Nathan Bruce Alford
Major Garriot
ERH-101-18
21 September 2016
Help Received:
9/19/16 – Gwyn Parson helped with brainstorming ideas of what this website can tell me about this discourse community
9/23/16 – counseling with Maj. Garriot; we discussed ensuring my thesis answered all parts of the prompt
9/26/16 – Cadet Tremblay peer reviewed as part of the class work for the day
10/1/16 – Cadet Atchison read and made suggestions
Engineering a Discourse Community
In the large and complex world of discourse communities, one community in particular stands out as the most interesting and vital to the world in a variety of ways: the discourse community of Engineering and Technology. This community contains many expert engineers and technicians as well as organizations both contracted by the government and from the private sector. Many schools, including the Virginia Polytechnic Institute (a.k.a. Virginia Tech) play huge roles in this community by preparing a new generation of members year after year. In Virginia Tech’s Department of Mechanical Engineering website, participants assert their membership in the discourse community of engineering and technology through its two major roles as an institution of higher learning: recruiting prospective students and beginning the transition from novices to experts in their field so that they may later serve as members of the discourse community. For the purposes of this essay, John Swales’ definition of a discourse community will be used.
The Mission Statement of the Virginia Tech Department of Engineering states: “The Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering Department serves its students, alumni, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the nation through a variety of academic research and service activities.” (“Department of Mechanical Engineering.”). The key word here is “service.” A common theme in the discourse community of engineering and technology is to design and develop projects that are beneficial to the general public, not just the community itself. These projects may include developing cheaper clean energy resources, designing safer automobiles, standardizing the safety measures of public transportation, waste reduction and management, and environmental protection. As previously stated, strong infrastructure is the backbone of any stable society. Considering its explosive population, America’s infrastructure becomes more and more obsolete every single day – thus exists the need for revolutionary new engineering projects and systems to keep daily life running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. (American Infrastructure Report Card). With its involvement in numerous research organizations including the Center for Vehicle Systems and Safety (CVeSS), the Center for Energy Systems Research, the Center for Injury Biomechanics and the Railway Technologies Laboratory – just to name a few – the VT Department of Mechanical Engineering clearly keeps public service projects as one of its first priorities. (“Department of Mechanical Engineering.”).
Not only does Virginia Tech serve the public through its research and development, it also acts as the recruiting arm of the Engineering Discourse Community. In order to function, it needs to bring in a certain amount of new students to train to become engineers; therefore, its website is in a large part targeted at high school juniors and seniors looking for their career path. The website contains helpful information for prospective students including the experiences students have at VPI; services offered such as admission sessions, tours, maps, and directions; and details about College of Engineering Information sessions. (“Department of Mechanical Engineering.”).
The secrets of science, technology and engineering are not confined to one single nationality, research organization, or college. Engineering is a global effort; more often than not, different organizations need to communicate from thousands of miles away (and sometimes from outside of the planet!) just to complete a simple task. This collaboration requires instant communication; thus making the most valuable resource to this discourse community the internet. It is almost a requirement for any engineering organization – big or small – to have an up-to-date, well-maintained website complete with links to various collaborative organizations, news on current research projects and events, and contact information. All of these can be found on the VT Department of Mechanical Engineering’s website. Written by members from both the faculty and the student body, it ensures that the department keeps its members and associates “in the loop” with the rapidly changing characteristics of the engineering world. (“Department of Mechanical Engineering.”). Their website also contains links to various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, so that it provides a method of feedback for both members and nonmembers. (“Department of Mechanical Engineering.”). This not only keeps readers informed to the activities of VPI, but also allows them to engage and ask questions. This is especially important for admissions applicants, as they may one day become the experts who are leading this essential discourse community.
Just as important as communication methods are the genres that the discourse community uses. (Swales 221-222). Given the role engineers play in real-world applications, it is no surprise that the VT Department of Mechanical Engineering makes extensive use of the nonfiction genre. Information on the direction of their programs, guest speakers, upcoming events, and collaborative research projects are true events and fit perfectly into this genre. The department also makes use of diagrams and pictures, especially when discussing their nuclear program. (“Department of Mechanical Engineering.”).
One stereotype of the engineering community is the use of highly technical (and sometimes unpronounceable) language. A specific use of language, or “lexis,” is very important in a discourse community. Swales’ fifth criteria for identifying a discourse community is its use of a specific lexis or word choice that most outsiders will not understand. (Swales 222). More specifically, “This specialization may involve using lexical items known to the wider speech communities in special and technical ways, as in information technology discourse communities, or using highly technical terminology as in medical communities.” (Swales 222). Some of the highly technical terminology included in the VT Department of Mechanical Engineering’s website include “Nanoelectromechanical systems” and “Subsonic Civil Transport Aircraft.” (“Department of Mechanical Engineering.”). These terms are obviously not in the vocabulary of the general population, and the use of them among outsiders of the discourse community will leave most scratching their heads. Swales also notes the necessity of the use of abbreviations in discourse communities: “The use of these…is, of course, driven by the requirements for efficient communication exchange between experts.” (Swales 222). Abbreviations are commonplace in the discourse community of engineering and technology, especially used as a form of shorthand to identify groups and organizations that are members. Some of Virginia Tech’s more prevalent abbreviations are “CVeSS,” which is shorthand for “The Center for Vehicle Systems and Safety;” and “CREATE,” which is used to identify the “Capstone Realization of Engineering and Technology.” (“Department of Mechanical Engineering.”). Both of these are organizations that an ordinary person would not be able to identify without any background knowledge, but nonetheless are critically important to the general public.
The final requirement to become a member of a discourse community is to have and maintain a threshold level of membership. (Swales 222). This level must allow an acceptable ratio of novices to experts to exist. (Swales 222). Virginia Tech’s student-teacher ratio is large compared to other organizations involved with the discourse community, but this is acceptable because universities typically have a large student body and a comparatively small faculty. VT maintains this ratio through its natural progression of matriculation and graduation; students enter, and most have graduated within four years, thus allowing room for the next incoming class. This keeps a relatively stable number of students within the Department of Mechanical Engineering at VPI, and ensures that a constant number of new engineers are supplied to the discourse community.
Using John Swales’ concepts of what makes up a discourse community, there is no doubt that the Virginia Tech Department of Mechanical Engineering is a part of the extremely complex discourse community of engineering and technology. VPI fills an essential role of the discourse community: producing engineers that are educated on the recent advances in science, technology, and engineering. It is apparent through this analysis of its goals, methods, and programs that this particular discourse community is one that has and will continue to greatly benefit the United States and the world.
Works Cited
American Infrastructure Report Card. American Society of Civil Engineers, 2016, http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/.
Swales, John. “The Concept of Discourse Community.” Writing About Writing, Second Edition, Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014.
“Department of Mechanical Engineering.” Virginia Tech College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2016. http://www.me.vt.edu/.