Reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.
Discourse in Virtual Environments [WLOs: 1, 2] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Chapter 7: Discourse and Medium in your textbook.
Discourse Analysis. In this discussion, you will consider the relationship between discourse and the medium through which it is conveyed. In particular, you will analyze how discourse shapes and is shaped by virtual environments and computer-mediated communication.
Choose one individual, preferably a public figure, who posts often to a blog or a social media site such as Twitter or Facebook and analyze this person’s posts over the past ten days. If you are interested in how discourse is conveyed via Twitter, you might find the website twiplomacy(https://twiplomacy.com) helpful, which can link you to the Twitter feeds of world leaders.
In your initial posting,
Describe briefly your chosen discourse(s). Who is the author? What is the general topic being discussed?
Describe how the author creates a social identity. Consider aspects of identity (such as gender,culture, ideology, power, etc.). How does the author establish knowledge or expertise?
Discuss whether the discourse is planned or unplanned (using Table 7.1 in the Johnstone text).
Remember to point to specific examples (of words, phrases, etc.).
Assess the coherence, fixity, and fluidity of the discourse.
Is the discourse multi-modal? Do visual images accompany the discourse, and what is their impact?
Assess the interpersonal involvement (or lack thereof) created through the digital discourse. Is a discourse community created? How does the writing system (i.e., structure, font style and size,emojis, etc.) “manipulate” the interpersonal relationships established through the discourse?
How might the shape, size, and configuration of a mobile phone or computer screen affect
communication using those technologies?
Develop a hypothesis about ways in which the use of various digital media (email and emailbased mailing lists, real‐time online chat, or social media like Facebook or Twitter) shapes.
Discourse, especially the discourse of contemporary institutions and ideologies (Johnstone 221).
Your initial post is due by Day 3 and must be at least 500 words in length.
Guided Response: Respond to two or more of your classmates’ posts by Day 7. Your responses should be substantive and provide comments and questions that further the conversation. In particular, consider your classmates’ hypotheses about the ways in which digital media shapes discourse. Make additional observations about how discourse in virtual environments shapes ideologies of power, control, injustice, inequality, social change, and emancipation.
