diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/__init__.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/__init__.py
index 2a47b26eaa..3de55dbc6c 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/__init__.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/__init__.py
@@ -284,7 +284,7 @@ class ModuleStore(object):
         """
         raise NotImplementedError
 
-    def get_items(self, location, depth=0):
+    def get_items(self, location, course_id=None, depth=0):
         """
         Returns a list of XModuleDescriptor instances for the items
         that match location. Any element of location that is None is treated
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/mongo.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/mongo.py
index c65c031c9a..cdd8076431 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/mongo.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/mongo.py
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ class MongoModuleStore(ModuleStoreBase):
         """
         return self.get_item(location)
 
-    def get_items(self, location, depth=0):
+    def get_items(self, location, course_id=None, depth=0):
         items = self.collection.find(
             location_to_query(location),
             sort=[('revision', pymongo.ASCENDING)],
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/xml.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/xml.py
index b7f1b0da02..47a9ec282e 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/xml.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/xml.py
@@ -513,16 +513,22 @@ class XMLModuleStore(ModuleStoreBase):
         raise NotImplementedError("XMLModuleStores can't guarantee that definitions"
                                   " are unique. Use get_instance.")
 
-    def get_items(self, location, depth=0):
+    def get_items(self, location, course_id=None, depth=0):
         items = []
-        for _, modules in self.modules.iteritems():
-            for mod_loc, module in modules.iteritems():
 
+        def _add_get_items(self, location, modules):
+            for mod_loc, module in modules.iteritems():
                 # Locations match if each value in `location` is None or if the value from `location`
                 # matches the value from `mod_loc`
                 if all(goal is None or goal == value for goal, value in zip(location, mod_loc)):
                     items.append(module)
 
+        if course_id is None:
+            for _, modules in self.modules.iteritems():
+                _add_get_items(self, location, modules)
+        else:
+            _add_get_items(self, location, self.modules[course_id])
+
         return items
 
 
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/utils.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/utils.py
index 71fc38c0e1..bd49d1d86f 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/utils.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/utils.py
@@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ def sort_map_entries(category_map):
         sort_map_entries(category_map["subcategories"][title])
     category_map["children"] = [x[0] for x in sorted(things, key=lambda x: x[1]["sort_key"])]
 
+
 def initialize_discussion_info(course):
 
     global _DISCUSSIONINFO
@@ -134,32 +135,34 @@ def initialize_discussion_info(course):
         return
 
     course_id = course.id
-    all_modules = get_full_modules()[course_id]
 
     discussion_id_map = {}
-
     unexpanded_category_map = defaultdict(list)
 
-    for location, module in all_modules.items():
-        if location.category == 'discussion':
-            skip_module = False
-            for key in ('id', 'discussion_category', 'for'):
-                if key not in module.metadata:
-                    log.warning("Required key '%s' not in discussion %s, leaving out of category map" % (key, module.location))
-                    skip_module = True
+    #all_modules = get_full_modules()[course_id]
 
-            if skip_module:
-                continue
+    all_modules = modulestore().get_items(['i4x', course.location.org, course.location.course, 'discussion', None], course_id=course_id)
 
-            id = module.metadata['id']
-            category = module.metadata['discussion_category']
-            title = module.metadata['for']
-            sort_key = module.metadata.get('sort_key', title)
-            category = " / ".join([x.strip() for x in category.split("/")])
-            last_category = category.split("/")[-1]
-            discussion_id_map[id] = {"location": location, "title": last_category + " / " + title}
-            unexpanded_category_map[category].append({"title": title, "id": id,
-                "sort_key": sort_key, "start_date": module.start})
+    for module in all_modules:
+        logging.debug('{0}'.format(module.location))
+        skip_module = False
+        for key in ('id', 'discussion_category', 'for'):
+            if key not in module.metadata:
+                log.warning("Required key '%s' not in discussion %s, leaving out of category map" % (key, module.location))
+                skip_module = True
+
+        if skip_module:
+            continue
+
+        id = module.metadata['id']
+        category = module.metadata['discussion_category']
+        title = module.metadata['for']
+        sort_key = module.metadata.get('sort_key', title)
+        category = " / ".join([x.strip() for x in category.split("/")])
+        last_category = category.split("/")[-1]
+        discussion_id_map[id] = {"location": module.location, "title": last_category + " / " + title}
+        unexpanded_category_map[category].append({"title": title, "id": id,
+            "sort_key": sort_key, "start_date": module.start})
 
     category_map = {"entries": defaultdict(dict), "subcategories": defaultdict(dict)}
     for category_path, entries in unexpanded_category_map.items():