The purpose of this paper is to find evidence to support the theory of a basic criterion to recognize a certain group of people as an academic DC. Swales (1987) defines a DC as “a group of people who share a set of social conventions that is directed towards some purpose” (p. 1). The shared characteristics of DCs not only provide the guidelines to identify them, but they also give the necessary information to understand an analytical definition of a DC.
Swales (1987) establishes that a DC should share goals, participatory mechanisms, information exchange, community-specific genres, specialized terminology and a general level of expertise. Following these criteria, it may be stated that the members of college DCs develop a common discourse with a particular structure and style, involving shared knowledge, common purposes, relationships, attitudes, values and principles (Kutz, 1997, cited in Kelly-Kleese, 2001).
As regards communality of interests, Ford (1999) states that the purpose of college DCs should be developing an evaluation process emphasizing quality teaching. In 2003, Hoffman-Kipp, Artiles and Lopez-Torres noted:
Teacher reflection in social context occurs as teachers engage in and share their reflections in diverse ways. . . . Whether through writing, speaking, or simple listening . . . , teachers are participating in the construction of knowledge as well as crafting identities within the activity system of this inquiring group. (p. 4)
Mechanisms for intercommunication to exchange information and feedback are universal conventions of DCs, being journals or virtual communication frequently used to share and respond to experiences (Blanton, Simmons & Warner, 2001). Journal editors and peer reviewers must provide opportunities for community members to share their perspectives and experiences (Kelly-Kleese, 2004). Wenzlaff and Wieseman (2004) confirm this, encouraging teachers to participate in professional DCs that discuss learning theories, materials and pedagogy.
With reference to the development of community-specific genres, Kelly-Kleese (2004) explains that assessment is crucial, so DC members must understand writing conventions and judgement standards. This quality is related to a specialized terminology, which Kutz (1997) denominates communicative competence and defines it as “what one must know in order to use language appropriately in particular DCs” (as cited in Kelly-Kleese, 2004, p. 4). Furthermore, Zito (1984) claims that only those who are qualified may engage in a DC and be taken seriously (cited in Kelly-Kleese, 2001), giving importance to critical expertise.
The main conclusion that issues from this discussion is that discourse communities must have certain characteristics that distinguish them, in concordance with Swales’ theory. Consequently, the fact that groups have things in common does not imply that they form DCs. In addition, individuals may belong to several DCs and command a variety of different genres with their corresponding terminology. For a DC to exist a collaborative culture is essential in order to promote a communality of interests and reflection.
References
Blanton, W. E., Simmons, E., & Warner, M. (2001). The fifth dimension: Application of cultural-historical activity theory, inquiry-based learning, computers and telecommunications to change prospective teachers’ preconceptions. Journal of Education Computing Research. Retrieved September 2011, from http://faculty.soe.syr.edu/takoszal/IDE800-Adv-ID-and-ET/IDE850_sp06/additional_readings/blanton_simon-CHAT.pdf
Ford, C. V. P. (1999). ERIC review: Scholarship in the community college system. Community College Review. Retrieved September 2011, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HCZ/is_4_26/ai_63323073/?tag=mantle_skin;content
Hoffman-Kipp, P., Artiles, A. J., & Lopez-Torres, L. (2003). Beyond reflection: Teacher learning as praxis. Theory into Practice. Retrieved September 2011, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NQM/is_3_42/ai_108442653
Kelly-Kleese, C. (2001). Editor's choice: An open memo to community college faculty and administrators. Community College Review. Retrieved September 2011, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HCZ/is_1_29/ai_77481463
Kelly-Kleese, C. (2004). UCLA community college review: Community college scholarship and discourse. Community College Review. Retrieved September 2011, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HCZ/is_1_32/ai_n6361541
Swales, J. (1987). Approaching the concept of discourse community. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (38th, Atlanta, GA, March 19-21, 1987). Retrieved September 2011, from http://eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED286184.pdf
Wenzlaff, T. L., & Wieseman, K. C. (2004). Teachers need teachers to grow. Teacher Education Quarterly. Retrieved September 2011, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3960/is_200404/ai_n9349405
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