This paper will discuss my observation of the Museum of Natural Sciences and how it does or does not fit into a discourse community. I will analyze my observations and interview, and with information from articles by Gee and Swales I will come to a conclusion about the community at the Museum. The paper includes sections labeled Introduction, Interaction Description, Discourse Community and Conclusions. The Introduction section will explain the history of the Museum and the characteristics of a science museum. The Interaction Description section will give my descriptions of the Museum and the people who were there. It will also include some quotes from my interview. The Discourse Community section will explain my thoughts on whether the Museum of Natural Sciences is a discourse community or not. Lastly, the Conclusions section will describe my thoughts on the experience overall and how it affected my feelings toward my intended course of study.

 

Keywords: Ethnography, discourse community, science museum