Examples of Discourse Communities
It may be best to choose a discourse community that you are either already a member of,
or that you desire membership to. When choosing a community please know that any
writing that conveys violence or poking fun of the community will receive a no credit for
the assignment. The purpose of choosing a discourse community to write about is to
understand the unique values, beliefs, behaviors, and language practices that the given
community holds. Analyzing a discourse community will facilitate increased
understanding of how language shapes our realities and how arguments are made within
and towards particular cultural, historical, and sociological situations, within particular
groups, and towards specific individuals. Below is a very short list of some examples of
discourse communities:
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Freshman students of Bowling Green State University
Students of Chapman
(One) of the Organizations you are working with:
o “Clothesline”
o “Red Cross”
o “Family House”
o “Teen Mentors”
o “Humane Society”
o “Serenity Farm Equestrian Therapy”
o Etc.
Farmers
Sports (Team) Fans
Athletes
o Runners
o Football Players
o Weight Lifters
Dog people / Cat people
Religious Groups
Students studying a certain major // Academic Disciplines (sociologists, etc.)
Video gamers (of a particular game (World of Warcraft)) or in general).
Fans (of a type of music, a band, a book, a movie, a television show, etc.)
Institutions (The Armed Forces, prison, university / school)
Sororities
Fraternities
Student Groups (outward bound, Student Veterans of America, soccer club)
Marching Band-ers
Motorcyclists
Veterans
OTHERS?