Sam DiGiovanni Professor Wolcott ENC 1102 2013 September 19th Genre If you were to ask someone to explain

what genre means they would give a traditional definition of saying that it is when one categorizes a subject into a category where they have attributes that are similar to each other. To be honest a couple of weeks ago I would have given you the same exact explanation on what genre is until I read Devitts article on genre. Devitt claimed, The common understanding of genre is a relatively trivial concept, a classification system deriving from literacy criticism that names types of texts according to their forms. (Deviit 574). I do agree with her that this is the basic understanding of what genre is because thats how I always established the different types of movies and music. I do not agree with her when she states that this common conception is destructive where it conflicts with an individuals understanding of how writing and reading works (Devitt 574). The reason being is because everyone has a different view on reading and writing and how they comprehend it; this could be shown by when Devitt said the common form of genre is set up in a categorized filing system, which is a form of learning some people prefer to help understand text. My definition of genre now is the idea of a discourse community giving discipline and focus to the study of the unities of language and society. (Devitt 542). This definition shows me that genre is shown within a discourse community and how they communicate between themselves through their own language and their role in participating society. In

this analysis the discourse community I chose is a Veterinarian Hospital and the three genres I observed are animal hospital boarding sheets from three different hospitals. Appendix A When looking at this sheet the first thing one would notice is the bold lettering everywhere and all the little circles that cover the sheet. This format can be a bit intimidating because its a single sheet and within this single sheet is a lot of small text with little blank lines for one to fill out and it consist of all the little circles to be checked off. The beginning of the boarding sheet starts off with a list of bullet points that explain what the requirements for an animal to board there are and what will be carried out while the dog is in boarding. The animal boarding sheet for this hospital shows participation by the Veterinarian because if the animal hasnt had the required vaccinations the Doctor will look at this sheet and see which ones the animal will need prior before being brought to the kennel to board. The vet techs participate with this sheet by handling the issue with the animal before the Doctor does because sometimes they may be to busy to handle the situation. The receptionists are in charge of distributing this form to the owner to fill out and to make sure to file it within the animals chart. The owners participates within this discourse community by communicating with the kennel techs that take care of the animals in boarding by giving the information needed to take care of that animal while in boarding. For example the owner has the chance to put their dog in an indoor run or an outside run depending on how much theyre willing to pay (bestfriendvets.com) which shows communication to the kennel tech in where to place them. Also even the groomer participates in this boarding sheet because it has if the owner wants their animal to be groomed and when the groomer needs to be done with the appointment. Any one is able

to obtain this boarding sheet because I found this on Google and no body is restricted from reading it because its simple just all bunched up. Appendix B This boarding cage card is a lot simpler than appendix A because when you look at it, all it is, is a chart. This cage card is for the kennel tech to fill out instead of the owner this time. The kennel tech fills out the certain subject either with their signature or by writing yes or no in the box to show if the animal had or did what they were suppose to for example if they were feed, if they ate, if they went out for their walks, etc. (vetrimark.com). The veterinarian and the vet techs also participate by using this cage card because if the animal hasnt eaten or has abnormal stool the kennel tech will tell the vet or their tech about it and they rely back on this cage card to see the animals behavior lately. This shows more communication between the hospital staff and shows the language between them with the charts and how they are filled out. Anyone can obtain this boarding cage card because in many hospitals they are similar looking and the only restrictions this card has on people is if they dont know how to read charts other than that its organization is very simple to read and comprehend. Appendix C This dog boarding form is something that I was used to using when I worked in an animal hospital. The structure of this boarding form is separated my colored headings and subheadings. This helps distinguish what is need to be filled out for the form. This form is for the kennel tech to fill out when the animal comes back to boarding, but prior to that the owner has to fill out all the information such as the animals medications, feeding information, playtime, etc. (freeprintablemedicalforms.com). This

gives the kennel tech all the information they need to have to take care of animal. The receptionists are in charge of giving the owner this form and filing it in to the animals chart for the hospital to have when needed. The veterinarian and the vet techs are also involved with this chart because if the animal is having any issues the vet or tech relies on going back to look at the animals behavior over the past few days. Anyone can obtain this form from the Internet or even from the hospital itself and its simple to read unless one cannot read charts. Conclusion Genre is just more than categorizing a subject into something with similar attributes, but it shows the language and who participates within a discourse community. In the discourse community of a Veterinarian Hospital the staff has communicate and have their own language through an animals chart, but also the owners are involved within this discourse because they communicate with the hospital by providing past information on the animals health and how they should be taken care of when in boarding.

Citations Appendix A

http://www.bestfriendvets.com/Boarding%20Agreement.pdf Appendix B

http://www.vetrimark.com/Treatment-Card-image.pjpeg Appendix C

http://cdn.freeprintablemedicalforms.com/samples/Dog_Boarding_Form.png Devitt, A.J.,(1993). Generalizing about Genre: New Conceptions of an Old Concept. College Composition and Communication, Vol. 44 (4) pp.575-584 Devitt, Amy J., Anis Bawarshi, and Mary Jo Reiff. "Materiality and Genre in the Study of Discourse Communities." 65.5 (2003): 541-557. Web. 7 Sept. 2013.