Niko Nemceff
Maj. Garriott
ERH 101-03: Writing and Rhetoric
22 July 2016
Help Received:
Cameron Nagle NN
Jack Neenan NN
Writing Center NN
Taylor McGregor NN
Micheal McNamara NN
Griffen Murray NN
Word count: 1030
Multimodal Communication Analysis
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) was founded in 1852 by twelve civil engineers in New York City. Now the ASCE has thousands of members and are scattered all over the world (ASCE). The ASCE designs and constructs many different structural projects, while doing so they always protect and restore the environment around them that they have disturbed (ASCE). This organization is the biggest provider for civil engineering technical and professional meetings, as well as furthering the education of engineers (ASCE). This discourse community learns more about the expertise side of technology through the nine different institutes that the ASCE has (ASCE). A few ways that the ASCE reaches their mission is by: advocating infrastructure and environmental protection, developing new technology, and to create civil engineer leaders (ASCE). The ASCE website asserts an educational affiliation with civil engineering by providing a participatory mechanism to enable information about the discourse community, educating members to increase knowledge, as well as having benefits of being a member of the ASCE. I will be using Swales’ third characteristic and Gee’s secondary Discourse to analyze the ASCE website.
This website is to inform people that are interested in becoming a civil engineer and for those that are already civil engineers. Becoming a member of ASCE one will have the opportunity to numerous benefits. For instance, one could continue their education by being trained from experts, even get to earn PDHs (ASCE). Another way someone can further their learning is by going to one out of the nine institutes that the ASCE offers to their members (ASCE). Which allows one to learn a certain type of skill set, like architecture, transportation, engineering that deals with water, etc… (ASCE). The ASCE also offers mentoring events that experts go to teach and share tips to novice students of the same discourse. The ASCE also teaches the younger members so that they can become a successful engineer in their specific discourse community (ASCE). This article is significant by providing information about the American Society of Civil Engineers and the different benefits of being a member of the community.
A discourse community is a group of people that uses a meeting, or in this case a website (mechanism) to give information within the community or for people that are wanting to join it (Swales 220). In my discourse community, civil engineering, the main professional organization is the American Society of Civil Engineers. The ASCE has a main website which is their form of a mechanism which is used to provide an abundance of information to its members and rising members (the future engineers). The information that this website has is about the different opportunities one could take. For instance, becoming a member of the ASCE and the benefits that comes with it, members can participate in training and classes to further their education, even be able to volunteer for events (ASCE). By using a website, it makes it easier to search and find different topics about the organization or civil engineering conveniently all in one place.
Secondary Discourse is when someone goes to a public society, like an institution, to learn a skill within one or more Discourses after the inner social community at home (Gee par 10). For this discourse, an engineer can become an expert at a certain skill set by enrolling in one out of nine institutions that the ASCE offers. Other expert to novice opportunity that one could join is becoming a mentor (ASCE). Which is a mechanism that ASCE members gather and learn and share their skills and ideas (ASCE). It is also a way for experts to talk to one another as well as to apprentices to show leadership and communication skills (ASCE). Another way that the organization creates the connection between novice and expert is through finding the younger members and then help them to make connections with other expert members so that they can be successful within in their career path (ASCE). This website is useful by engaging its members and informing them about the different options and opportunities that they are able to do so that they can get a higher education and become an expert in a specific discourse community.
Dominant Discourse is a secondary Discourse at which at any moment will bring the possibility of social “goods” or “benefits” (Gee par 11). Some of these social “goods” are money and one’s status in the Discourse community (Gee par 11). Being a member of the ASCE comes with multiple benefits. Some of these include discounts on on-demand webinar, eLearning webinars, books, e-books, etc…(ASCE). A member can also earn five free PDHs a year, which means a professional development hour that one can get after passing the tests after the sessions (ASCE). When one becomes an expert the status and expectations increase. Due to becoming leaders and having to teach and mentor the younger and novice engineers. By posting these benefits on the organizations website it can influence a person to become a member of the ASCE. By having the benefits easier to search and then learning about all of them. As well as the different educational benefits that they are exposed to that will make them experts in one or more Discourses.
The ASCE website is a great way of introducing the organization. The use of a website as a mechanism is an educational way to inform civil engineers and future engineers. It is effective by having information about what the discourse community learns, the nine institutions it offers that one can become an expert in one or more discourses, to become more knowledgeable and to refine your skill set, as well as the benefits that you are eligible for when becoming a member of ASCE.
Work Cited
ASCE (2015): n. pag. Web.
Gee, James P. “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction.” Journal of Education 171.1 (1989): 5-17. Print.
Wardle, Elizabeth and Doug Downs. Writing About Writing. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014. Print