Your Discourse Community is just the Starting Point
This semester, I've asked you to choose a discourse community (DC)/community of practice to "investigate" for the entire semester, and I think most of you have had no problem finding a group of people united by some common goal or interest that you wish to learn more about.
As you start your research, I hope you don't get too caught up on figuring out whether the community you chose fits (or not) John Swales' definition of a DC, which seems to me helpful as an observation tool but also rather rigid.
Instead, I hope you use those DCs or communities of practice as the starting point of your research.
The community you choose will be the "place" you'll observe, the people you'll talk with (not at) as you gather data through interviews, observations, surveys, etc.
I've asked you start with a community because I feel research projects very often sprout from within communities of practice or discourse communities.
But I digress, today, I wanted to share with you one example of a DC or CoP I belong to and how I might go about doing research about this DC's practices.
Discovering Freakin' Fitness
About 6 years ago, I was looking for a gym that would offer a mix of personalized training and group work because I thought it would be the best fit for my mental and physical health at the time.
I often drove by this rough-looking warehouse on Dykes Road and Pines Blvd., and my eyes would always go to their "Freakin' Crossfit" sign. But I thought, at the time, that Crossfit was kind of cultish and only for elite athletes (aka ripped-as-hell young people). And that was certainly not me.
But I was desperate to find a place where I could work on my fitness. I had been struggling with knee and back injuries since I had my twin boys. I was also taking daily medication to treat my depression, and I thought joining a fitness community would be an asset in my journey to mental and physical health.
And so, one day, I finally stopped by and spoke with Coach Kyle, and his kindness was enough to push me to sign up for the 3 "orientation" classes every new member had to take to graduate to regular WODs.
As I entered this DC as a a novice to Crossfit, I was a bit nervous...all right a lot nervous!
I mean, their logo looked like a Halloween movie poster!
I Survived, then I Thrived
But from the minute I stepped foot on the Pines box (that's what they call their gyms), I made a point to observe the practices used by the more experienced members of the community: the coaches and long-time athletes. For the first few months, when the Coach said, "Let's start the WOD with a lizard stretch," I had no freakin' clue--pun intended--what he meant by either "WOD" or "lizard stretch," but instead of freakin' out (Okay I'll stop with the puns now), I looked at the person next to me and imitated their movement, and eventually, I internalized that WOD was short for Workout of the Day. As the months and years passed, my body started remembering what my body was supposed to do when I heard a call for the "lizard stretch" or "pigeon stretch" or "good-mornings" or a "hang-squat clean."
Today, if I were to do research on their communication, literacy, or discourse practices, I'd probably focus on gathering data that would help an apprehensive newcomer join the community and become a productive member of this wonderfully intense group of people who have, quite literally, saved my life. I'd interview members who've just started and members who've been there a long time (novices and experts), I'd talk to coaches who've been there since the beginning and coaches who've only just started...you get the point.
I'd keep on writing but I have to get ready for the 4 o'clock WOD, so...
I hope this helps you with your projects.
Thanks for writing!
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