Discourse Community Ethnography Reflection
A discourse community ethnography is an analysis of a group that meets certain criteria that allow it to communicate both written and verbally in order to achieve a common goal. When choosing the community I wanted to observe, I chose one related to the career I want to pursue and one that I previously observed in the past. Observing the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Sierra Hospital, I learned of the various aspects that define a discourse community. I believe I was successful in effectively defining what a discourse community is, presenting my observations as evidence, and ultimately meeting the required criteria.
The purpose of this assignment was to analyze a group within our field of study or future career in order to determine whether it constitutes as a discourse community and to learn while doing so. I definitely learned a lot about the NICU team at Sierra, and after thorough observation and interviews, I determined that it was in fact a discourse community, and an effective one at that. This assignment allowed me to gain firsthand experience in the field of medicine, and it only served to further spark my interest. Observing how the NICU members communicate through the use of medical terminology both spoken and written gave me insight into what I can expect when I go into the field myself. I can definitely use this information in the future.
I could not have effectively written this ethnography without first understanding what a discourse community is. John Swales and James Porter’s articles on discourse communities allowed me to gain such understanding. While Swales’ article described the six characteristics that define a discourse community, Porter’s article further developed on the idea that individuals develop their writing according to the standards set by the communities they belong to.
The purpose of this assignment was to analyze a group within our field of study or future career in order to determine whether it constitutes as a discourse community and to learn while doing so. I definitely learned a lot about the NICU team at Sierra, and after thorough observation and interviews, I determined that it was in fact a discourse community, and an effective one at that. This assignment allowed me to gain firsthand experience in the field of medicine, and it only served to further spark my interest. Observing how the NICU members communicate through the use of medical terminology both spoken and written gave me insight into what I can expect when I go into the field myself. I can definitely use this information in the future.
I could not have effectively written this ethnography without first understanding what a discourse community is. John Swales and James Porter’s articles on discourse communities allowed me to gain such understanding. While Swales’ article described the six characteristics that define a discourse community, Porter’s article further developed on the idea that individuals develop their writing according to the standards set by the communities they belong to.