Rhetoric and Writing Studies 1301
Discourse Community Ethnography
Assignment Objective
To help you learn and explore the concept of a discourse community you will be conducting a discourse community ethnography. Choose two discourse communities that have made an impact on you or one that interests you. Develop a preliminary research question: “What are the goals and characteristics of this discourse community?” Find a preliminary answer to this research question for the two chosen discourse communities, and write a five (5) – to six (6) page report that answers your research question based on careful observation of the community. You will also be conducting an analysis of the similarities and differences of the two discourse communities you have chosen.
Do the following for each discourse community you have chosen:
Data Collection
Data Analysis
First, try analyzing the data you collect using the six characteristics of Swales’ discourse community:
After you have written a response to your research question for each discourse community, you are to then do an analysis of how the two discourse communities are similar and different. Provide your analysis of why you believe those differences in each community exist.
Planning and Drafting
As you develop answers to some of these questions, start setting some priorities. Given all you have learned above what do you want to focus on in your paper? Is there something interesting regarding goals of the community? Types of literacies in the community? Lexis and mediating genres? Decide what your refined research question is and how you will answer it.
Your paper ought to have the following parts or make the following moves (unless there’s a good reason not to):
What Makes It Good
Your assignment will be most successful if you’ve carefully followed your instructor’s directions in collecting the required data and if you’ve really focused on your research question in trying to answer it. The assignment asks you to show a clear understanding of what discourse communities are and to demonstrate your ability to analyze them carefully and thoughtfully. And of course your paper should be a strong example of craft: thoughtfully organized, readable, fluent, and well educated.
Adapted from Assignment Option 1. Discourse Community Ethnography Downs and Wardle Writing About Writing page 574.
To help you learn and explore the concept of a discourse community you will be conducting a discourse community ethnography. Choose two discourse communities that have made an impact on you or one that interests you. Develop a preliminary research question: “What are the goals and characteristics of this discourse community?” Find a preliminary answer to this research question for the two chosen discourse communities, and write a five (5) – to six (6) page report that answers your research question based on careful observation of the community. You will also be conducting an analysis of the similarities and differences of the two discourse communities you have chosen.
Do the following for each discourse community you have chosen:
Data Collection
Data Analysis
First, try analyzing the data you collect using the six characteristics of Swales’ discourse community:
After you have written a response to your research question for each discourse community, you are to then do an analysis of how the two discourse communities are similar and different. Provide your analysis of why you believe those differences in each community exist.
Planning and Drafting
As you develop answers to some of these questions, start setting some priorities. Given all you have learned above what do you want to focus on in your paper? Is there something interesting regarding goals of the community? Types of literacies in the community? Lexis and mediating genres? Decide what your refined research question is and how you will answer it.
Your paper ought to have the following parts or make the following moves (unless there’s a good reason not to):
What Makes It Good
Your assignment will be most successful if you’ve carefully followed your instructor’s directions in collecting the required data and if you’ve really focused on your research question in trying to answer it. The assignment asks you to show a clear understanding of what discourse communities are and to demonstrate your ability to analyze them carefully and thoughtfully. And of course your paper should be a strong example of craft: thoughtfully organized, readable, fluent, and well educated.
Adapted from Assignment Option 1. Discourse Community Ethnography Downs and Wardle Writing About Writing 2012 page 574.
To help you learn and explore the concept of a discourse community you will be conducting a discourse community ethnography. Choose two discourse communities that have made an impact on you or one that interests you. Develop a preliminary research question: “What are the goals and characteristics of this discourse community?” Find a preliminary answer to this research question for the two chosen discourse communities, and write a five (5) – to six (6) page report that answers your research question based on careful observation of the community. You will also be conducting an analysis of the similarities and differences of the two discourse communities you have chosen.
Do the following for each discourse community you have chosen:
Data Collection
- Observe members of the discourse community while they are engaged in a shared activity; take detailed notes.
- What are they doing?
- What kinds of things do they say?
- What do they write?
- How do you know who in “in” the community and who is “out”?
- Collect anything people in that community read or wirte (their genres) – even very short things like forms, sketches, notes, IMS and text messages.
- Interview at least one member of the discourse community. Record and transcribe the interview. You might ask things like, “Howe long have you been here? Why are you involved? What do X, Y, and Z words mean? How do you learn to write A, B, or C? How do you communicate with other people [on your team, at your restaurant, etc.]?”
Data Analysis
First, try analyzing the data you collect using the six characteristics of Swales’ discourse community:
- What are the shared goals of the community; why does this group exists and what does it do?
- What mediums or genres do members use to communicate with each other (meetings, phone calls, e-mails, text messages, newsletters, reports, evaluations forms, and so on)?
- What are the purposes of each of these mechanisms of communication (to improve performance, make money, create better customer service, share research, and so forth?)
- Which of the above mechanisms of communication can be considered genres (responses to recurring situations that all group members recognize and understand)?
- What kinds of specialized language (lexis) do group members use in their conversation ad in their genres? Name some examples – ESL, “on the fly,” why say “86” instead of “we are out of this”?
- Who are the “old timers” with expertise? Who are the newcomers with less expertise? How do newcomers learn the appropriate language, genres, knowledge of the group?
- Are there conflicts with the community? If so, why?
- Do some participants in the community have difficulty communicating? Why?
- What are the “modes of belonging” that newcomers are attempting to use?
- What sorts of “multiliteracies” do members of this community posses?
- Are members of this community stereotyped in any way in regard to their literacy knowledge? If so, why?
After you have written a response to your research question for each discourse community, you are to then do an analysis of how the two discourse communities are similar and different. Provide your analysis of why you believe those differences in each community exist.
Planning and Drafting
As you develop answers to some of these questions, start setting some priorities. Given all you have learned above what do you want to focus on in your paper? Is there something interesting regarding goals of the community? Types of literacies in the community? Lexis and mediating genres? Decide what your refined research question is and how you will answer it.
Your paper ought to have the following parts or make the following moves (unless there’s a good reason not to):
- Begin with a very brief review of the existing literature (published research on this topic (“We know X about discourse communities” [cite Swales, Gee, Johns, Mirabelli, and/or Wardle, as appropriate]).
- Name a gap “But we don’t Y” or “No one has looked at X”)
- Explain how your writing will fill that gap.
- Describe your research methods. Discuss your findings in detail (use Mirabelli and Wardle as example of how to do this – quote from your notes, your interview, the texts you collected, and so on).
- Analysis of the similarities and differences of each community.
- Include a References page.
What Makes It Good
Your assignment will be most successful if you’ve carefully followed your instructor’s directions in collecting the required data and if you’ve really focused on your research question in trying to answer it. The assignment asks you to show a clear understanding of what discourse communities are and to demonstrate your ability to analyze them carefully and thoughtfully. And of course your paper should be a strong example of craft: thoughtfully organized, readable, fluent, and well educated.
Adapted from Assignment Option 1. Discourse Community Ethnography Downs and Wardle Writing About Writing page 574.
To help you learn and explore the concept of a discourse community you will be conducting a discourse community ethnography. Choose two discourse communities that have made an impact on you or one that interests you. Develop a preliminary research question: “What are the goals and characteristics of this discourse community?” Find a preliminary answer to this research question for the two chosen discourse communities, and write a five (5) – to six (6) page report that answers your research question based on careful observation of the community. You will also be conducting an analysis of the similarities and differences of the two discourse communities you have chosen.
Do the following for each discourse community you have chosen:
Data Collection
- Observe members of the discourse community while they are engaged in a shared activity; take detailed notes.
- What are they doing?
- What kinds of things do they say?
- What do they write?
- How do you know who in “in” the community and who is “out”?
- Collect anything people in that community read or wirte (their genres) – even very short things like forms, sketches, notes, IMS and text messages.
- Interview at least one member of the discourse community. Record and transcribe the interview. You might ask things like, “Howe long have you been here? Why are you involved? What do X, Y, and Z words mean? How do you learn to write A, B, or C? How do you communicate with other people [on your team, at your restaurant, etc.]?”
Data Analysis
First, try analyzing the data you collect using the six characteristics of Swales’ discourse community:
- What are the shared goals of the community; why does this group exists and what does it do?
- What mediums or genres do members use to communicate with each other (meetings, phone calls, e-mails, text messages, newsletters, reports, evaluations forms, and so on)?
- What are the purposes of each of these mechanisms of communication (to improve performance, make money, create better customer service, share research, and so forth?)
- Which of the above mechanisms of communication can be considered genres (responses to recurring situations that all group members recognize and understand)?
- What kinds of specialized language (lexis) do group members use in their conversation ad in their genres? Name some examples – ESL, “on the fly,” why say “86” instead of “we are out of this”?
- Who are the “old timers” with expertise? Who are the newcomers with less expertise? How do newcomers learn the appropriate language, genres, knowledge of the group?
- Are there conflicts with the community? If so, why?
- Do some participants in the community have difficulty communicating? Why?
- What are the “modes of belonging” that newcomers are attempting to use?
- What sorts of “multiliteracies” do members of this community posses?
- Are members of this community stereotyped in any way in regard to their literacy knowledge? If so, why?
After you have written a response to your research question for each discourse community, you are to then do an analysis of how the two discourse communities are similar and different. Provide your analysis of why you believe those differences in each community exist.
Planning and Drafting
As you develop answers to some of these questions, start setting some priorities. Given all you have learned above what do you want to focus on in your paper? Is there something interesting regarding goals of the community? Types of literacies in the community? Lexis and mediating genres? Decide what your refined research question is and how you will answer it.
Your paper ought to have the following parts or make the following moves (unless there’s a good reason not to):
- Begin with a very brief review of the existing literature (published research on this topic (“We know X about discourse communities” [cite Swales, Gee, Johns, Mirabelli, and/or Wardle, as appropriate]).
- Name a gap “But we don’t Y” or “No one has looked at X”)
- Explain how your writing will fill that gap.
- Describe your research methods. Discuss your findings in detail (use Mirabelli and Wardle as example of how to do this – quote from your notes, your interview, the texts you collected, and so on).
- Analysis of the similarities and differences of each community.
- Include a References page.
What Makes It Good
Your assignment will be most successful if you’ve carefully followed your instructor’s directions in collecting the required data and if you’ve really focused on your research question in trying to answer it. The assignment asks you to show a clear understanding of what discourse communities are and to demonstrate your ability to analyze them carefully and thoughtfully. And of course your paper should be a strong example of craft: thoughtfully organized, readable, fluent, and well educated.
Adapted from Assignment Option 1. Discourse Community Ethnography Downs and Wardle Writing About Writing 2012 page 574.
