Here is one of the student example's we looked at in class. It's a good essay, but it still could be improved. The conclusion needs developments, and there needs to be more of a focus on language or writing. Finally, this student doesn't include parenthetical references for quotes. Still, it might be helpful to look at how this student uses the readings to analyze this specific discourse community. This student also does well to find and occupy a niche.
Student
English
308J
Matt
Vetter
March
13, 2012
How a Pledge Becomes an Active:
An Ethnographic Study of a Phi
Gamma Nu Professional Business Fraternity
Through the publications of scholars
in the field of discourse communities, including John Swales, James Gee, Anna
Johns, and Elizabeth Wardle, we can begin to understand the complexity behind
the discourse communities in which we are a part of. A discourse community is more than a community
that has a particular pattern of speech and actions limited to its members only.
According to John Swales, an influential analyst of written communication, a
discourse community is the center of a set of ideas rather than the sign of a
settled notion (Swales). Swales believes that the study of applied linguistics
and literacy within discourse communities should focus on social practices, and
he suggests that there are specific defining characteristics and social
practices that must be met in order for a group to be considered a discourse
community. These six characteristics, defined by Swales, are essential in
helping to distinguish what a discourse community is (Swales).
Swales suggests that in order for a
group of individuals to identify themselves as a discourse community they must
have a broad set of common goals, means of intercommunication, mechanisms used
to provide information and feedback to members, they must also utilize and
possess at least one genre in the communicative furtherance of its aims, have
some sort of specific lexis, and have a threshold level of members (Swales).
Although six criteria may initially seem rigid, after examining all of Swales’
characteristics, I realized that discourse communities are everywhere, I just
hadn’t noticed in the past. While Swales focuses on basic criteria and
discourse communities independent of one another, James Gee addresses the idea
that belonging to more than one discourse community can create conflict.
In “Literacy, Discourse, and
Linguistics,” Gee asserts that different views, values, beliefs, and attitudes
can create a constant conflict between discourse communities. He believes that
everyone has a primary discourse to which they belong, and their main discourse
community, which is usually their family unit, provides a primary set of views,
values, beliefs, and attitudes that help them become a part of secondary
discourse communities (Gee). Gee argues that when examining discourse
communities, language and grammar are not important, but rather the combination
of doing, being, valuing, and believing in a particular community in order to
create an identity for yourself within that discourse. According to Gee, when a
secondary discourse has different views, attitudes, values, or beliefs than a
primary discourse conflicts are created (Gee).
Differing views, attitudes, values,
or beliefs between discourse communities are not the only cause of conflict. In
“Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice,” Anna Johns adds to Gee’s
theory about conflict. According to Johns, conflicts within communities can
arise out of costs of affiliation and issues of authority, among other things
(Johns). Johns states that conflicts caused by the cost of affiliation to a
particular community may have the capacity to change and shape the community’s
overall goals. Different discourse communities require different initiatory
processes that must be completed by potential members in order to become
initiated into the community. The level of contribution that these processes
require impacts the cost of affiliation that members or potential members
experience (Johns).
When conflicts arise because of cost
of affiliation major trade-offs must be made by the individual that could
create personal and social distance between them and their primary discourse
community. How much an individual is willing to sacrifice in order to become
part of a new secondary discourse can affect their identity within that
community. In “Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces,”
Elizabeth Wardle quotes Sociologist Etienne Wenger’s theory of communities of
practice. According to Elizabeth Wardle, identities within discourse
communities are highly affected by the picture we build of our position during
the beginning stages of belonging (Wardle 173). Wenger suggests that in order
to understand identity formation within a secondary discourse we must consider
three distinct modes of belonging: engagement, imagination, and alignment.
Johns and Wardle use the workplace
and academia in order to examine modes of belonging and the affects of cost of
affiliation. While these communities are satisfactory in portraying their
theories and ideas, I believe that it would be helpful to additionally examine
these Wardle’s Modes of Belonging theory using a different, more informal
discourse community as an example. I will occupy this niche by observing a
student organization I am involved in at Ohio University. Through this
observation, I will further illustrate the importance of the three distinct modes
of belonging when becoming a member of a new discourse community.
Phi
Gamma Nu Professional Business Fraternity
Since enrolling in Ohio University,
my highest level of involvement aside from academics has been devoted to Phi
Gamma Nu Professional Business Fraternity. Phi Gam is a student led
organization dedicated to improving members’ professional skills in order to
help them gain the tools needed to be successful after college. Although its
members are predominantly students in the College of Business, all majors are
considered for initiation into the community.
In order to become a member of Phi Gamma
Nu, potential new members must participate in a competitive four day rush
process followed by a quarter long pledging process through which they must prove
their dedication and complete a number of tasks. During rush it is vital that potential new
members meet as many old members as possible in order to gain interpersonal
relationships and be offered an invitation to partake in the pledging process. This
ten week probationary period is when potential new members must demonstrate the
three distinct modes of belonging. Acceptance as a new member into the
fraternity is a competitive process and there is no guarantee of success. Phi
Gam is a close group of friends bonded by their universal involvement in their
discourse community; these friendships are created because membership requires
a lot of time and dedication from its members. Many members sacrifice time that
would otherwise be spent with other discourse communities once they are a part
of Phi Gamma Nu.
This
complex discourse community meets all six of Swales’ defining characteristics.
It is agreed upon by all members that our goals involve enhancing
professionalism through mechanisms created by past members. These goals
highlight Phi Gam’s values, morals, expectations, beliefs, and aspirations. Furthermore,
in order to communicate effectively there are several mediums or environments
of communication that are frequently utilized in order to relay messages
between members including weekly meetings, e-mails, flyers, and text messaging.
Also, Phi Gamma Nu uses these participatory mechanisms primarily to provide
information and feedback to members, in addition to possessing more than one
communicative genre in the furtherance of its aims. Phi Gam has acquired
specific lexis that isolates the community from outsiders and helps members
understand important information. Outsiders of the community would not be able
to follow an entire meeting because of specific vocabulary used by members.
Finally, Phi Gamma Nu experiences quarterly shifts in members when new members
are initiated and old members graduate (Swales).
Methodology
I incorporated a number of different
methods in order to collect data for this ethnographic study. First and
foremost I pulled from firsthand experience I have gained since becoming a
member of the fraternity. However, a fresh outlook is needed in order to obtain
unbiased data that correctly reflects the views and opinions of members of a
discourse community. To begin to collect data I observed members of the
community while they were engaged in a meeting and took detailed notes. I
recorded the goals of the meeting and the steps they took to achieve those
goals in addition to any specific lexis used that might not be understood by an
outsider. I also paid close attention when members expressed what other
commitments they had and recorded what I observed. Also, I observed all of the
community’s genres, or all the things that people in the discourse community
read or write. These included e-mails, flyers, notes taken by members during
meetings, and the fraternity’s website. To complete my data collection I
interviewed a fellow member of Phi Gamma Nu and recorded and transcribed the
information.
For the purpose of this ethnographic
study, I interviewed my roommate, Michelle Larson. Michelle is a respected
member of this discourse community and has been a member for over a year. Modes
of belonging are demonstrated by members who are going through the pledging
process, and Michelle is the current Pledge Educator. Her job is to be the
liaison between active members and pledging members which allows her to observe
many aspects of the pledging process I would otherwise not know about outside
of personal experience. I thought her experience in this leadership position
would provide valuable information for the purpose of my study.
The first step in the interview process
was to draft questions. My first interview questions followed the mold of
Swales’ six characteristics of discourse communities. I asked Michellehow Phi
Gam satisfies each of the six criteria and recorded her answers. After
observing generalized interview questions, I proceeded to create some questions
that were specific to the three modes of belonging within Phi Gamma Nu. Once I
reviewed all of the data that I collected, I chose to highlight information
that was focused on modes of belonging within Phi Gamma Nu and how it compared
to Wardle’s findings.
Results
Modes
of Belonging
In Elizabeth Wardle’s “Identity,
Authority and Learning to Write in New Workplaces,” she describes three different
modes that newcomers use in order to create a sense of identity or belonging
within a new discourse community. These three distinct modes of belonging
include engagement, imagination and alignment. Out of the three modes,
engagement usually occurs first for individuals trying to gain membership into
a new discourse community. Engagement requires access to and interaction with
already established members of the discourse community and the ability to take
part in important activities (Wardle). Put simply, engagement involves the
interactions between newcomers and old timers in order to begin to develop
relationships.
When interviewing Kelly, I asked
questions organized among these three different modes. With regards to
engagement, I first asked when engagement typically occurs for potential new
members of Phi Gamma Nu. According to Kelly, it is imperative for new members
to show engagement during the rush process in order to be offered an invitation
to participate in the ten week probationary pledging process. In addition to
the typical time of engagement, I also asked Michellewhat the positive and
negative effects of engagement are on potential new members. Michelle explained
that if a new member establishes good interpersonal relationships with old
members then acceptance into the pledging process is more likely and adapting
to the goals of the fraternity is easier. However, if a new member fails to
engage then an invitation to pledge is less likely, and even if offered the
opportunity, success during the process is slim. Michelle’s opinions on engagement
were very similar to the data I collected through personal experience and
observation. Since being a part of this discourse community I have noticed that
failure to engage lowers the success rate in the long run while achieving
engagement will promote success. Wardle explains that while
engagement can be positive, "a lack of mutuality in the course of
engagement creates relations of marginality that can reach deeply into
[newcomers'] identities" (Wardle). The data that I collected in
regards to engagement further proves Wardle’s claims.
The next necessary mode of belonging,
according to Wenger, is imagination. Imagination follows engagement and
requires new members to begin to form their own identity within a discourse
community. After a new member is accepted and acclimated to the group it is
important that they accept the common goal of the community and begin to expand
upon it using their own ideas. Wenger explains that imagination requires the
ability to explore, take risks, and create unlikely connections (Wardle).
During our interview, I asked Michelle about the importance of imagination in
new members and the consequences of both good and bad ideas. Michelle asserted that
it is extremely important for new members to be imaginative because they are
the future of our organization. More specifically, without fresh ideas from new
members Phi Gam’s progress would become stagnant over time. Michelle stressed
the importance of evolution and fresh ideas in order to remain a strong
discourse community. Not all new ideas are accepted by the community, however, and
no matter if the idea is good or bad it still affects the future of the new
member. Through personal experience and observation I have noticed that if a
new member offers ideas and goals that are accepted by established members then
that specific member is looked at as having potential for leadership within Phi
Gamma Nu. On the other hand however, if the group does not accept the new
ideas, it can cause a conflict which can result in the new member not being
accepted after the pledging process. This is exactly what Wenger explains. She
argues that while imagination can lead to a positive
mode of belonging, it can also "be disconnected and ineffective,” it can
be so detached from a communities goals it has a negative effect on the success
of becoming a member of a new discourse community (Wardle).
Once a member has been accepted into a
group and has proven themselves through the mode of imagination, the last step
is alignment. During alignment, the new member creates deeper relationships
with the older, more established members. In addition, boundaries are created
and the common goals of the group are more closely aligned with the new member
in question. After proving themselves as a good member to the community, a new
member may develop close personal relationships with some of the older members
with which they share common ideas. To further examine this, I asked Michelle when
alignment occurs for potential new members of Phi Gamma Nu and asked her to
explain the importance of alignment. All of her answers were similar to what I
believed to be true. She explained that alignment typically occurs during the
last couple weeks of the pledging process and continues over a former new
member’s first quarter as an active member. Michelle explained that if a new
member does not experience alignment with any old members then the transition
from “pledge” to “active” is much more difficult. This data shows that Wenger’s
theory about alignment holds true in Phi Gamma Nu. According to Wenger, quoted
by Wardle, through alignment we become part of something big because we do what
it takes to play our part (Wardle). It is almost impossible to become a part of
Phi Gamma Nu without any alignment to old members and common goals.
Conclusion
The research I conducted in this
ethnographic study on Phi Gamma Nu Professional Business Fraternity further
explains Wenger’s theory of the three distinct modes of belonging as explained
by Elizabeth Wardle. While my research further explains modes of belonging, there
are still many more ideas associated with discourse communities that can be
studied in the future in order to expand understanding.
Works
Cited
Gee, James. "Literacy,
Discourse, and Linguistics." Writing about Writing. Ed. Elizabeth
Wardle and Doug Downs. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2011. Print.
Johns, Ann. "Discourse
Communities and Communities of Practice." Writing about Writing.
Ed. Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2011. Print.
Lawson, Kelly. Personal interview. 9
Mar. 2012.
Swales, Johns. "The Concept of
Discourse Community." Writing about Writing. Ed. Elizabeth
Wardle and Doug Downs. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2011. Print.
Wardle, Elizabeth. "Identity,
Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces." Writing about
Writing. Ed. Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin,
2011. Print.
Appendix
A
Interview
Questions
6
Characteristics of a Discourse Community
1.
What are the shared goals of the
community; why does this group exist and what does it do?
2.
What mechanisms do members use to
communicate with each other (meetings, phone calls, e-mail, text messages,
newsletters, reports, evaluation forms, and so on)?
3.
What are the purposes of each of
these mechanisms of communication?
4.
Which of the above mechanisms of
communication can be considered genres (textual responses to recurring
situations that all group members recognize and understand)?
5.
What kinds of specialized language (lexis)
do group members use in their conversation and in their genres? Name some
examples. What communicative function does this lexis serve?
6.
Who are the “old-timers” with
expertise? Who are the newcomers with less experience? How do newcomers learn
the appropriate language, genres, knowledge of the group?
Modes of
Belonging
1.
When
does engagement typically occur for potential new members of Phi Gamma Nu?
2.
What
are the positive and negative effects of engagement on potential new members?
3.
Explain
the importance of imagination in new members.
4.
What
are the consequences bad ideas by potential new members of Phi Gamma Nu?
5.
What
are some benefits have offering good ideas as a potential new member of Phi
Gamma Nu?
6.
When
does alignment typically occurs for potential new members of Phi Gamma Nu
7.
Explain
the importance of alignment for potential new members of Phi Gamma Nu.
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