Discourse communities are what a sociologist might call a social network, or if long lasting enough, a subculture. What is unique about discourse communities is that they have a distinct and special method of communication, which has requirements, its own symbols which the community is aware of and uses, and a common theme. Also, discourse communities have a set of membership criteria that often do not have anything to do with ethnicity, sex, or other characteristics the individual cannot choose (though, of course, they can have these criteria if they so choose), and often have to do with common interests or personal preferences. This is somewhat different from other communities, which often simply consist of like people in close geographic areas.
It seems to me as though our professor, through the powerpoint, is using commonplace in a slightly different way, in which the commonplace becomes a collection of symbols for a discourse community. This seems kind of neat, when you consider that large swaths of the internet then become commonplaces for various discourse communities.
I think both of your definitions were very well written. The way you got into detail defing discourse communities made it easier to understand what they are.
ReplyDeleteFreeman,
ReplyDeleteYou had a lot to say about this and I enjoyed reading it. I though you were right on about a discourse community having a set of things and memeber, as well as a symbol. I liked hearing what you said about this. The whole thing about the professor is a good thought and point.
I really liked your definition, you always have alot to say, but you broke down the defintions in a great way. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHey Freeman-
ReplyDeleteYour right to pick up on my own twist on commonplaces. I have a particular interest in commonplaces as they relate to woman and their identity creation - especially in Victorian times. I think it was the precursor to MySpace and Facebook pages.
Your defintions are great. Keep in mind that commonplaces don't always need to be books or even images. I try to think of them as shortcuts for communication within discourse communities. The discourse communities use these shortcuts - these commonplaces - to communicate more easily and therefore reach the common goals that bring them together as a group in the first place.
Jen