Discourse Communities

Discourse Communities

1. Sigma Phi Epsilon

   • The audience members in this community are all the members of the fraternity, the alumni of that fraternity as well as those involved with IFC.
     • Writing in this community is useful because it lets those involved know about meetings, and events. Writing is also used to recruit new members and allows them to know about the people in the fraternity.
       • The genres and media used by the members include text chains, emails, flyers and documents that get people to become active in the community.
         • Topics that are written about are locations and times for events and meetings, oppurtunity for work and internships, time and location for philanthropy as well as the idea for open office.
           • Topics that are written about are locations and times for events and meetings, oppurtunity for work and internships, time and location for philanthropy as well as the idea for open office.
             • There are many guidelines and rules in a fraternity but the most important are to respect everyone you meet, men and women. You must also follow the standards the university set for your fraternity.
               • There are many forms of jargon in a fraternity such as a bid, a pledge, chapter and rushing.
                 • One can become a member of the community by attending events during rush week, they need to make a good impression on the active members to recieve a bid. After this they must make it through pledgeship

2. TCU

   • The audience members of TCU are all the people that take part in this large community. The students, teachers, faculty, president, chancellor and even the alumni each have their own role in making TCU a lively, well operated community.
     • Writing is the best way to communicate on a college campus and TCU is no different. Everytime I walk down the stairs of my dorm I see a flyer advertising some sort of get together later that day. It not only serves to get the community involved but also to communicate in class, an email, essay or even a poem all serve to communicate. A syllubus, or a teacher post in writing also serves to instruct the student on what to do and what not to do.
       • This community uses a variety of genre and media, many students post on social media about what they are up to or where they are going. Flyers like the ones in my dorm or signs next to walkways all serve to grab our attention. Essays also serve as a way for students to communicate their thoughts and ideas to teachers
         • At TCU nearly every topic imaginable is spoken and written about. We love talking about our sports teams, especially football. Events that are occurring soon get plenty of attention through emails, flyers and word of mouth. There are also political conversations where people can write formally about their stances.
           • Guidelines are necessary to all discourse communities. TCU has required compliance training so we know how to act in certain situations. We are expected to be respectful in class, when speaking or not speaking. We should be formal in our emails to professors, and not act like we are texting.
             • TCU has many specialized Jargons such as the ‘Riff Ram’ chant during sporting events. There are also events such as Frogs First or Frog Camp that are unique to TCU.
               • To join this community you need to apply to the university and get accepted because of your grades, essays and extra curricular. You also need to participate in as many events as you can if you want to be an active part of the community.