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Daniel Machon
Micro-Ethnography

Daniel Machon 4/3/15 7:01 PM

Formatted: Left: 1", Right: 1"

Professor Olivia Rines

20 March 2015
Micro-Ethnography of Educators in the College of Education
The College of Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a

Olivia 4/8/15 3:39 PM

Comment [1]: No underline. Also, do not
forget to put your last name in your header.

professional school that seeks to educate and prepare students for a future within the Education
realm. Within the College of Education there are groups of people, that together they form a
discourse community. According to linguist John Swales, a discourse community is groups that
have goals or purposes, and use communication to achieve these goals (Swales, 220). Research
that I conducted involved the discourse community of professors within the education
department of UNC Charlotte. The research consisted of interviews with professors and multiple

Olivia 4/8/15 3:40 PM

Comment [2]: Awkward wording
Olivia 4/8/15 3:41 PM
Comment [3]: Discourse communities are

Olivia 4/8/15 3:41 PM

Comment [4]: No comma

observations within the classroom of these professors. While conducting this research I had two
main questions in mind. What do outsiders, those who are not within this discourse community,
need to know about this specific community and what does it take to become and effective
educator? After embedding myself in this community and studying Swales article The Concept
of Discourse Community, I think I have answers that will help those who do not associate
themselves with this community.
To answer the first question, what do outsiders need to know about this specific
community, will come through breaking down the six main characteristics that make up a
discourse community as defined by Swales. Below will I will break down these six concepts and
how the discourse community of education professors at UNC Charlotte fit into these concepts.

Olivia 4/8/15 3:42 PM

Comment [5]: What is the purpose of this
paper? Why did you decide to research this
group?
Daniel Machon 4/3/15 6:57 PM
Deleted: Answering
Olivia 4/8/15 3:43 PM
Comment [6]: Awkward wording

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The first characteristic that Swales describes to us is a discourse community has a
broadly agreed set of common public goals (Swales, 220). This means that within each

Olivia 4/8/15 3:43 PM

Comment [7]: Who is us?

discourse community there are specific goals that each individual member knows about and as a
whole try to reach these goals in whatever capacity in which they do things. For example, when
it comes to education professors, the capacity in which they work is by teaching their students
how to teach. After talking with different professors in the College of Education at UNC
Charlotte I came across common goals in which this specific community has. Dr. Beattie, a
special education professor, and Dr. Harden, a professor that focuses on first year, pre-education

Olivia 4/8/15 3:43 PM

Comment [8]: Each individual member as
a whole?
Olivia 4/8/15 3:44 PM
Comment [9]: What do you mean by this?

Olivia 4/8/15 3:44 PM

Comment [10]: Awkward wording
Daniel Machon 4/3/15 6:58 PM

major students, I saw that the goals of these individuals are also goals of the community itself.

Deleted: these

While professors teach to the subject area in which they have studied themselves, and now teach,

Deleted: After talking with

the overall goal is to prepare these students for situations in which they will come across in the
field in which they study. For instance, students of Dr. Beattie will learn as much as they can
about exception children and then how to apply that within the special education classroom they
find themselves in. On the other hand, students of Dr. Harden will see that there is more than one
way to teach within any level of education, but specifically the elementary setting. . However,
though each individual professor has a goal for their students, the overall goal of both of these
professors, for the purpose of this analysis, is to prepare their students for the classroom settings
that they will find themselves in the future.
The second characteristic that Swales gives us is a discourse community has mechanism

Daniel Machon 3/30/15 5:39 PM

Olivia 4/8/15 3:46 PM
Comment [11]: As a reader, I want to
know more about your interviewees.

Olivia 4/8/15 3:46 PM

Comment [12]: This is a mouthful

Daniel Machon 3/30/15 5:40 PM

Deleted: and students of
Olivia 4/8/15 3:47 PM
Comment [13]: How do you know this?
Daniel Machon 3/30/15 5:41 PM
Deleted:
Daniel Machon 3/30/15 5:41 PM
Deleted: how to teach in multiple ways
within the elementary level

Olivia 4/8/15 3:47 PM

Comment [14]: According to who?

of intercommunication among its members (Swales 221). All discourse communities have
some way of communicating within it and through all of the members. Communication
throughout the College of Education changes with different people. For example, when it comes
to communication between a professor and a student that will usually happen through email or

Olivia 4/8/15 3:49 PM

Comment [15]: I thought that your
community was only professors.

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even through face-to-face lectures. Intercommunication changes though when it changes
medium. Meaning that it changes when the communication is from professor to student, or
whether the communication is from professor to professor.
The third characteristic of a discourse community is a discourse community uses it

Olivia 4/8/15 3:48 PM

Comment [16]: Explain this claim.
Olivia 4/8/15 3:49 PM

thing that I think everyone has heard from some professor at some point, is that they were in a

Comment [17]: This is a surface-level

analysis. There is more to
intercommunication that you have
explained.

meeting, especially if he or she is running late. They have always said that they were in a

Daniel Machon 4/3/15 6:36 PM

Deleted:

participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback (Swales, 221). One

meeting. After observing and interviewing a couple of professors, I see how important meetings
are within this specific discourse community. Meetings are a common mechanism that is
primarily used to provide information and feedback. Professors and educators in the education

Daniel Machon 4/3/15 6:36 PM

Deleted: While emailing might be the same
from professor to professor, as it is student to
professor, meetings that discuss changes that
need to happen usually happen between
professors.
Daniel Machon 4/3/15 6:37 PM
Deleted:

department have meetings to further their own style of teaching. Meetings with students,

Daniel Machon 4/3/15 6:37 PM

however, are different in the senese that they are used to provide the feedback when preparing

Deleted: As a student there has always been

one thing that I have heard at least once, by
every professor/teacher that I have had

their students for the classroom setting that those students will one day be in. Meetings are one

Olivia 4/8/15 3:50 PM

Comment [18]: Repetitive

mechanism that allows for people to speak and provide the information and feedback that is

Olivia 4/8/15 3:51 PM

Comment [19]: You mean the professors
you indicated above?

needed, making education professors apart of their own discourse community.

The fourth characteristic of a discourse community is a discourse community utilizes
and hence possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims (Swales,
221). This simply means that there are a variety of genres that are used when communication is
used within this discourse community. When it comes to professors in front of students, one of
the main genres that are seen is the genre of lecture. A specific lecture that a professor might
give to a class of students is considered its own genre. While not all communication is between
professors and students, and that communication is also between professors, the genre of email is
used as a genre. Emails are always being used when communicating with other professors, but it

Olivia 4/8/15 3:51 PM

Comment [20]: Arent meetings a form of
intercommunication?

Daniel Machon 4/3/15 6:40 PM

Deleted: , but they also have
Daniel Machon 4/3/15 6:40 PM
Deleted: m
Daniel Machon 4/3/15 6:41 PM
Deleted:
Olivia 4/8/15 3:52 PM
Comment [21]: What did your
interviewees specifically say about
meetings? Use your data.

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is also used with students. Lectures and emails are two of the most commonly found genres used
in the communicative purposes of the discourse community of education professors.
The fifth characteristic, and perhaps the most unique part of a discourse, is in addition to
owning genres, a discourse community has acquired some specific lexis (Swales, 222). Lexis

Olivia 4/8/15 3:52 PM

Comment [22]: There are many more
genres than this. Dont think about genres in
terms of intercommunication. Think about
them in broader terms. What about lesson
plans?

and jargon are two things that will usually be unique to every discourse community. People that
are apart of different professions will usually not use the same language as another profession.
When conducting my interviews I had a specific question that related to lexis and jargon. I asked
the question if there was a person that sat in on a meeting within the education department and
did not belong to that discourse community, what type language would be heard by that person
and what would be needed to be explained? Dr. Beattie responded with the answer I think the
biggest need for explanation would involve the acronyms that are used so readily in our field.
They can be seemingly non-ending and potentially confusing for an outsider. He also goes on
state that he remembers being in meeting with parents when language specific to this discourse
was used. He describes the look on their faces when some of the language is being used. Dr.
Harden also responded with a similar answer. She also goes on to explain that there is a
tremendous amount of jargon that has to do with the teacher certification process. One prime
example of this would be when she explains the process of clinical observations. Within the
education department the school is looked at as a clinic, but that would not be what others
think to be as a clinic. While that is just one example, there is an abundance of jargon and lexis
that is specific to the education realm.
The sixth, and final, characteristic that Swales describes is a discourse community has a
threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise
(Swales, 222). There are always members coming in and going out of the education realm at

Olivia 4/8/15 3:54 PM

Comment [23]: You do not need to put
the whole question in your paper.

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UNC Charlotte. There are professors that have been in this profession for decades and could be
considered experts at what they do. And then there have been professors that are new to the fact
of teaching students at the college level. Professors that are preparing students for the classroom
setting have been in within that setting before, by that I mean, that they [Professors] have taught
in the elementary, middle, high, or special education level. These six characters are what Swales
conceptualizes as what makes up a discourse community.

Daniel Machon 4/3/15 6:53 PM

Deleted:
Daniel Machon 4/3/15 6:53 PM
Deleted: Many of the professors that are now
teaching college students have been in the
situation in which they are preparing their
students for. Meaning
Olivia 4/8/15 3:55 PM

Throughout the breakdown of what characteristics make up a discourse community, it

Comment [24]: This is a surface level

analysis. Go deeper.

should give insight as to what makes up the discourse community of professors in the College of
Education at UNC Charlotte. While doing my research I also based my interview questions off
the question, what does it take to be an effective educator? While I wanted to analyze the
discourse community of education professors at UNC Charlotte and relate it to Swales article,
but I also wanted to take one of the public goals that professors within the College of Education
have. That one goal is to prepare students that are seeking a degree and a future in education and
teach them how to become an effective educator.
There is no one-way to become an effective educator. There is not a formula that you
follow to become effective within the classroom. However, through the interviews and
observations that I embedded myself in, I found one aspect in which professors follow through
with to be effective in the classroom. The very first answer that I received form both Dr. Harden
and Dr. Beattie was that you have to want to teach and you have to care for your students. While
observing in Dr. Hardens class there were a few things that I observed. One, before the class
even started she walked around and gave students a gesture, whether that be a hug or a fist bump.
Secondly, when she did start class she started by asking students what is going on in their lives,
having nothing to do with the content of the class. Dr. Harden is a prime example of what any

Olivia 4/8/15 3:56 PM

Comment [25]: Where did you get this
goal?
Olivia 4/8/15 3:56 PM
Comment [26]: Where did you get this
information? What did the interviewees say
about your question?

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professor or teacher should do; establish a relationship with the students before teaching them the
content knowledge. Breaking down what it takes to be an effective educator was a bonus while
observing professors in the College of Education.
After much time put into the observation and interview process, I feel as though my
analysis of the discourse community of professors within the College of Education at UNC
Charlotte is complete. While breaking down the characteristics that Swales defines for us about
a discourse community, one can now see how exactly this community is described as its own
discourse community. At the same time, I was also able to gain some knowledge of what it truly
meant to be an effective educator. Preparing students for their future in education may not be
easy, but there are many ways in which educators can be successful and as in many other
discourse communities, there are always people there to be supportive.
This is a strong draft, and I really enjoyed reading it and learning about your community. In
order to improve, I would consider the following suggestions. First, you seem to have two goals
for this paper, and they do not seem to be blending together well. The first goal is to define your
community as a discourse community. The second goal is to answer the questions you proposed
in the introduction. It would be helpful if you could find a way to blend these two purposes
together, either through reorganization or by blending the sections together. Second, your
sentence construction could be much tighter and stronger. Be deliberate in your word choices
and think about how you are phrasing your thoughts. If you have questions regarding this aspect,
either make an appointment with the Writing Resources Center or come talk to me. Finally, I
would like to see you incorporate your data more. You frequently made claims but they werent
always supported by information from your interviewees or from your observations. Make sure
the reader knows where you are getting your information.
The following is the rubric for the assignment, including what you would have received had this
draft been your final draft. This grade will not be recorded anywhere. It is simply a chance for
you to see where you stand.
Category

Content
(65 points)

Scoring Criteria
Is focused, clear, purposeful, and meets the needs of the audience
Properly addresses the question, What are the most important things for an
outsider to know about this community?
Describes Swales characteristic #1 (common public goals)
Describes Swales characteristic #2 (mechanisms of intercommunication)
Describes Swales characteristic #3 (participatory mechanisms)

Total
Points
5

Score
5

10

5
5
5

5
4
4

Organization
(10 points)
Style and
Conventions
(25 points)
Score

Describes Swales characteristic #4 (utilizes genres)

Describes Swales characteristic #5 (specific lexis)
Describes Swales characteristic #6 (threshold level of members)
All claims made are supported. Writer uses specific references to data and/or
sources to support claims.
Introduction establishes a framework for the rest of the paper and includes a
thesis statement
Conclusion summarizes the paper and pushes the reader to think about specific
issues/concerns outside of individual discourse community.
Utilizes a strong internal structure and purposefully moves the reader through
the text
Sentences are all well-crafted and consistently varied in structure, length, and
beginning. Vocabulary and word choice are precise and varied.
The writer demonstrates a firm grasp of the conventions of written English
(spelling, capitalization, punctuation etc.). There are no typos.
Is formatted according to the conventions of MLA
Is 1500 2500 words
Total Points

Works Cited

5
5
5

3
5
2

10

10

10

10
5
100

10
5
83

Olivia 4/8/15 3:57 PM

Comment [27]: This should be at the top
of the page.

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Swales, John. ''The Concept of Discourse Community." Genre Analysis: English in
Academic and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990.21-32. Print.