Project #3

I would like to explore the discourse community of my dance studio. And argue how it is a discourse community. I have been taking dance lessons at the same studio for 15 years, all different styles. The studio itself has been owned an run my Wendy Streib for 50 years. I would like to interview past, and current members, as well as some of the teachers. I myself was a student teacher for 4 years. Dancing for Miss Wendy has been my life. Ill look at Swales characteristics for a discourse community, and I'll look at Gee "D" discourse how both fit in to the studio community.

Devitt

Devitt:

Before you read: List of ways I communicate during the day:  Conversations in person, Texting, Phone calls, Emails, Facebook posts and chat, Skype, Written letters, Blogging for english, reading books, reading the post.

Summary: Devitt's essay is about how genres impact a discourse community. She talks about how the people within the discourse community who know how the groups work are the ones that make up the genres. This makes it difficult for the people outside of the discourse community to understand the language. Devitt uses the example of the jury instructions, to the lawyers and judge in the court room understand the language used to instruct a jury because they are the once that make them up, and are used to the lingo, for a jury member understanding what exactly is being asked of them may be difficult because the language is complicated.

Synthesis: This can be related to Swales because he talks about how people can be in different discourse communities, and can go in and out of discourse communities. Devitt is talking about how genres can be in many communities, but it is the experts in the community that make up the genre. This could connect to Glenn in the since that some of the stuff Glenn talked about was hard to understand as a reader because I am not a part of that discourse community. Lastly this could relate to porters intertextuality.

Response	Quotation
with the up coming effection in a week, it would be important that voters go to the polls informed and know how to read the ballot, with many 18 year olds their first time voting ( like myself) it is something that should be talked about or read about.	"To have our votes count as we learned in the united states so vividly so recently, we must not only feel informed enough to be willing to walk into the voting booth; we must also be able to understand the ballot once we are in the booth"
This was something I had never heard of before and would not have know if I had not read this essay. This is an example of if you were not in the discourse community you wouldn't know about this restriction.	"The specialist know that drawing a line through one candidate's name will reder that ballot invalid, while the good citizen might know only that drawling a line is a known way to register displeasure."
I noticed this last year in my highschool law class, we ran a mock trial, after closing arguments were read then the jury was read the jury instruction once, and they were expected to undersand the difference between the 3 different charges. I thought this was unfair to the defense side because I had done the closing arguments presented all the reasons the crime wasnt a crime and my client was not guilty and then the jury came back with a guilty charge on the highest offence, afterwords we asked the jury why, and they said they didnt know the different between the two levels of crime.	"The genre thus has a significance for the legal community that it does not have for the jurors. As a result juries do not and cannot interpret the genre the way the creators intended as lawyers would and cannot render verdicts that follow those instructions fully and accurately, thus resulting in significant consequences, particularly for defendants"
	"the genre of jury instructions is meant to guide jurors in following that law."
the genres used in a discourse community are the communication paths of that community.	" to claim that genres are environmental within which familiar social actions are rhetorically enacted is to understand them as language practice."

MM: I dont think this type of field work really helps exploring discourse, I think that talking with the discourse group and studying it hands on is the best way to study it.

Thoughts:  I thought this was interesting, I never realized that being outside a discourse community would be so difficult when trying to understand the language.  I could connect to the law section of this essay because of the mock trial that my law class ran in highschool.

Wardle

Wardle:

Before you read: Membership to me means a since of belonging. Being a member of a group means you behave up to the groups standards and you actively participate in the groups activities. You can be a member of sports teams, clubs, bands, groups of friends or other organizations.

Summary: Wardle  talks about how discourse communities shape a persons identity. She talks about finding your identity in writing, and in the workplace.  She tells the story of Alan who struggles with finding his place in several new work environments. Alans main problem was he didn't write or behave the way the long time members of the company thought was appropriate, rather than Alan adapting to what would be aceptable for the community he continued to be set in his ways. Wardle uses alan to discuss authority.

Synthesis: Wardle can first be synthesized with Swales and Gee because those two authors discussed key ways to be in a discourse community, and what it means to have a discourse community.  Swales gave 5 characteristics of what a discourse community is and Gee talked about how discourse is about an individual. Wardle connects to Gee because wardle is about an individual finding their identity in the group. Wardle could also relate to McCloud's mask idea, Wardle says sometimes you have to adapt to fit in a group, this would be like putting on a different mask when you are in different situations.

Response	Quotation
It is important for a new comer to become a member of a group that they put their full dedication into becoming a member.  They have to be willing to learn the behaviors and how to write for the group to fit in.	"Additionally, issues of identity and values are important factors in neophytes', abilities and willingness to learn to write in and for now workplaces, as they much choose between ways of thinking and writing with which they are comfortable and new ways that seem foreign or at odds with their identities and values."
Assuming a new identity is about negotiating, you have to compromise some of your own way by adopting the ways of the group. Also you may bring something new to the group you are joining that they may end up including permanently as a behavior.	"Wenger specifically focuses on matters of identify within workplace groups and activities, describing identity as a negotiated experience... a layering of events of participation and reification by which our experience and its social interpretation inform each other."
you must talk with people already in the group, find out what is expected. If your entering a new job maybe ask long time employers about things.	"To find their own unique identities within new organizations, new comers must choose levels and types of engagement; they much find modes of belonging."
I picked this quote because I thought it had a lot of truth in it. It is easy for a person to join a situation and understand how to act in that setting. If you are with friends you would interact and talk differently than you would at a job interview or on the job itself.	"Conversely, a person can understand clearly how to speak in ways that are acceptable in particular circumstances."
This grace period is your time to learn what you need to about the group, when it is up you are going to be treated just like a member of the group. it is important you are treated like a member of the group so you felel like you belong.	"While newcomers to a community normally experience a "grace period" for adopting community practices, it does not last forever and soon the neophyte must express her authority in her new community appropriately."

#4: I think that in certain situations a person may think more carefully about their language choice.  if you are in an interview session you may more inclined to use your vocabulary different than you would talk to your group of friends when watching a movie.  Like wise you wouldn't talk to your grandma the same way you talk to your siblings.

Thoughts: I thought Wardle had some interesting topics.  Thinking about identity and finding a since of belonging made me think about how I made my way into my own discourse communities and how I would have adapted to the behaviors of those communities.  Wardle also made me think of how my identity changed because of my discourse community.  

Swales V. Gee

SWALES VS. GEE

Compare:
Swales and Gee are similar in content because they are both in the conversation of discourse communities. They talk about how discourse communities are made up of people with common goals to fulfill. and each community can be interlinked with other communities a person may be involved in. Both articles help me in understanding what a discourse community is and helped me define my own discourse communities that I participate in.  They both talk about how language in a community effects the members of the group.

Contrast:
Swales and Gee are similar in someways but different in others. Gee talks more about the language aspect of the discourse community and how being a member of the community is a combination of doing and saying behaviors that match the same as the group you are involved in. Swales give more characteristics of a discourse community. Gee connects discourse to other literacy such as reading and writing. and Swales looks at examples of discourse communities from a non academic stand point such as clubs and extra curricular activities.

Gee

Gee:

Before you read: Two activities I participate in are dancing and playing golf. One is on a creative while and artistic, being graceful. While golf is a sport that takes strategy and practice and can at time be frustrating.  I use my balance and flexibility from my dancing part of life in my golf because being fit, flexible, good core muscles and having balance all help when playing golf.  Also the same dedication I have in golf to get better I transfer that into my dance life because I want to be the best I can be. Lastly in golf I was a team leader and I take those skills and use them in my student teaching aspects of dance and vis versa.

Summary: Gee's article Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics: is about how he discribes discourses. He explains discourses as "saying(writing) doing-being- valuing- believing combinations" that are "ways of being in the world" He refers to Discourse communities with a capital D... he talks about Dominant discourses and non dominant discourses. and he talks about how you have to be all in or nothing to be part of the discourse community.

Synthesis: Gee can be synthesized with Porter and Allen again because they both talk about discourse communities as groups of people that share common interests.  Mainly Gee is synthesized with Swales because they are both about the discourse communities. Both articles talk about the importance of participating in the group to be considered a member of the community.

Response	Quotation
This sounds like a cliche but when looking at the discourse community it is important that an individual use language that is appropriate for the group.	"Language is a misleading term it too often suggests "grammar" it is a truism that a person can know perfectly the grammar of a language and not know how to use that language. It is not just what you say, but how you say it"
This goes with what is stated in the previous quote. it is important that what you are saying relates to what you are doing. If i saw a guy sitting on a napkin at a bar while drinking down drinks and smoking i may be concerned that the man was having an identity crisis.	" If I enter my neighborhood bar and say to my drinking buddy, as I sit down "Gime a match, wouldya? while placing a napkin on the bar stood to avoid getting my newly pressed designer jeans dirty, I have said the right thing but my saying doing combination is nontheless all wrong"
In a discourse community such as a sports team you assume the identity of a member of that team. it also comes complete with a uniform to wear to associate your self with that group. and it come with the lingo that you are to use about the group and when you are with other members.	"A discourse is a sort of "identity kit" which comes complete with the appropriate costume and instructions on how to act talk and often write so as to take on a particular role that others will recognize."
This was something I hadnt thought of until I read it. In my own life I guess you could teach someone the dance steps but you can't make them a dancer. becoming a dancer takes much more than just knowing what steps look like.	"Therefore ironically while you can overtly teach someone linguistics, a body of knowledge, you can't teach them to be a linguist that is to use a discourse."
This would be like wanting to join a football team right before the BCS championship game and expecting to play in the game. you havent gone through the practices, the season, the bonding time with the team there for you cant be granted as a member of the discourse community.	"Discourse:  you cant be let into the game after missing the apprenticeship and be expected to have a fair shot at playing it."

MM: I think that reading gee has helped me see the discourse community of my dance studio that I talked about in my Swales response because now I see how the language is used in the studio setting. and how you have to be all in the community to be a member, if you are half way in or even just a little bit out it is hard to follow all of the changing language in the community.

Thoughts: I thought reading Gee and Swales back to back was good because they both had the same path of thought. I like Gee I thought it was thought provoking and will behelpful on our upcoming project number 3.

Swales

Swales:

Before you read: One time i have felt "out of place" was when I was going through recruitment for sororities. One particular house I went to from the moment I walked in I felt slightly uncomfortable. It wasn't an environment that felt homey to me. And as a talked to the girls in the house I did not find myself relating to them very much. It was not the place for me.

Summary: Swales; The Concept of Discourse Community, is about what a discourse community is. He gives six things that make up a discourse community. 1. a discourse community has common goals. 2. the community has communication among its members. 3. Uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback. 4. possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims. 5. acquired specific texts and 6. has changing membership. He talks about how it doesn't have to be academic to be a discourse community.

Synthesis: The first person to synthesis Swales to is porter. Both porter and Swales talk about discourse communities as a group of people with common interests. Swales goes more in depth by giving specific guidelines for discourse communities. Allen mentions discourse community when she talks about how people are involved in groups with similar interests to them.  And Swales can be linked to Gee as both authors talk about the different language used within a discourse community. Each community has its own niche of language. Swales can also relate to Glenn because glenn is about discourse community and Swales would outline the community that glenn is talking about.

#5.  A discourse community I belong to is my dance studio at home, called Accent Wendys School Of Dance. As a studio our common goal is to grow as dancers and share our passion for dance with younger girls, as well as put on a grand recital at the end of the year. There is intercommunication among its members because students interact with each other and their teachers during lessons and teachers interact with one another. The communication mechanisms are conversations, directions, newsletters sent home to students parents, signs that are posted in the waiting room, along with announcements made during lessons about up and coming things. As teachers we are always trying to improve our knowledge of new dance steps to keep the routines fresh. There are many genres at the studio because there is a wide variety of types of dance to choose from. Ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, pointe, Hawaiian, and tumbling for the younger age groups. There has also been toe jazz, and toe tap. The terminology used in the dance studio are names of the steps being performed, that you would have to be in the discourse community to understand. and lastly having changing of members. While the studio has been running for 50 years I have been a member of the discourse community for 15 years starting when I was three years old. New members are always coming and going. and as girls like me graduate there are always new 3 year olds coming into the beginner classes. since the studio has been around for so long there are even girl that are dancing now who their moms took lessons years and year ago in the same 2 rooms.

#6.  Going to church. I participated in the discourse community of a particular church because that was where my mom forced me to go. I went to sit in the pew and think. It was the best time for day dreaming. eventually I started going to a church that was more my style and enjoyed it a lot more.

I thought reading this was informative and that the things that define a discourse community will be very helpful when starting to think about a discourse community for project #3. Also after answering question #5 i am debating if that would work as a discourse community for my english paper. So I will be brainstorming ideas to go with that. I thought Swales had good ideas about discourse communities that help me understand what a discourse community is.

Glenn

Glenn:

Before you read: I think farms that send their animals meat to grocery stores don't treat their animals appropriately because it doesn't matter to them how the animal is treated as long as they are getting paid for the animals meat. I think their focus is getting the best quality meat for the cheapest price even if it comes with animal cost.

Summary: Glenns article "constructing consumables and consent:... is about how animals are treated when they are being used for meat consumption. Glenn discusses how the discourse community and uses euphemisms to mis lead consumers about the industry. Also the article talks about double speak. as a style of discourse within a factory farm industry that promotes particular ways of knowing nonhuman animals: we take for granted "farm animals " are objects for our use and consumption(Glenn 144.)

Synthesis:  Glenn can be synthesized with Porter's discussion of discourse community. They talk about how the discourse community as a group uses specific language for the group to understand.  In Glenn the discourse community is the animal agriculture or farming industry and they use language that normal people outside of the community may not understand. This can also be synthesized with pollan because it talks about how the farming of animals going to be used for meat can be improved. This could also synthesize with wysocki because she talks about visuals in advertising and glenn uses the "happy cow" ad as an example

QD#1: I think the farming discourse community is seen the way the community wants it to be seen by citizens. It make people believe that what they are doing is safe and healthy for the animals, they dont show what really happens, I believe this is un ethical because be have the right to know what actually happens to make an informed decision about the situation.

Response	Quotation
When I think of nature I think of the woods and something to go exploring in. I think this is where the quote is going. that nature is just as much something inside and close to us as it is something to explore and discover.	"However it is important to note that "nature" is understood here as being as much a cultural construction as it is something "out there" that can be discovered and used."
I think technology is playing a major role in how companies can spin advertisements to day. like this quote indicates companies can now use animal visuals them selfs to talk, this gives consumers the ideas that the animals are being treated fairly and that makes them feel better about consuming the meat.	"How ever we can understand the technology used to create these advertisements as capable of creating an alternative reality in which animals are constructed as able to speak for themselves in order to tell consumers that they are content and happily consent to being used as resources."
I think its sad that companies have to use doublespeak inorder to hide the violent side of their business. people have a right to know where and how their meat was made.	I argue constitue doublespeak, and each accomplishes the same objective: using sterile languages to hide violence
By using euphemisms , consumers are given a more secure feeling about where and how their meat is produced and they are more inclined to buy it.  This is what companies want because they make profit.	As Dunayer clarifies, industry could set off environmental warning bells, whereas agriculture is generally understood as a safe natural practice. Moreover, instead of factory or high intensity farm, the NCA has recommended using the euphemism family farm.
For the animal farming industry it is all about profit.  animal abuse is happening because the industry wants profit and to me this doesnt seem right.	For the factory farm, as in other corporations, the bottom line is profit.

I thought that Glenns article was eye opening to read. and I think that now I will pay more attention to advertisements and will be more aware of where my meat is coming from. Because as much as I dont like seeing animals suffer, cutting meat out of my diet would be very difficult.  I have watched my friend kelsey go through becoming vegetarian and I would miss the meat to much.  Also while reading this i just kept thinking of chick fila who use a cow to advertise to eat more chicken.