Where Is Genre in Writing Instruction?
In writing, as in conversation, there are implicit boundaries which separate various modes of communication, and these boundaries cause exclusion, discomfort, and misunderstanding. The existence of these boundaries results in a number of issues, such as the categorization of texts, the differences between writing for English classes and writing in other academic disciplines, and the boundaries between audiences. A fourth issue bringing all of these issues together is that of genre. Research in several freshman composition classes illustrated the ways that conceptualizations of genre are played out in the writing and discussions of teachers and students. For example, there is an interplay between notions of discourse mode and genre. Teacher response to one student essay was driven by the theoretical model of the five traditional discourse modes–description, narration, exposition, persuasion, and poetry–a model which does not allow for a full discussion of the complexities of a text su
