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Tamilia Abrams Megan Keaton ENG 111-08 9 July 2013 Discourse Communities While trying to prepare to write this essay, it took some time to really process the understanding of a discourse community. A discourse community is a group of people with the same common goals that adapt certain ways of writing and communicating. The discourse communities that will be discussed throughout the essay are within Central Piedmont community college. They are Introduction to Sociology, and Public Speaking. Introduction to Sociology is a class where students study human behavior based on culture and society. The roles in this class are the teacher, who is essentially the leader, and the students who follow the direction of the teacher. The goal is for the teacher to educate the students on how different cultures affect social behavior on how a person lives in society. The community contains students that vary in ages, race, and genders old, young, male, female, black, and white. It contains people from different backgrounds and cultures. The teacher tends to look professional at all times never wearing any casual clothing always business attire, a skirt and blouse. The students however tend to have a more relaxed look wearing jeans T-shirts, shorts, tank tops, sweats, sandals, sneakers, hats, and sometimes pajamas. The teacher is very vocal speaking clear and always communicating in a way that the information she is stating is understandable. The students speak with respect and a professional mannerism when

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communicating with the teacher saying please, thank you, yes maam no maam, being very polite. They raise their hand when they want to speak and wait patiently for the teacher to call on them. However, when communicating with each other the speech is a little more politically incorrect. They use slang; tell jokes, share music, stories with each other that may not be appropriate for the teacher to hear. However when listening and speaking to the teacher, they tend to have more respect. The teacher holds the position to educate and empower the students which is the higher position. Students hold the position to be inspired willing to learn, and have a responsibility to withhold to the requirements of their position in the community. However they are in the community by choice and can leave at any time. The goals for this community are for the teacher to provide the students with the knowledge of learning more about the subject of sociology. They meet every day in a classroom and have detailed discussions about their world, and how people adapt to that world. This community is an introduction into the real world. Once the goal is achieved the student will leave the community to join another community they could not have joined unless reaching the goal of the current community. In this community the communication is through email. After every class the teacher will send out an email to each student in the community. The email includes her name, the date, and the class. The emails will have a subject that lets the students know what to expect when they open the email. For example it may read discussion tomorrow Chapter 6 When the students open the email it will communicate what the students can expect to discuss in chapter 6 the next day. It is very informal and to the point stating the reason for the communication and what is to be expected of students. The main points are listed and the email is structured so that the student is automatically aware that a reply is not needed. It is in list form, and only consists of four to

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five lines stating the discussions and what the students should be ready for the next day. The vocabulary is very clear and professional and certain words are used that a person would only know the term, if they were a member of the community such as, social influence, sociological perspectives, stratification, instrumental leaders and so forth. The writing shapes the goals of the community because the email that the teacher sends each day to the students, allows the students to get a head start on the discussion for the next day. The goal is for the students to understand in great detail the introduction into the real world. Because the teacher communicates with the students everyday via email informing them on what will be discussed each day it allows the students to look ahead. This way they can have prior knowledge, and know what they will be learning about the next day bringing them closer to achieving the goal. Another discourse community within Central Piedmont community college is Public Speaking. Public Speaking is a community where a person or student would learn the basics of giving a speech. This community contains a teacher who is the leader and students who follow the directions of the leader. This community takes place in a more comfortable environment for the students. Rather than meeting in a classroom, like Community 1. These meetings may take place in various places, in a lounge, outside on a lawn if the weather permits, but most of the time in an auditorium setting. The teachers goals are to make the students feel more confident and comfortable with themselves so that eventually they are able to give great speeches. The students do not very from different ages, or race in this community. The students are around the exact same age arraigning anywhere from twenty five to thirty years old. The majority of the community is African American and only two students in the community are

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male. The teacher is also a male. The teacher always looks professional, and the students casual. Languages that are used in this community are more formal because the teacher is more relaxed and laid back. The teacher has a relationship with the students so that they are comfortable with be themselves in the class. The environment is not really all that professional. The teacher may wear jeans, and a collar shirt, shorts, sandals and the class discussion is not so much a lecture but the teacher is has conversations with the class as a whole. In this community we teach ourselves with the teacher (being the leader) as a guide. The form of writing through this community is an internet system that is used where the teacher places announcements and assignments, and it is the students responsibility to look in the internet system daily to know where they should be at with all assignments. The writing is set up in sentence format it is in a way where the teacher is connecting with the student. It is forward and to the point however, it has a structured in a way that makes the student feel comfortable in asking questions, or sending a response. The vocabulary that is used in the writing is very professional and clear. It shapes the overall goal by educating the students on what assignments are required and research is needed to become a great public speaker. Anytime the teacher has any announcements or information to provide he informs the students to refer to the internet system. This is the form of communication through writing that is used for this community. The teacher has informed the students that it is easier and more efficient to communicate this way than any other form of communication. The community shapes the writing because it the internet system allows the students to become more familiar with a new form of communication. It gives the students the ability to advance as students. Public Speaking and Sociology are two very different communities however the writing shapes the communities in similar ways. Each community has a common goal and that is

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to education students on the subject of that community. The students in each community are there by choice and want just as much to achieve that as the teachers. Writing shapes the goals in both communities because it is a form of communication that is necessary. Although the writing in each community is very different, without the forms of writing, it would be hard for the each of the communities to fully understand the concept and purpose of why they belong, and need to belong to that community. Each leader of these community writes to the students in a way they feel will best help the students obtain knowledge, and have an understanding of the way different levels of writing will be going forward. The forms of writing prepare the students to achieving the overall goal in life, which is success.