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Discourse Community Observation Assignment

Decent Essays

Filled with frustration, I got up for the first day of classes for the spring semester. I went to my first class in Scully and then had to make the long trek across campus to get to my first college English class, EN100. The class took place in Art Building, a place I have never been. As I entered the building, I prayed I was in the right place. I walked up the flights of stairs and frantically searched for the classroom with only a minute till class started. I walked into the classroom hoping to see a familiar face and only saw strangers. I sat down at a desk close to the front and all of a sudden, my journey as a college writer began. Throughout the course of EN100, my writing skills have progressed immensely. The assortment of papers that …show more content…

The observation essay required me to observe a discourse community. I had to explain the community to someone so they could interpret their language and actions. I chose the discourse community, Alpha Delta Pi. Although I am a member, I observed my sorority as an outsider. I used many different terms that are only understood by the members of this organization. “Each week the members get together during a “Chapter meeting.” This meeting is held in Glenn Auditorium at 6:00 every Wednesday. This is a mandatory meeting for each member of the chapter where they go over the business of the sorority” (Alpha Delta Pi 2). In this example, I described a “chapter meeting,” which is how the organization describes and then I explained what it actually is so an outsider could understand. At the beginning of the essay, I gave general information about Alpha Delta Pi like the number of active members and their purpose of the organization. Another requirement of the essay was to describe purpose of Alpha Delta Pi through the details and their discourse language. In my thesis statement, I described the overview of the essay’s requirements. “Alpha Delta Pi of SEMO must work together using their own language, the ability to communicate with others, and working for a greater cause in order for the sorority to function as one” (Alpha Delta Pi 1). Writing a thesis statement that describes the purpose and requirements of an essay is also something that I have improved on during my experience in EN100. I also used examples of the organization’s discourse to explain the classification of the members of Alpha Delta Pi. “Each type of member has a certain name. Before a member is initiated they are referred to as an “Alpha.” Once a member goes through initiation and becomes active they are called a “Delta.” An alum member is known as a “Pi”” (Alpha Delta Pi 2). In the observation essay, I met another requirement of

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