Summary Of Discourse Communities

Ann M. Johns, a well-known linguist has studied the way communities communicate with each other and the specific ways they do so. In “Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice: Membership, Conflict, and Diversity”, Johns defines communities of practice as something that “refers to genres and lexis, but especially to many practices and values that hold communities together or separate them from one another” (500). Communities of practice are groups of people who use distinct language, objectives, and ideas, that are different from other communities and their practices.
To effectively analyze a community, one must fully understand the way that community functions and communicates with its members, while acknowledging the different types
of communities that exist. In her article, John’s mentions that there are multiple types of communities; social, recreational, political and academic. She describes that an academic community can “have their own discipline-specific allegiances (to biology, chemistry, sociology, engineering)” but that there are also “basic, generalizable linguistic, textual, and rhetorical rules for the entire academic community that can apply” (Johns 505). In other words, an academic community is one centered around learning the basics of academic languages and practices that can eventually progress to a specific academic discipline.
The Pre-Med American Medical Student Association (AMSA), is a perfect example of an academic community of practice at the University of Central Florida.
It is a community centered around students disciplined in the science field and working towards going to medical school. Academically driven, the club intends on providing all of the resources it can to its members, focusing on the requirements needed to enter medical school. As a group they share the knowledge of general science classes needed to prepare for entrance exams while maintaining specific goals, and language, different from that of the many other health oriented clubs at the
university.
As a chemistry major interested in going to medical school, I have chosen to analyze the Pre-Med AMSA as it provides assistance pre-med students. It is a club on campus that meets every other week in order to discuss a specific topic pertaining to getting accepted into medical school. The organization’s website vows to, “prepare Pre-Med students to become knowledgeable and well-rounded medical school candidates through scholarship, networking, philanthropy and community partnership.” It provides their members with research opportunities, shadowing opportunities, hospital volunteering, guest speakers, and ample amounts of study or tutoring sessions for the specified courses. A normal meeting consists of signing in and receiving a newsletter as the board begins by discussing upcoming events and the weekly study tips or testing procedures. On the second meeting of the month the introduction process is the same, however, the last hour of the meeting will host a guest speaker.
Genre Conventions Communities of practice often times use a variety of genres to reach its members.
In “Navigating Genres”, Kerry Dirk states that genres are “tools to help people to get things done” (252). Genres can be anything from a flyer that helps people to join a club or a syllabus that presents the assignments and due dates for a course. Dirk emphasizes this when she states that “knowing what a genre is used for can help people to accomplish goals, whether that goal be getting a job by knowing how to write a stellar resume, winning a person’s heart by writing a romantic love letter, or getting into college by writing an effective personal statement” (253). Essentially, genres can bring an individual or a group to participate in something or be effective in persuading others. Genres are also distinct and easily recognized by individuals of a community because of their specific formatting, such as a flyer or an email. However, they differ in context which dictates how and when they are
used. When creating a genre for the Pre-Med AMSA, I chose a flyer that would entice prospective medical students into joining a beneficial club. Although the club advertises itself on social media, there are no physical advertisements for this program currently posted around the campus. I chose this genre because it would be the best way to broadcast the organization to a large group of students. To create the genre, I had to be aware of the basic formatting that most flyers consist of. They almost always have a catch phrase, which allows the overall content of the flyer to be seen, while allowing the target audience to be intrigued. The paper usually consists of a simple description of the event or organization being advertised, followed by the most interesting aspects of the organization that would attract the readers. Most flyers are also easy to read and simple to follow, as they are designed to get the information across quickly and efficiently.