For our research,
we interviewed several members of crew ranging in experience and background. We
asked open ended questions about their experiences and activities as members of
Purdue’s crew team. We aimed at establishing the presence of John Swales’s six
characteristics of a discourse community on the team. Questions regarded the
sense of a common goal both as a team and as individuals as well as the various
genres that enable communication. We
also wanted to show that there were varying levels of experience between the
members. Through observations and text analysis, we attempted to demonstrate a
common lexis among Purdue’s crew team. As well as interviewing several members
of the team, observations were taken during a practice in which the observer
could monitor how practice was carried out and briefly talk to the coxswains
and the coach about the operation of the team.
