Running head: DISCOURSE COMMUNITY ETHNOGRAPHY

Discourse Community Ethnography

Marcus Khaw

The University of Texas El Paso

RWS 1301

Dr. Vierra

February 25th, 2019

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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to prove that Rhetoric and Composition I(RWS 1301) is a

discourse community. The class works together to achieve common goals and it meets the

criteria described by Swales. The class of Rhetoric and Composition I is a discourse community

because it meets Swales criteria for a discourse community.

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Discourse Community Ethnography

“In terms of doing work and in terms of learning and evolving as a person, you just grow

more when you get more peoples perspectives”, said Mark Zuckerberg. one of the founders of

Facebook. Just like Zuckerberg emphasizes the importance of a group to learn and grow, RWS

1301 uses discourse in the classroom to achieve the common goals.

A discourse community is a group of people who communicate about a particular issue

or subject. According to Swales (1990), to discover whether or not a group can be defined a

discourse community there are six criteria. The group must have public goals,

intercommunication, feedback through dialogue, written communication, specific lexis and a

hierarchy of people (p.220). This shows what a group must have to be considered a discourse

community. These groups communicate with each other in many ways about the goals or

problems in the group. The criteria of a discourse community is met in RWS 1301 with the

public goal of passing the class and ultimately graduating.

Literature Review

A discourse community is a group of people who communicate about a particular issue or

subject. According to Swales (1990), to examine a group and decide if it’s a discourse

community there are 6 criteria’s. The group must have public goals, intercommunication,

feedback through dialogue, written communication, specific lexis and a hierarchy of people

(p.220). This shows what a group must have to be considered a Discourse community. These

groups communicate with each other in many ways about the goals or problems in the group.

Discourse communities communicate about their goals and how they can improve. And

important part of their communication is helping each other through revision and review.
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Having work checked over in a discourse community is necessary. According to Porter

(1986), Intertextuality theory suggests that work should be shown to a discourse community to

make sure it goes well beyond formal conventions, It has strong evidence and it meets the

discourse communities values (p.43). Clearly, having a discourse community check over writing

is beneficial. The discourse community’s acceptance helps the writer grow and learn from other

people’s ideas creating better intertextuality. The discourse community is just one of many

communities that work together to achieve something.

People are involved in many communities throughout their lives. According to Johns

(2017), as students begin to engage with discipline, as they move from exposure to experience,

they begin to understand that the different communities on campus are quite distinct, that

apparently related objects have different interpretations (p.321). It is evident that people are

involved in many communities through their lives such as academic communities. There are

many different types of communities, academic being one of them were people navigate through

many communities with the purpose of learning.

Methods

To come to the conclusion that RWS 1301 is a discourse community it was necessary to

use certain methods. This paper involves primary source research. Artifact observation was the

primary research method used to research for primary source artifacts that support the paper.

Blackboard and google were helpful when looking for primary and secondary source information

about discourse communities. In addition, Swales definition of discourse community was an

effective resource for this paper.

Discussion

Common Public Goals

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In RWS 1301 it is evident that there are implied and written common public goals.

According to Swales (1990), these goals can be written in a document or they can be implied

goals (p.220). For example, it is clearly states in the syllabus that the goal of this class is to

develop critical thinking skills and develop effective communication skills in social, educational

and professional contexts (Vierra, 2019, pg.2). This is an extremely clear goal stated in writing

for the class to achieve throughout the semester. This goal is public to the classroom and anyone

who has access the syllabus. In addition, this class has implied public common goals such as

graduating. Although it is not stated clearly anywhere it is obvious that the goal for students

attending RWS 1301 is to graduate. It can be implied that anyone who is willing to spend the

time and money necessary to attend university has the goal of graduation. Since one of the

requirements to graduate is to pass RWS 1301 it can be inferred that everyone attending this

class has the ultimate goal of graduation. Without a doubt this class demonstrates both implied

and inscribed public common goals.

Intercommunication

In RWS 1301 intercommunication takes place when we discuss come together and

discuss discourse. According to Swales (1990), a speech community is defined as a community

that shares knowledge about the rules and interpretation of speech. These speech communities

can be used to build knowledge about speech and writing through dialogue (p. 218). These

discussions take place in the RWS 1301 classroom when the students come together for group

discussions and assignments. The group communication helps students improve and learn

through evaluation of their work. This way of learning aligns with swales definition of
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intercommunication through speech communities. Therefore, the group discussions and

assignments in RWS 1301 demonstrate intercommunication in the classroom.

Participatory Mechanisms

RWS 1301 uses participatory mechanisms to give exchange information and provide

feedback. According to Swales (1990), discourse communities use participatory mechanisms

primarily to exchange information and provide feedback to each other. The purpose of this is for

the group to help each other improve and grow so they can reach their public common goals

(p.221). In RWS 1301 participatory mechanisms take place all the time in forms of group

discussions or peer review. For example, the research teams that were formed at the beginning of

the semester are used to exchange ideas and give feedback for assignments. In addition, email

communication is a participatory mechanism that can be very useful in the class. Emails allow

students to exchange information with the professor and gain feedback on assignments. It is clear

that participatory mechanisms are utilized in RWS 1301 for students to get feedback and obtain

information which ultimately helps them move towards their common public goals.

Genres

Genres are used to communicate in RWS 1301 so that the goals of the class can be met.

According to Swales (1990), a discourse community uses one or more genres to communicate in

attempt to achieve their objective. These genres are in written form and they articulate the

objectives of the discourse community (p.221). An example of a genre that takes place in RWS

1301 is online office hours on Sunday. The office hours allow students to communicate through

writing with the professor and with other students in the class. This genre can be used to work

together to create better assignments which will lead to better grades and passing the class.

Specialized Language
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RWS 1301 uses specialized language that can be understood by the group. According to

Swales (1990), specialized vocabulary takes place in a discourse community in forms of

terminology or abbreviations. Specialized vocabulary is utilized specifically for the discourse

community and is likely difficult for outsiders to comprehend (p.222). RWS 1301 uses

specialized vocabulary that would be difficult for others to understand. For instance, the 4Ts

which are title, thesis, topic headings and topic sentences are used to skim through writing and

also to determine whether or not something is well written. The 4Ts were defined clearly at the

begging of the semester and have been used many times. In addition, RWS 1301 uses claim, data

and warrant to write expository paragraphs which is vocabulary specific to our classroom. It is

evident that RWS has its own specialized vocabulary that can be understood by everyone in the

classroom, therefore it meets Swales criteria for specialized language.

Hierarchy

There is hierarchy in the class based on grades and writing capability. According to

Swales, in order for a discourse community to be functional there must be a hierarchy with a

reasonable ration between novices and experts (p.222). In RWS 1301 the hierarchy begins with

professor Vierra, Ph.D who obviously has the most expertise because of all his writing

experience and accomplishments. As the professor of the group it is his responsibility as the

leader of the group to help educate the rest of the group. Next, there are the students who

currently have an A in the class who have a better writing ability. These students are capable of

writing to a sufficient level and know how to create higher quality compositions. These students

are able to help other students with their work therefore they are considered experts in the class.

Finally, the more novice students who have lower grades in the class are able to learn from those

who are above them in the hierchy of the classroom. It is evident that RWS 1301 has a hierarchy
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based on the writing experience and knowledge that each student has which can be judged by the

grades that they have in the class. The grades can be used as a measuring tool of how successful

the student has been in their writing which is one of the main goals in the classroom.

Conclusion

Clearly, RWS 1301 meets Swales discourse community criteria while trying to achieve

the common goal of passing the class. Therefore, RWS 1301 must be a discourse community. It

is important to work together as a discourse community so the class can learn and collaborate to

achieve their common goals. Having the class work together in a discourse community helps the

students pass the class so in the end they can graduate and go on to have a positive impact on the

world.
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References

James E. Porter. (1986). Intertextuality and the Discourse Community. Rhetoric Review, 5(1),

34. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.466015

&site=eds-live&scope=site

Johns, A. M. (2017). Discourse communities and communities of practice. Retrieved from

https://blackboardlearn.utep.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-2526342-dt-content-rid-

77754736_1/courses/25463.201920/Johns%202017%20Discourse%20Communities.pdf

Swales, J. (2011). The concept of discourse communities. In E. A. Wardle, & D. Downs

(Eds.), Writing about writing: A college reader (pp. 215-228). Boston: Bedford/St.

Martins.

Vierra, P.J, Ph.D. (2019). RWS 1301 Spring Syllabus. About this course. Retrieved from

https://blackboardlearn.utep.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-2464744-dt-content-rid-

77470220_1/courses/25463.201920/Syllabus%20RWS1301-

TR%201819SP%20%28003%29%281%29.pdf