluded through my research and experience that UNC Charlottes
Nihon Club is an efficient discourse community that aims to teach eager students about
Japanese culture. All six of Swales discourse community characteristics are present, even
though there are a few flaws concerning funds and inexperience as a student organization.
The Nihon Club is on the path of becoming an even better discourse community for the
future students of UNC Charlotte.

Works Cited
Smith, Jason. Personal Interview. 11 Nov. 2014.
Nellis, Ryan. Personal Interview. 11 Nov. 2014.
Bowen, Selena. Personal Interview. 11 Nov. 2014.
Swales, John. The Concept of a Discourse Community. Genre Analysis: English in Academic
and Workplace Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990. 21-32. Print.