A qualitative study determined the impact electronic mail (e-mail) discussion lists can have on a college classroom. The theoretical concepts explored are "community" and "roles." Community is defined by the boundaries it possesses, the dialogue exchanged, and the people interacting in the community. Roles may be defined by the interactions among people within a given context. The archives of an upper-level interpersonal communication class were analyzed to determine the topics of discussion. Topics of discussion that were found in this community were related to social, work, and technical maintenance issues. Providing students some instruction on how to use the technology before implementing the use of e-mail discussion lists may enhance their experience of communicating and may lower any apprehension they may have in using a new medium. (Contains 20 references and 3 notes. Appendixes present a graphical representation of the categories of talk and a chart of data.) (Author/RS)