John Swales, in his essay The Concept of Discourse Community, establishes six characteristics that can be used to identify what constitutes a discourse community: a group of people who use social literacy practices to achieve a common goal. Because a discursive community is so difficult to define and there are so many different types and varieties of techniques, Swales encourages a view that relies less on a standard definition and more on a set of criteria that the group must meet to qualify (217-218). Using these criteria, these six characteristics, it is not difficult to realize that ECSU's Drama Society does indeed fit this description, four of which prove particularly applicable. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original EssayCommon Goals. Explained in an interview with club president Lucy Shea, the main goal of the Drama Society is "to encourage students who are not majoring in theater to come and participate in the various theater productions." . . It's about including others who aren't in the theater program or the music program and simply miss theater in all its aspects. Additionally, the organization meets to vote on motions for the Eastern Theater Department and serves as an intermediary between students and faculty in that department, goals all of which are established in the mission statement and the constitution of the club. Intercommunication mechanisms. Several systems are in place to help the group communicate effectively. The most significant are the weekly meetings on Wednesdays at 3 p.m., which allow the latest theatrical events or upcoming productions to be discussed. At the end of each meeting, Secretary Emily John documents the minutes, notes the content of the meeting, and sends the information to all student members, as well as the theater faculty. To do this, the club uses a mailing list and also has methods of communication via social networks. “Outside of meetings, I would say Facebook is our most active,” says Shea, “because we post what we do in meetings, and I need help with this [open mic night] event.” , so it's quite active. . . Our Facebook page is updated, I would say, every Tuesday on what we're going to do on Wednesday, or if the meeting is canceled, or when the auditions are going to be. It's all there. »Specific glossary. The theater world in general is full of lexical terminology specific to certain professions or directions, and the Eastern Drama Society is no exception. Each term has its purpose and is used to quickly and effectively communicate what a person wants. Shea says in his interview: “One thing in tech theater (when you're in tech) is the light board operation” – a designation, note, that is its own lexicon example – “will say.” Going dark! , which means the theater lights go out and everyone says "Thank you, dark!" » This is to acknowledge that you heard them. So if I tell people something important, they'll say, for example, "Thanks, five!" »” – indicating a five-minute break – “or “Thank you, Venues!” » » – indicating that the actors must be in their seats for the start of the show. “We talk about blocking,” she continues, “we talk about stage right, stage left, backstage, downstage, and that kind of terminology.” It doesn't stop at the terms of staging either..