Transcript Graduate student association Interview with president of Graduate student association M. Abdullah Alghafes 1) What are the shared goals of the community? Why does this group exist? What does it do? · Focusing on graduate students · Help them with their academic life · Offered the graduate students the academic assistant · Make an activities for the graduate students like · Help the graduate students to get a scholarship from the university 2) What mechanisms do members use to communicate with each other (meetings, phone calls, email, text messages, newsletters, reports, evaluation forms, etc.)? -They are using 1- email 2- Face book 3- Twitter 4- cellphones (only emergence calls) 3) What are the purposes of each of these mechanisms of communication (i.e to improve performance, make money, grow better roses, share research, etc.)? · They are using these mechanisms of communication because they believe that it will be easier for members to communicate with each other 4) Which of the above mechanisms of communication can be considered genres (textual responses to recurring situations that all group members recognize and understand)? · Emails, because if they have any problem they can go back and check the emails between the members 5) What kinds of specialized language (lexis) do group members use in their conversation and in their genres (name some examples—ESL, on the fly, 86, etc.)? What communicative function does this lexis serve (i.e. why say “86” instead of “we are out of this”?)? -board = executive board of the club - Officer = the meeting between the members and the club advisor -they have members using different languages like Arabic, French, Spanish,… to communicate with members because it’s an international club. 6) Who are “old-timers” with expertise? Who are the newcomers with less expertise? How do newcomers learn the appropriate language, genres, and knowledge of the group? · The old members always trying to help the new members by teaching them the work rolls, tech them the specialized language, and keep them on the track. 2 RAAB Discourse Community Ethnography (DCE) Assignment Goals for this assignment: 1. Learn and use tools for analyzing a discourse community’s practices 2. Begin to understand empirical research (develop an understanding through observation/experimentation) 3. Practice writing about primary research The Task: · Choose a discourse community that has impacted you or interests you and find a preliminary answer to this research question: “What are the goals and characteristics of this discourse community?” Also, conclusion effectively answers the research question “Is X a discourse community?” · The group or organization you choose may be one that is related to your major or your field of interest. You will need my approval if you wish to persuade me to accep ...

1. Transcript
Graduate student association
Interview with president of Graduate student association M.
Abdullah Alghafes
1) What are the shared goals of the community? Why does this
group exist? What does it do?
· Focusing on graduate students
· Help them with their academic life
· Offered the graduate students the academic assistant
· Make an activities for the graduate students like
· Help the graduate students to get a scholarship from the
university
2) What mechanisms do members use to communicate with each
other (meetings, phone calls, email, text messages, newsletters,
reports, evaluation forms, etc.)?
-They are using 1- email
2- Face book
3- Twitter
4- cellphones (only emergence calls)
3) What are the purposes of each of these mechanisms of
communication (i.e to improve performance, make money, grow
better roses, share research, etc.)?
· They are using these mechanisms of communication because
they believe that it will be easier for members to communicate
with each other
4) Which of the above mechanisms of communication can be
considered genres (textual responses to recurring situations that
all group members recognize and understand)?
· Emails, because if they have any problem they can go back
and check the emails between the members
5) What kinds of specialized language (lexis) do group members
use in their conversation and in their genres (name some
examples—ESL, on the fly, 86, etc.)? What communicative

2. function does this lexis serve (i.e. why say “86” instead of “we
are out of this”?)?
-board = executive board of the club
- Officer = the meeting between the members and the club
advisor
-they have members using different languages like Arabic,
French, Spanish,… to communicate with members because it’s
an international club.
6) Who are “old-timers” with expertise? Who are the
newcomers with less expertise? How do newcomers learn the
appropriate language, genres, and knowledge of the group?
· The old members always trying to help the new members by
teaching them the work rolls, tech them the specialized
language, and keep them on the track.
2
RAAB
Discourse Community Ethnography (DCE) Assignment
Goals for this assignment:
1. Learn and use tools for analyzing a discourse community’s
practices
2. Begin to understand empirical research (develop an
understanding through observation/experimentation)
3. Practice writing about primary research
The Task:
· Choose a discourse community that has impacted you or
interests you and find a preliminary answer to this research
question: “What are the goals and characteristics of this
discourse community?” Also, conclusion effectively answers the
research question “Is X a discourse community?”
· The group or organization you choose may be one that is
related to your major or your field of interest. You will need
my approval if you wish to persuade me to accept another type

3. of group.
Collect Data:
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 is in and who is out?)
Collect anything people in that community read or write (their
genres)—even very short things like forms, football plays,
notes, IMs, and text messages
· Attend at least one group meeting and take field notes
pertaining to communications practices as specified by Swales.
· Interview at least one member of the discourse community
(record and transcribe the interview) You might ask things like,
“How long have you been here? Why are you involved? What do
X, Y, and Z words mean? How did you learn to write A,B, or C?
How do you communicate with other people (on your team, in
your restaurant, etc.)?
Use Swales to Analyze the Data:
Analyze the data you collect using the six characteristics of
Swales’ discourse community.
1) What are the shared goals of the community? Why does this
group exist? What does it do?
2) What mechanisms do members use to communicate with each
other (meetings, phone calls, email, text messages, newsletters,
reports, evaluation forms, etc.)?
3) What are the purposes of each of these mechanisms of
communication (i.e to improve performance, make money, grow
better roses, share research, etc.)?
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—ESL, on the fly, 86, etc.)? What communicative

4. function does this lexis serve (i.e. why say “86” instead of “we
are out of this”?)?
6) Who are “old-timers” with expertise? Who are the
newcomers with less expertise? How do newcomers learn the
appropriate language, genres, and knowledge of the group?
Write about your Findings:
· In 4-5 pages, write about what you found in answer to the
research question.
· Begin with a short literature review—“we know X about
discourse communities—cite Swales
· Name a niche (“But we don’t know Y” or “No one has looked
at X”)
· Explain how you will occupy the niche
· Describe your research methods
· Discuss your findings in detail (Use Mirabelli or one of the
student essays as an example of how to do this—quote and
paraphrase from your field notes, your interview/s, the texts we
read, etc.)
· Include many supporting details/evidence from your
interviews, from your field notes, and other written materials
you may collect
· Organizes essay so that it is coherent: Use these Headings:
Title, Background on topic/group, Discourse
Communities/Literature Review: What is known about
Discourse Communities from Swales, Methods, Results
(subheadings under results: Shared Goals/Interests/Mechanisms
of Communication, Purpose of Mechanisms, Genres, Lexis,
Expertise), Relevance and/or Conclusion.
· Provide appropriate in-text citations from the above sources
· Include a correct works cited page
What will you turn in?
· All the data that you collected, including observation/field
notes, interview questions, transcriptions, and at least two text

5. samples (from research) ALL TYPPED AND FORMATTED
CORRECTLY.
· Final Draft of your analysis/essay Including Works Cited
· Peer Feedback if you did a peer review
SEE Rubric for Evaluation Criteria