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Jacob Smart
9/17/2017
Discourse Cooper
Sheldon Cooper is a fictional character from the show the Big Bang Theory. Cooper is

ego driven, but somehow manages to keep a social life. Coopers social life includes four

discourse communities: Physics Building of the California Institute of Technology, Theoretical

Physicists, the Wesley Crushers, and Sheldons Inner Circle. This essay will describe how and

why Sheldon Cooper belongs to these communities. I will only briefly cover language because it

is consistent throughout. Also, this essay primarily focuses on Cooper from seasons one through

three because, although debatable, the first three seasons are the best of the Big Bang Theory.

The first discourse community is Caltechs Physics Building. According to the theme

of the Big Bang Theory, the goal of the Physics Building is to conduct research in the field of

science and to teach students. Throughout episodes of the Big Bang Theory, the main characters

are teaching or conducting experiments. Emails are sent and read, lectures and seminars are

given, and the main characters continuously coordinate with their peers, thereby allowing

research to be peer reviewed. An example of a genre exhibiting information is Stephen Hawking

having read a paper by Sheldon Cooper (Cendrowski, 2012). According to the dialogue between

Cooper and others, the language used at the institution contains specific terms related to STEM

fields. Also, the Physics Building consists of specific members: the department president,

professors, researchers, and students throughout the Big Bang Theory.

The second discourse community Sheldon Cooper belongs to is a group of individuals

specifically known as Theoretical Researchers. Although this community and the first

community blend a little, they are not the same. The Physics Building promotes the pursuit of
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various fields of scientific knowledge, but theoretical physicists focus on their title names

subject. Their language, their genres, and their lexis are geared solely through the common goal

of understanding theoretical physics (Lenz, 2016). This discourse community may be large, but

an individual cannot be a member without actively pursuing the field as well as understanding

and utilizing the difficult language used. Members consist of organizations, the advanced

individual researchers, and students. Information is provided and reviewed through published

journals containing their records because, k-12 science 101, research must be able to be proven

wrong before an idea is accepted. This discourse community that Sheldon Cooper belongs to is

associated with names such as Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein (Thakur, 2013).

The third discourse community is the Wesley Crushers. The specifics of this discourse

community can be found in the episode Wheaton Recurrence. The team goals are multifaceted,

meaning the group is for competing, socializing, and for entertainment, but Sheldon Cooper used

and named this group for defeating his nemesis (Cendrowski, 2010). Much like any group of

friends or acquaintances, social media, cell phones, and face to face interaction is how this team

communicates. This team centers around Sheldons desire for victory, and so the language is

normal, for their group, yet competitive while wearing team t-shirts as their banner (Cendrowski,

2010). The members of team are: Cooper, Raj, Leonard, Howard, and Penny.

The last discourse community is Sheldons Inner Circle. This last example is the most

objectionable of the four because it may not fit the exact definition of a discourse community,

but I argue yes because of the events and dialogue of the Big Bang Theory series. The goal of

this group is to accommodate all group exploits around the personality of Sheldon Cooper. They

communicate mostly through in-person interactions, but also through social media and cell

phones. The members high intellect, the vast amount of shared interests, and their common
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work place (Belyeu, 2006) makes the inner circle more compatible and allows Cooper to

accommodate them into his lifestyle. Penny is the only exception to the normal standards

(Belyeu, 2006). Sheldon Coopers personality is often challenging for people to handle, and this

causes Sheldons Inner Circle to plan around his personality and antics. To be a member a person

must, with little exception, adhere to Coopers high maintenance lifestyle. The members of

Sheldons Inner Circle are: Cooper, Penny, Raj, Leonard, and Howard (Belyeu, 2006).

In conclusion, the four discourse communities are examples of Sheldon Coopers lifestyle

and the STEM field language is the main, and almost sole, dialogue for Cooper. The Physics

Building of the California Institute of Technology is where Cooper works and provides the basis

to the goals of two of the discourse communities. Coopers friends help him to compete in

bowling and to participate in the common activities of the group. Dialogue and Sheldon

Coopers personality drives him to the four discourse communities.

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References

Belyeu, F. (2006). Big Bang Theory. Burbank, CA: Chuck Lorre Productions, Warner Bros

Studios

Prady, B., Molaro, S., & Holland, S. Cendrowski, M. (2012). Hawking Excitation. In Chuck

Lorre. Big Bang Theory. Burbank, CA: Chuck Lorre Productions, Warner Bros Studios

Lorre, C., Molaro, S., Lorre, N., & Ambrosetti, J. Cendrowski, M. (2010). Wheaton Recurrance.

In Chuck Lorre. Big Bang Theory. Burbank, CA: Chuck Lorre Prductions, Warner Bros Studios

Lenz, A. (2016). Whats the point of theoretical physics? Phys.org. Retrieved from

https://phys.org/news/2016-02-theoretical-physics.html

Thakur, A. (2013). Top ten theoretical physicists. Topyaps. Retrieved from

http://topyaps.com/top-10-theoretical-physicists