https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED286184.pdf

https://writingspaces.org/sites/default/files/melzer-understanding-discourse-communities.pdf

Heuristics prewriting worksheet for Swales article

1.  In your own words, what is a discourse community?

2.  Why is the concept of discourse community important?

3.  How can you tell if a specific group is actually a discourse community?

4.  How is a discourse community different from other groups?

5.  What are some concrete examples of discourse communities?

6.  What would make a discourse community start or end?

7.  Have discourse communities changed since Swales wrote this article?

8.  What are different varieties of discourse community?

9.  How can the concept of a discourse community be useful to you?

10.  What are four groups you belong to that you think are discourse communities?

For each of the groups you listed above, answer the following questions:

 Group name:

 Characteristic 1: Broadly agreed upon set of common goals. What are the goals of this group?

 Characteristic 2: Methods of intercommunications among members. How do the members of this group commonly communicate with one another? What tools do they use to do this?

 Characteristic 3: Uses participatory mechanisms to provide information and feedback. How do you get information about the group? How do you get feedback from the group’s leader (if you are not the leader)? Or how do you provide feedback (if you are the group’s leader)? 

 Characteristic 4: Utilizes and possesses one or more genres. What genres does this group use? (examples of genres might be sermons, memos, emails, texts, planning documents, SOAP notes, etc.)

 Characteristic 5: Has developed some sort of lexis (jargon). What specific terms are used in your group that an outsider might not understand?

 Characteristic 6: Threshold level of members with a suitable level of expertise. Who are the leaders in this group? How did the leaders become leaders? How does someone initially join the group? Where do you fall in the group’s hierarchy? How long have you been a member of the group? Do you anticipate that you will become a leader of this group if you are not now? If so, what will you need to do to progress?

 Is this group a discourse community? Why or why not?

For each of the groups you listed above, answer the following questions:

 Group 2 name:

 Characteristic 1: Broadly agreed upon set of common goals. What are the goals of this group?

 Characteristic 2: Methods of intercommunications among members. How do the members of this group commonly communicate with one another? What tools do they use to do this?

 Characteristic 3: Uses participatory mechanisms to provide information and feedback. How do you get information about the group? How do you get feedback from the group’s leader (if you are not the leader)? Or how do you provide feedback (if you are the group’s leader)? 

 Characteristic 4: Utilizes and possesses one or more genres. What genres does this group use? (examples of genres might be sermons, memos, emails, texts, planning documents, SOAP notes, etc.)

 Characteristic 5: Has developed some sort of lexis (jargon). What specific terms are used in your group that an outsider might not understand?

 Characteristic 6: Threshold level of members with a suitable level of expertise. Who are the leaders in this group? How did the leaders become leaders? How does someone initially join the group? Where do you fall in the group’s hierarchy? How long have you been a member of the group? Do you anticipate that you will become a leader of this group if you are not now? If so, what will you need to do to progress?

 Is this group a discourse community? Why or why not?

For each of the groups you listed above, answer the following questions:

 Group 3 name:

 Characteristic 1: Broadly agreed upon set of common goals. What are the goals of this group?

 Characteristic 2: Methods of intercommunications among members. How do the members of this group commonly communicate with one another? What tools do they use to do this?

 Characteristic 3: Uses participatory mechanisms to provide information and feedback. How do you get information about the group? How do you get feedback from the group’s leader (if you are not the leader)? Or how do you provide feedback (if you are the group’s leader)? 

 Characteristic 4: Utilizes and possesses one or more genres. What genres does this group use? (examples of genres might be sermons, memos, emails, texts, planning documents, SOAP notes, etc.)

 Characteristic 5: Has developed some sort of lexis (jargon). What specific terms are used in your group that an outsider might not understand?

 Characteristic 6: Threshold level of members with a suitable level of expertise. Who are the leaders in this group? How did the leaders become leaders? How does someone initially join the group? Where do you fall in the group’s hierarchy? How long have you been a member of the group? Do you anticipate that you will become a leader of this group if you are not now? If so, what will you need to do to progress?

 Is this group a discourse community? Why or why not?

For each of the groups you listed above, answer the following questions:

 Group 4 name:

 Characteristic 1: Broadly agreed upon set of common goals. What are the goals of this group?

 Characteristic 2: Methods of intercommunications among members. How do the members of this group commonly communicate with one another? What tools do they use to do this?

 Characteristic 3: Uses participatory mechanisms to provide information and feedback. How do you get information about the group? How do you get feedback from the group’s leader (if you are not the leader)? Or how do you provide feedback (if you are the group’s leader)? 

 Characteristic 4: Utilizes and possesses one or more genres. What genres does this group use? (examples of genres might be sermons, memos, emails, texts, planning documents, SOAP notes, etc.)

 Characteristic 5: Has developed some sort of lexis (jargon). What specific terms are used in your group that an outsider might not understand?

 Characteristic 6: Threshold level of members with a suitable level of expertise. Who are the leaders in this group? How did the leaders become leaders? How does someone initially join the group? Where do you fall in the group’s hierarchy? How long have you been a member of the group? Do you anticipate that you will become a leader of this group if you are not now? If so, what will you need to do to progress?

 Is this group a discourse community? Why or why not?