Running head: DISCOURSE COMMUNITY 1

Discourse Community Ethnography

Carlos Fuentes

The University of Texas at El Paso

RWS-1301

Dr. Vierra

September 27, 2018

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Abstract

This paper has no abstract.

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Discourse Community Ethnography

Using the characteristics of a discourse community by Swales, we can see that this class

is a discourse community. Swales understood that there are many diverse groups in our society.

Discourse communities cannot be properly identified because there was not a set definition.

Without a clear definition of discourse communities, you could say the RWS1301 class is the

same as your average high school party, or NASA headquarters. With the clear characteristics

given by Swales, we can deduce that the RWS 1301 is its own unique discourse community.

Literature Review

John Swales helped further knowledge on discourse communities by observing different

communities and finding six similar traits. “The Concept of Discourse Community” by John

Swales (1990) reveals that discourse communities and speech communities both have similar

imprecise definitions. Swales says that the vague definition gave the world a “circularity

problem” because it could be interpreted differently from person to person. Swales chose to view

this as not a meek definition for both, but an attempt to rule those out of the definition. That

would make the two separate definitions like a Venn diagram. Swales found six unique assets of

a discourse community. Discourse communities have: common public goals,

intercommunication, provide information and feedback, multiple genres, a specific lexis, and has

different levels of constantly changing expertise.

Kain and Wardle (2014) show how people meet our social needs by using tools that

adapt. From physical tool such as a hammer, to a nonphysical tool like language. Language is

often taken for granted but it is our most powerful tool because it allows for interaction between

members. In society, we also have different groups that each have their own division of power.

They are divided based on the activity systems. Activity systems work by having motives to
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want to achieve a goal, then they “use tools to accomplish their object(ives) and achieve their

intended Outcomes.” Another interesting trait about activity systems is that they are not set in

stone. Kain and Wardle state that change is what keeps an activity system running. Activity

systems change as tools, knowledge, and times change.

Discourse communities according to Porter (2016) discourse communities are stronger

than individuals. Porter says that discourse communities helps individuals become stronger than

they would ever have been going solo. Porter has a section in his work titled, “The Power of

Discourse Community” (p. 545) and it goes into a great amount of detail and gives examples of

how discourse communities help individuals become greater than they already are. One example

Porter uses is the Declaration of Independence. He looks towards the author, Thomas Jefferson,

and shows how he was heavily influenced by his discourse community and that he couldn’t have

written all of that with just his previous knowledge and his skill.

Discourse communities allow the individuals to exceed their skills and become stronger

as a unit. This is mostly because everyone is all driven by the same public common goal. Swales

and Porter’s ideas are connected by the discourse community characteristic of a public common

goal. Discourse communities are also connected to the RWS 1301 class because the students can

help each other revise and become stronger writers together and eventually get their degrees.

Methods

For research to be considered credible; they need to use interview, surveying, and

observation. They allow for accurate firsthand experiences of the topic subject.

Interview is a method to obtaining data. Interviews allow you to get information straight

from the source. Contrary to popular belief, not all interviews are done with two people face to
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face. Interviews could occur when a reader reads an article. The reader then becomes the

interviewer and the author becomes the interviewee. The RWS 1301 class allows the students to

interview various authors in the different articles we read.

Surveying is the method of gathering information where the researcher asks questions

and then receives their answer. Surveys allow for a more precise way of getting information.

Instead of asking a broad question, you ask a specific set of questions. The most popular way of

Surveying in RWS 1301 is searching google. It takes slightly more work to survey google and

find a credible source, but it is reliable and fast.

Observation is seeing something with your own eyes. Observation is arguably the most

credible. While hearsay is a factor which takes away some credibility, firsthand witnesses are

very credible. A researcher can travel to observe their research topic first hand and fully

understand and be able to give a credible report. In class we did an assignment where we

observed our surroundings and proved that our classes are a discourse community.

Discussion

The RWS 1301 classroom exhibits characteristics of a discourse community because it

shares common public goals. According to Swales, a discourse community is driven by a

common public goal. The class shows this trait because all the students included are taking the

class for their degree plan. With the degree plan in mind as a goal, the students work together.

Intercommunication is also visible in the RWS 1301 course. It is seen when the students

log into blackboard or their student email account. This is in accordance with Swales because the

student email account allows students and professors to communicate. Blackboard also includes

a discussion section where students can communicate on a topic. The student email and

Blackboard are useful intercommunication tools for students and professors.

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In the RWS 1301 class, qualities of information and feedback are prominent. Swales

describes discourse communities as having information and the ability to give feedback on that

information. Blackboard is an application that allows students to submit assignments and allow

students to instantaneously give feedback.

Discourse community genres are hidden in plain sight in the RWS 1301 class. A

discourse community genre, according to Swales is a tool for getting information through text. In

the classroom, the professor can create a PowerPoint. The PowerPoint allows all the students to

receive the information while also viewing a visual note related to the subject. The course

textbook is another discourse community genre because it allows information texts to be

available for all members to view.

The RWS 1301 class has its specific form of vocabulary. Swales says that discourse

communities use different a lexis. The language in every discourse community may be slightly

different or vary by a huge margin. Different lexicons are used for business meetings and a

casual get-together. Proper vocabulary is expected for more formal events, while virtually any

vocabulary word or slang is accepted in a casual environment. The RWS 1301 class uses

academic english for its professional vocabulary and approach to writing papers. This is

comparable to Kain and Wardle saying that language is the most powerful tool of a community.

Hierarchy is not only found in England during the middle ages, but also in the RWS 1301

course. Swales’ beliefs state that discourse communities have a hierarchy in them, so they can

continue after the leader leaves. While the leader may not have as much power as a king in the

hierarchical England, he/she still has more knowledge and wisdom than the group. That leader is

none other than the professor of the class. That knowledge is then passed down to the followers.
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Otherwise known as the students. The students learn the professors information then surpass him

by the time the professor dies or retires.

Literature is found in the RWS1301 classroom, mostly the textbooks. The literature we

use, according to Swales, is unique to the group. The textbook for the RWS 1301 is the best

example for this. It is a specialized book that is required for the RWS 1301 class. Another form

of literature is the articles given out by the professor. The articles are not in casual English for

everyone to understand. They are designed for RWS 1301 and others journeying deep into

writing. That proves that the RWS 1301 class does use literature as defined by Swales.

The RWS 1301 class is not the only discourse community students are involved in. Every

student in the RWS 1301 class has other classes; meaning that they have more discourse

communities. Going on with that idea that there are more discourse communities; the football

team, marching band, and student body all have different discourse communities within the

single campus.
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Conclusion

After viewing discourse communities and RWS 1301 under a metaphorical microscope,

we can determine that RWS 1301 is a discourse community according to Swales’ definition.

RWS 1301 has the characteristics defined by Swales and that separates it from a speech

community. While speech communities may have a couple of discourse community traits, they

do not have all six like a discourse community. Therefore, RWS 1301 is a proven discourse

community according to Porter, Wardle, Kain, and Swales.

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References

Kain, D., & Wardle, E. (2014). Activity theory: An introduction for the writing classroom.

Porter James. (2016). Intertextuality and the discourse community. In D. D. Elizabeth Wardle (Ed.), (Third

ed., pp. 542-558) Bedford/St. Martin's.

Swales, J. (1990). The concept of discourse community.