Feb. 22nd Homework

Johns Summary:
In her article "Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice", Ann John discusses how discourse communities and communities of practice relate to one another. She also argues about the different types of conflicts that can occur within both the discourse communities and communities of practice.

QD: 1-6
1. Some complications Johns outlines that are related to joining a discourse community is that money plays a big factor. If you don't have money, then it can be pretty difficult to join certain discourse communities. She also talks about authority. If you don't have a high authority within the community, then that can become a pretty big problem.
2. I believe what Johns is trying to say here is that the opinions and values of someone can change, based on who they meet and the way they affect them. If someone new comes into the discourse community and totally blows everyone away with a new way of thinking about something, then they have helped changed the discourse community. An example of this in historical terms is when the Bill of Rights was re written based on different views.
3. I don't really think that my sense of self, values, or beliefs ever really changed when I became a part of a new discourse community because I've always had the same values. Because I went to a private and public school, I've been around all sorts of different people with different beliefs and values. I respect their own beliefs and values, but I always stay true to mine.
4. I do believe Johns views can impact your identity. Growing up, you are always trying to discover who you are. In the process, you go through many things that help you figure out who you truly are. Reading and writing can play a factor in that self discovery.
5. I don't really believe that I have much authority over the writings I've done, because we are always given an assignment sheet that has what is expected on the paper and how it needs to be written, which doesn't really give us a change to really express ourselves.
6. It is considered a "minefield" because when you are breaking the rules, you don't really know how far you can go and what result you'll end up with. I have never really been in this situation, but sometimes teachers tell me what I could add in my papers to make them better.

MM:
Understanding what Johns is writing about may make you not want to abide by the rules of a new discourse community because they can make you try to change your own beliefs and values to match theirs.

Response:
I thought she made a lot of interesting points throughout her article. It really helped me in what to basically expect if I decide to become part of a new discourse community and I liked how she gave multiple examples to get us thinking about things that we never really thought about before.