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Fall Research Paper

Centre for Initiatives in Education

FAculty of Arts and Social Sciences

This web site is constructed to fulfill the course requirements for 18.297X Writing Theory and Practice. It presents some of my intersts and my work in this course.

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It can be argued that everyone educated or not is a member of a discourse community. Criteria as simple as sex, nationality, ethnicity defines a discourse community. Although everyone is a member of a discourse community, not every member of society is a member of an academic discourse community. True by law every child under the age of sixteen must attend school regularly I am speaking of a post-secondary academic discourse community. Even though it seems that more and more people are pursuing post-secondary education in one form or another, it is still a small percentage of the population who truly fit into this large discourse community. The university discourse community as a whole is very large and broad in its definition. Although as a university student I am a member of this large discourse community I will be focusing on the discourse community of a specific discipline. Although a university student is a member of the larger discourse community each individual student chooses to become a member of smaller discourse communities based on their choice of career in combination with their interests and talents. I myself have an interest in history, as that is where my interests and talents lie, but the history discourse community is large it itself therefore I will be examining the specific discourse community of American History. I will examine the discipline as a discourse community as well as the rage of genres within the discourse community. I will also be examining and giving an overview of a student’s apprenticeship in the specific community. I will then analyze my own progress in joining the discourse community, and explain why I want to become a member of this community.

American History as a discourse community

American history is relatively young as a discourse community. The history of the United States as we know it, only goes back five hundred years. In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain and discovered the American Continent. From there, the first settlement on what is present day American was in 1620 at Plymouth Massachusetts. The United States as a country declared independence from Great Britain in 1776. Although there is prior history, the discourse community of American History was born July fourth 1776. The discourse community has grown and expanded for the past two hundred and twenty four years. When compared to a discourse community like Canadian history, which only has one hundred and thirty three years of existence, it can be considered an older discourse community. But still if it were compared to say the community of the history of England, which has existed for more than one thousand years or even a discourse community which examines the history of the city of Jerusalem which is over four thousand years old. Although these are all separate discourse communities unto themselves, the members of these discourse communities are also all members of the larger discourse community of History. The origin of this particular genre of discourse communities is such an integral part of our society, that to pinpoint an exact date as the birth and origins of this discourse community is impossible. History as a genre and not as a discourse community is as old as we as a civilization are.

The purpose of this particular discourse community is very apparent by its name alone. History, more specifically American History, it can be argued that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The very nature of the discourse community and its membership is to further this goal. The social functions of this discourse community can be defined as several different things. This particular type of community has many different goals, which vary from member to member. Each member studies and views the nature of the discourse community in a different way. But to an outsider, and even to its members, how is this group of people, both academics and non-academics defined as a discourse community? Swales, “proposes six defining characteristics that will be necessary and sufficient for identifying a group of individuals as a discourse community.” (Swales, p25).

A discourse community has a broadly agreed set of common public goals. American History as a discourse community has a broadly agreed set of common public goals. To examine and discuss the history of the United States of America. To analyze the origins of the country and to learn from the mistakes and wonders of the past to help shape the future.

A discourse community has mechanisms of intercommunication among its members. Like any academic discourse community, the community as a whole has a several means of communication among itself. And not just intercommunication at one branch of the discourse community, for example the History Department at Carleton University has means of communicating with the History Department at University of Ottawa. It has different means of communication within its own particular membership; this is done through lectures, tutorial groups, seminars, study groups and even one on one between professors and students.

A discourse community uses its participatory mechanism primarily to provide information and feedback. Swale’s describes this as being an “uptake of informational opportunities.” (Swales, p 26). One aspect of this informational feedback is provided through the payment of dues, in this particular discourse community it is referred to as tuition. To be a fully-fledged recognized member of this discourse community a large sum of money referred to, as tuition must be paid in order to be granted membership into the community. As well the university’s discourse community and the smaller discourse community in the form of the history department have additional requirements for entrance to the discourse community. A person wishing to enter this discourse community must have a certain level of education, and received a certain level of achievement in that education. Although there are other ways to enter the discourse community this is the most commonly practiced method.

A discourse community utilizes and hence possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims. This academic discourse community like other academic discourse communities posses genre. Giltrow describes genre as form plus situation (Giltrow, 1995 p21). The academic discourse of community of History possesses many different forms and situations, which coagulate into different types of genres. Merely a difference in the type of history studied by different members of the community is a sign of a difference in genre types. The forms and situations of one particular area of history may differ from other parts of the discipline, yet are all intertwined with the commonalities of what history is as a discourse community.

In addition to owning genres, a discourse community has acquired some specific lexis. All academic genres have developed their own lexis. An example of that can be found in this essay. Words such as “genre” and “discourse community” are specific to the academic discourse community of Linguistics and English. This is not to say that these words are not used in other discourse communities. It is meant, that they are more frequently used and associated with their specific discourse community.

A discourse community has a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise. The membership in the academic discourse community of History changes frequently and rapidly. Although it is usually the movement of novice members rather than experts. Membership is granted when an individual wanting that membership fits a certain level of criteria as outlined above. Most people when entering the community are considered novices, and the length of time they spend in the community determines their position. A member who has achieved a level of teaching for example is considered to be an expert, whereas a first year student new to the community is considered a novice. Leaving the community can be both a voluntary and involuntary action. A member who simply wishes to leave the community can do so easily. A member who does not meet the expectations and standards laid out both by the specific community and the larger community of the university can be asked to leave the community.

Range of genres within the community

The oral and written range of a member of this academic discourse community is concise and broad. The discipline of History requires a member to devote much time to readings, research and writing. Unlike other disciplines, writing and other oral presentations in the primary means of intercommunication between members. It is how members express ideas and specific thought pertaining to certain aspects of the discipline and the genres within. Essay writing and the extrapolation of ideas through this means as described by thesis and other academic writing tools is the infrastructure of the academic discipline. Giltrow discuses the idea of genre developing because of the existence of these academic discourse communities. “The new conceptualizations of genre gave researchers a way of talking about these similarities not as rules but as signs of common group among communities of readers and writers: shared attitudes, practices, positions in the world, habits of being.” (Giltrow p22). Giltrow brings forward the idea, that the ideologies of this group that makes it an academic discourse community according to Swales, is what creates genre. The forms and situations that exist and are created by discourse community is what bring about this new conceptualization of genre. Although a majority of the members of this community are writers, many are also considered readers. Novice members in particular are not experienced enough and lack the expertise to properly formulate a brand new idea. Most of their ideas expressed in their writing is borrowed and regurgitated from other writers that they have read. These novices’ writers are taught to absorb, analyze and synthesize ideas from other members of the discourse community. It is through this constant manner of reexamining others ideas, that these novice members become more experienced and experts in their community, possibly with the hopes of new novice members of the community to take their ideas and repeat the process. It is the use of genre that maintains the stability within the academic discourse community.

Students apprenticeship in this community

An individual wishing to enter this discourse community usual has this community in mind before s/he even applies to become a member. Most academic discourse communities require a form of prerequisite to even be considered for entrance to the community. This is done through prior education usually at the secondary school level. In the case of history, the prerequisites are few. For example and Ontario Secondary School Student wishing to apply into the history program at Carleton University simply needs to meet the required grade in Senior level English and other courses of a similar genre, social sciences. Unlike other disciplines the requirements to gain entrance are few, but the skill and talents required by the person seeking membership must be of a specific genre. In most cases a person wishing to enter the discipline of history, not only must possess a passion for the subject and area of interest, but also requires more advanced verbal and writing skills than that required for a person entering the discipline of Engineering. Although all people seeking post-secondary education have the ability to read and write and a more advanced level, those entering the discipline of the Arts must quickly learn to focus and strengthen those skills.

A person wishing to become a full member of the community must want to become a member. This meaning that a person taking a history course for general interest does not have the same level of membership as someone who has specifically chosen to enter that discipline. Full membership is granted to the person who conforms to the criteria outlined by the discourse community they are attempting to enter. Success in this community teaches the individual to become a generalist, which is the type of person that employers seek. This particular discipline teachers the individual a wide variety of skills that they must personally fine tune in order to maintain membership status. Although once a certain level of membership is achieved in the form of a university degree, that membership becomes permanent. The Bachelor’s of Arts (B.A.) in History is a public form of identification given to members of the discourse community that achieved that level of success and membership. It is a means of showing that a certain level of maturity and academic stature has been reached. In order to reach that level of stature that individual has put much time effort and energies into the discourse community and its continual growth.

Analysis on personal progress in joining the community

Although I am considered a novice in the discourse community that I am currently a member, I have not achieved full membership in the academic discourse community of History at Carleton University. The skills I possess and have been refining over the past two years will serve me in my application for admittance to this discourse community. Even though the requirements for entrance depend of achieving a certain level of academic achievement and excellence, keeping that status of a member requires the ability to expand my skills as a writer and as a reader. Although I am equipped with the basic skills to succeed in the discourse community and expansion and improvement of these ideas is necessary to succeed at the desired level. Future activities in the discourse community will not differ much from my academic activities to date. Although they are different discourse communities they have many similar genres both being members of the Arts and Social Sciences discourse community. The fluidity of this larger community allows easy transition for members between smaller more specific disciplines. A refinement of my writing and reading skills as well as an improvement of my study skills is necessary to succeed in my desired discourse community. Advice given to me on this matter was encouraging and constructive. I was instructed to continue to attempt to succeed at a high level and to continue on exploring my ambitious passion for this discipline.

Value of joining discourse community

The value of joining the specific discourse community is a personal decision made by every individual who enters a post-secondary discourse community. My reasons for wanting to join the academic discourse community and discipline of history are due to my growing skills as a writer and a reader. As well my personal desire to explore this discipline. A history degree creates a generalist type person, an individual who is adaptable and needed in today’s fast paced and changing society.

It can be argued that everyone educated or not is a member of a discourse community. Criteria as simple as sex, nationality, ethnicity defines a discourse community. Although everyone is a member of a discourse community, not every member of society is a member of an academic discourse community. True by law every child under the age of sixteen must attend school regularly I am speaking of a post-secondary academic discourse community. Even though it seems that more and more people are pursuing post-secondary education in one form or another, it is still a small percentage of the population who truly fit into this large discourse community. The university discourse community as a whole is very large and broad in its definition. Although as a university student I am a member of this large discourse community I will be focusing on the discourse community of a specific discipline. Although a university student is a member of the larger discourse community each individual student chooses to become a member of smaller discourse communities based on their choice of career in combination with their interests and talents. I myself have an interest in history, as that is where my interests and talents lie, but the history discourse community is large it itself therefore I will be examining the specific discourse community of American History. I will examine the discipline as a discourse community as well as the rage of genres within the discourse community. I will also be examining and giving an overview of a student’s apprenticeship in the specific community. I will then analyze my own progress in joining the discourse community, and explain why I want to become a member of this community.

The academic discourse community and discipline of history, at Carleton University trains and prepares an individual to be easily adaptable in the work force. Examining a discussion of my discipline as a discourse community and defining why it is a discourse community made this conclusion. Also a look at the range of genres within the specific community. Also by giving an overview of a students apprenticeship in this community and an analysis of my own progress in joining this discourse community. Finally looking and the value and the benefits of joining the discourse community. These criteria are what define a university student as a member of a larger discourse community in which each individual student chooses to become a member of smaller discourse communities based on their choice of career in combination with their interests and talents.

Bibliography

Giltrow, Janet. (1995). Academic Writing. pp21-22 Canada: broadview press

Swales, John. (1991). The concept of discourse community. pp23-27

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