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:

 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?