Kelsey Halstead Professor Fuentes English 1101 30 October 2013 The Biology Major Discourse Community I plan to conduct

research on the biology major discourse community that I recently became a part of as a freshman in college. The degree of influence this course has on each individual is dependent upon the amount of time the student puts into studies and coursework. The common goal in the community is for students to engage and succeed in their Biology Major and bring unity in the shared criteria, goals, and beliefs of the members. Evolutionary theory is a common theme shared and taught in the biology community that is introduced Day One of class and repeated almost every class. There are also a variety of terms that are so specific that people outside the community do not understand, like RNA, transcription, phosphorylate and hydrolyze. My plan for research is to watch the class and members closely and take note of Swales criteria in research to support my ideas. With the help of some fellow members, I will conduct a fair interview that portrays a balanced view of a member of the community. While researching, I will also be sure to note the experts and beginners in the community and what sets them apart. A great step in the research process will be the gathering of methods of communication and examples of these, which can vary from assignment outlines to videos to scientific article-based questions. Again, I will focus mostly on how this community meets Swales criteria for a discourse community in my research.