Download Discourse Community Analysis

Discourse Community Project
Ryan Casale
ENGL 3301 – Advanced Writing in the Disciplines
Class: 40978
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a Boston based medical center that focuses
on both the treatment and research of cancer. The website for this institution, located at
http://www.dana-farber.org, can be easily accessed through a simple search on any
engine using major subject terms such as “cancer Boston.” The ease with which the
Dana-Farber website can be found illustrates its importance within the community and,
more specifically, the discourse communities associated with the institute. Upon noting
the dual concentrations of the institute as that of both treatment and research, two distinct
discourse communities also form: patients and academics. Seeing as the main function of
the website is aimed at setting up appointments, finding doctors and educating the reader
on cancer treatments at the institute the discourse community of patients and their support
teams can easily be identified as the primary community. Accordingly, the discourse
community comprised of academics in the field of cancer science, students, and doctors
serves as a secondary community.
When first viewing the Dana-Farber homepage, the status of the patients
discourse community as the primary community cannot be questioned due to the various
links related to treatment. These links include “Find a Doctor,” “Request Appointments,”
“Get Directions,” and “Refer a Patient.” There is also a brightly colored “Get Started”
navigation bar on the left hand side of the page that allows the user to enter his/her age
group, type of cancer, and phase of treatment. The language and wording for these
sections of the homepage are simple and direct. The font size of the “Request an
Appointment” section of the homepage is significantly larger than that of some of the
other headings, which indicates that it is a focal center of the site. By using this large
font, the Dana-Farber website is not only making it easy for a patient to quickly ascertain
the phone numbers they need, they are also illustrating their goals for the website. When
noting the larger font size, it becomes clear that a main function of the homepage is to
direct those who are seeking treatment. This can be further illustrated by a small blurb
within the “Get Started” bar underneath the selection for type of cancer that includes: “I
can’t find the cancer type I am looking for.” This wording is intended to resonate and be
understood by a person of any education level that would be using the site to make a
doctor’s appointment. This wording does not need to be interpreted and illustrates a
single message. This level of simplicity serves the goal of this section of the Dana-Farber
homepage in allowing those who are seeking treatment to make an appointment. By
utilizing this simple phrase, the website is surely able to assist those who are unsure of
their type of cancer in being directed to the right page.
The simple presentation of the areas of the Dana-Farber homepage that are
targeted to cancer patients also include two large and colorful links at the top of the page
that read “Adult Care” and “Pediatric Care.” These buttons are easily understood and
serve to only transport the viewer to another section of the Dana-Farber website with
more information. By making these pathways simple methods of transportation, as
opposed to long menus consisting of dozens of links, the Dana-Farber website continues
with simplicity to aid in the online journey of any cancer patient. This feature, again,
allows for many entrants to the discourse community of patients, as one would only need
to know their age group to continue on to more information that will be relevant to them.
In using this type of simple and easily understood language, the Dana-Farber website is
expanding the eligible members of its’ primary discourse community. If they were to use
complex scientific language across the website, it would alienate those outside of the
academic community; it would make the academic discourse community the primary.
The overall text and wording aimed at the primary patient-driven discourse
community of the Dana-Farber homepage not only speaks to the goals of the website, but
to the types of people that comprise this primary community. Although the wording is
simple, this does not specifically denote a lack of education within this community but
rather it speaks to the expansive nature in educational backgrounds among its
participants. This style of language makes it possible for a pre-teens, adults without
secondary education, adults trained in other areas, people who speak little English, and
older members of the community to have a similar experience when using the DanaFarber homepage. These people, who happened to be linked within this primary discourse
community due to their closeness to the illness of cancer, do not need to be subdivided
into separate communities as they can all utilize the homepage due to this direct
language.
The Dana-Farber homepage has a very different feel to it when viewed as a
member of its’ secondary discourse community comprised of academics within the field
of cancer science. The sections of the homepage that are clearly tailored to members of
this community include the news section in the middle of the page, and various links
found around the site. The news component of the homepage includes several article
titles with corresponding blurbs to shed light on their content. The wording in this section
of the homepage contrasts greatly with the simple word choice used to appeal to the
primary discourse community. These article titles and summaries include specialized
scientific language that appeals only to those who are within the academic community of
cancer science. These words include “mutation,” “oncogene,” and “hypoxia.” A person
who could read these summaries and gain an actual idea of what they will be about must
be somewhat educated in the field of cancer science. This type of language works to close
off the secondary discourse community of the Dana-Farber homepage by requiring an
educated reader. It is also clear that the goal of this component of the homepage is
different than those previously mentioned as it is goaled at educating the reader as
opposed to directing them to other sections of the website in order to work towards the
treatment of cancer. When examining the news section in terms of this goal, the
expansive wording makes all the more sense because it is intended to peak the interests of
those in the know within the field of cancer science. To achieve the goal of education, the
discourse community must be narrowed to those who will be prepared to understand and
use the information.
The links associated with this secondary discourse community are also more
expansive with words and information when compared to those for the primary
community. The “Research” link, for example, on the top of the page is not a direct link
to another website with information but rather a drop down menu filled with options. By
mandating the reader to choose a specific area of cancer research, the Dana-Farber
website is again narrowing down this secondary discourse community. A reader seeking
to utilize this link on the homepage must be educated enough within the field to be able
to choose which type of specific research they are interested in reading more about. This
expansion, again, serves to help the Dana-Farber homepage in achieving its goals
concerning the academic discourse community. The drop down menu style allows an
academic to quickly get to the correct part of the website that they need to utilize for their
reading or research, without having to scan through information they may already know.
When examining the text that is directly presented for the secondary and
academic discourse community, the reader can infer generalities about the community
itself. Due to the complex wording and customizable experience given to these readers,
they are depicted as being both fairly educated within the cancer field and also somewhat
busy. These professionals are made to seem that they do not have the time to sort through
paragraphs of generalized information before getting to their specific area of research. In
addition, the reader can tell that this community values information above anything else.
Every link and section of the homepage dedicated to the secondary discourse community
is packed with scientific words and information, which can clearly be depicted as the
concern of the community.
The homepage as a whole is very streamlined and simple and features no outside
advertisements or flashy announcements. These choices maintain the professionalism of
the institute as presented to both the primary and secondary discourse communities. By
not including these components, the Dana-Farber homepage speaks to the respectfulness
and class within society of both of its discourse communities. It is evident that the DanaFarber homepage does not want to sell their readers anything or advertise the institute as
anything other than a resource for cancer treatment and information. In addition, the color
scheme of the website features mostly neutral colors such as tan and grey. These colors
are very easy on the eyes, making the website easily readable and accessible for readers
with varying vision quality. Again, this choice speaks to the desire of the Dana-Farber
website to appeal to their readers as a whole and specifically their primary discourse
community featuring patients and their loved ones.
The Dana-Farber website utilizes simple language and design to appeal to and
satisfy the needs of its primary discourse community comprised of cancer patients and
their inner circles of support. The website also features specialized sections that use more
complex terminology loaded with cancer science keywords and information in order to
educate their secondary discourse community that includes academics within the field. As
a whole the website effectively balances the needs of both communities with specific
sections of the homepage as well as the entire website being clearly dedicated to each
community. Finally, the website maintains respect for their entire audience by not
featuring any type of advertisements or commercial opportunities.
References:
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://www.dana-farber.org/>.