The discourse community analysis

It is quite possible that the majority of respondents will be unsure when asked which discourse community they would want to be a part of. But the solution is actually quite straightforward in my instance. I knew I wanted to join the economist community once I had gained enough information of the many discourse communities and academic disciplines. I discovered that economics is the most appealing of all discourse communities, despite the fact that each one has a special interest of its own. So, the study of fundamental business principles like supply and demand, as well as more sophisticated concepts, to more advanced concepts like time value of money and centralisation of business operations through different institutions. The efforts invested in the quest to be a member of the economist's community am happy to say, have finally borne fruit considering that I recently earned the membership. Economics is such a fascinating subject of study, but while that may be the case, the focus of this paper will be a precise explanation of how I got to be a member of this elite discourse community.

Values of an economist

A discourse community is a phrase used to define a group of people who share basic, assumptions, beliefs and perceptions that are unique to the community itself (Borg, 399). Discourse communities root from various disciplines such as medicine, engineering and economics among others. Noteworthy is the fact that to become a member of any discourse community, one must have harnessed the sound knowledge of the ethos, concepts, core values and beliefs of that particular discourse community. Now to earn the right to be accepted by the economists’ discourse community, I had to ensure that I was well versed with key economic concepts and beliefs. One of the core values of economists revolves around accomplishment of goals. Just how do economists accomplish their goals? The truth is there is more than one way through which this happens but there certain approaches that are most prevalent. Among the core values of economists is that gaining basic knowledge in economics would go a long way in improving people’s lives. In fact, largely, the field of economics differs significantly from other fields, especially with regards to its reach.

For communities such as physics, biology and engineering, important decisions are made by experts in these fields. What economics stands out is this regard, is the sense that every individual, expert or not is an active practitioner. This means that if each individual acquires even the basic knowledge of economics, we are likely to have a much-improved society. Another value of an economist asserts that knowledge cannot be established all at once. The rationale behind this is that some knowledge is lost or forgotten over time. For this reason, some concepts have to be retaught from one generation to another. For instance, the fact that free trade is a very core aspect of the free market was a concept well understood in the past. In the modern world, however, where quotas and tariffs are a common identifier of the markets, the concept of free trade needs to be re-taught. These are some of the core values, the knowledge of which, made me eligible to join the economic discourse community (Agbaria, 61).

Evidence of mastery of ethos

One of the key determinants of one's degree of knowledge in matters economics is the reason for venturing into the field in the first place. Reasons for venturing in economics differ from one practitioner to another, but my main reason was making the world a better place. This reason exudes a lot of nobility and in my opinion one the reasons that causes one to excel in this field. The rationale behind this is that one views the economic facet from a neutral point allowing for in-depth analysis and research on various aspects. Statistics show that at least one-third of the economists strive to gain a better understanding of the problems in contemporary society. The economists’ community, unlike other communities, is affected and influenced by social and political factors. For instance, the path taken by economics at any given point can be strongly influenced by political polarisation. This is a fact that has been witnessed in the United States of America. The political polarisation between the republicans and the democrats has significantly influenced the approach taken by economists in their work.

Economists are spread in different industries and institutions and not concentrated or reserved for any particular one. While all economists may study from the same script, each economist must take into consideration all other factors affecting their industry. For instance, economists working with the government must consider the impact of politics while advising on economic policies (Ayers 527). While an economic policy may be excellent by all measure, it would do no good if Congress or any other law making body rejects the legislation on the same. Factors like politics and social influences cause economies to grow further. This is in the sense that different economists gain key knowledge in their field that may not be known by other economists.

Further scepticism?

Becoming an economist and an elite member of the economic discourse community, one ought to have certain qualifications such as a bachelor’s degree in economics. However, high-ranking government officials and business executives are required to have higher qualifications such as masters or PHD in economics. Additionally, one can be accepted as a member of economist discourse community by virtue of their works on economists (Avgerou, 373). For instance, in my case, one of the reasons I was accepted in this community was my works on the impact of decentralised currencies on the economy. Until recently, finance and the general economic scenery has been characterised by centralisation. For instance, money supply is regulated by the central bank while the same determine interest rates and loan access. However, digital currencies, better known as crypto currencies are bringing about a revolution that is seemingly supporting decentralisation at the detriment the centralisation way of handling financial issues.

Being an economist means undertaking research on various economic issues, making forecasts on market trade, evaluating prevailing market trends and conducting related economic surveys among others. The employer often determines the duties of economists but qualifications to join the discourse community remain the same for everyone. Largely, every other community is reliant on the community of economists and the economy itself. The growth of scientific communities is dependent on how well the economy performs while the engineering community counts on the same for further development. It is for this reason that, the economist's discourse community remains to be the largest globally.





Works Cited

Agbaria, Ayman K. "The social studies education discourse community on globalisation: Exploring the agenda of preparing citizens for the global age." Journal of Studies in International Education 15.1 (2011): 57-74.

Avgerou, Chrisanthi. "The link between ICT and economic growth in the discourse of development." Organizational information systems in the context of globalisation. Springer US, 2003. 373-386.

Ayers, David Franklin. "Neoliberal ideology in community college mission statements: A critical discourse analysis." The review of higher education28.4 (2005): 527-549.

Borg, Erik. "Discourse community." ELT journal 57.4 (2003): 398-400.