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Shadi Elsamra
Megan Keaton
ENC 2135-07
8 July 2015
Man vs Genre: The Basic Understanding of Applications of Genre
Most people begin and finish written pieces simply by typing anything that has to do with
their purpose for composing their work. What they dont realize is that there is so much more to
do with writing than just answering the prompt, and this includes the use of different genres in
the writing of the piece. Many when first told about genres, myself included, asked What is a
genre? Sometimes described as a functional rhetorical strategy (Coe and Freedman 42), a
genre is a category of literacy that can be interpreted in different ways. This means that a genre
that is directed towards one group of people may also be directed towards another group of
people, but it wouldnt have the same effect as it did on the original audience. Genres can be
complicated and confusing, especially when being used consciously for the first time, as the
values of writing in one situation (testing) are unique to that situation and not necessarily valued
in the same way in other writing situations or for other purposes (Dean 6). The underlying idea
of genre is that within writing there are types of texts that can change depending on the audience
as well as the situation (Coe and Freedman 42). Genre can be both a dynamic and semiotic
construct, and according to Devitt it illustrates how to unify and form content, place text within
context, balance process and product, and acknowledge the role of both the individual and the
social (Devitt 573). A closer look at a research paper I had recently turned in shows that I had
used several genres to help write the paper, including conferences with several friends and a
writing mentor, An article found on one technological website, a blog found on a different
technological website, an online book, two technology database sources, a movie trailer,
motivational videos and music, and viewing the grading rubric.

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My first genre used in the writing of my research paper was to take a look at the grading
rubric and carefully read it, to ensure that everything was done correctly as defined. As I read the
rubric, I saw that there were several requirements that had to be fulfilled to write the paper which
had to be no less than 1000 words. I was, however, allowed to pick any topic that had to do with
information technology. This genre lead to me using other genres because of the requirements of
the paper, including using one of eight websites the professor provided us with to find the
foundation of information on our topic. In addition it was here that I became aware of the fact
that I would have use the FSU library search engine to find an online book and two database
sources to assist me in writing my paper. The rubric was the reason for me conferencing with
several people as I wasnt certain on which topic to pick or how to go about starting my paper.
I used the genre of conferencing in an effort to figure out a topic worth writing on and to
have someone proof read so that the paper would be perfect. At the end of his lecture for the day,
my professor assigned the paper to us and told us it would be due at midnight on Friday. He
mentioned that for our papers we should think of talking with friends if we were unable to come
up with a good idea. As I walked away my mind instantly began to branch out and think about all
that I could do to get my topic. After hours of staring at a blank screen waiting for a good
thought to come to my head, I decided that I needed a break and consulted my friends about the
course of action that I should take. Throughout the discussion of which topic to pick, many ideas
were thrown around by my friends. Ideas of Iphones, androids, Sony, Microsoft, and several
other topics were mentioned however none of them had enough information online to write a
paper about. This would later influence the final product because it allowed me to eliminate the
amount of topics available that did not have enough sources to write a successful paper on. Later,
after I had wrote my paper I was uncertain as to whether or not my paper would meet the high
expectations that my professor was placing. I printed out a copy and requested that a writing

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mentor take a look at it to ensure that not only my grammar was correct, but also that I had
stayed on topic. The mentor was able to make sure that my research paper was perfect as could
be while still getting my idea across. This was critical for my final paper as I would not have
gotten my passing grade has the mentor not corrected certain areas of the paper. These genres
connected with the genre of the rubric because I needed to make sure that I was going to get the
passing grade that I wanted by following the instructions.
As a way to relieve stress and pressure that comes with writing a paper, I usually have
some sort of filler playing in the background. This is where the genre of video and music came
into play. I listen to motivational videos and music ranging from hip hop to 90s punk to not only
help cancel noise but also to make sure that my own thoughts do not incinerate my brain with
overwhelming pressure. This allows me to ignore outside noises while articulating my thoughts
into writing my paper. Being the reason I found my topic, the videos I listened to were essential
to creating the final version of my essay. Had I not been listening to youtube, I would have
never heard the movie ad or knew what topic to write my paper on. This genre is directly
connected to movie trailers as I saw the trailer as an ad on one of my videos.
The genre of movie trailers was the one thing that gave me my idea to write my paper on.
As I was trying to come up with a topic, I had music playing in the background to ease my mind.
An ad came on for the movie Terminator Genisys, and being a fan of the series, I knew that the
main idea of the movie was an artificial intelligence program that decided to turn on humans as it
viewed the whole race as a threat. It was this movie trailer that gave birth to the idea of what I
would write my paper on. Artificial intelligence had to do with information technology, and I
was able to find the required amount of credible sources on it. While the movie depicts artificial
intelligence that is way beyond anything that humans are capable of producing at the moment, it
still gave me ideas that allowed me to further research just how far humans have taken AI in

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other articles I researched. Without this topic to research, my paper would have been nonexistent
as I was struggling to find a decent topic. This genre was the inspiration to my topic and the
specific parameters I would have to use to search for sources among the required websites,
databases, and books.
The genre of the technological databases assisted me in writing the paper, as the two
articles were not only a required source, but also a major component in the process of writing the
paper. Both databases lead me to articles that explained not only what artificial intelligence was,
but also the theory of how it could be used to help everyday life. It was also in these databases
that I found a list of pros and cons of implementing artificial intelligence into the work force, a
significant part of my research paper. The databases were found using the FSU library search
engine specified in the rubric for the paper.
The online book I used, although very limited, was a critical genre that was used during
the creation of my research paper. Besides being yet another required source to get full credit for
the paper, I needed a block quote that perfectly described what artificial intelligence was. The
articles from the databases and websites I found could not be used for a block quote, as every
few lines they had a quote from someone other than the author and secondhand quotes were not
allowed in the research paper. The book, being written by one author, had quotes in it long
enough to meet the requirements. Without this book, some general overviews of AI that were
useful to know would never have made it into my paper, nor would I have received the point
given for having a block quote. This genre was found by once again utilizing the FSU search
engine specified in the rubric to find a physical or online copy of a book to complete my paper.
Possibly the most important genre used in my paper once I had found my topic was the
article and blog found on technological websites. In the rubric, the professor specified that you
had to use one of eight different websites he gave you the link to, and then when you found an
article on that website you had to find a different website that was an authority on your source.

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From the first website, I found a blog on the uprising of artificial intelligence and what it could
mean for the business world. This filled a whole in my paper, as the databases gave me mostly
theories on AI, while this blog gave me concrete evidence of the application of AI in the world.
Within that blog, there was a link that lead me to a website article that talked about a company
that was using artificial intelligence as a receptionist, giving me a real life example to put in my
paper. The article really helped when it came to writing the paper, because it gave evidence that
we were slowing moving to the level of artificial intelligence displayed in the movie trailer. This
genre was linked to the rubric, as the rubric contained a list of eight different technological sites,
one of which had to be used in the articulation of the paper.
What the genre ecology says about me is that while I do stick to the guidelines of the
paper, I can be somewhat creative in the way I find sources and topics. While many had asked
their friends in the class about different ideas for topics, I talked to several different levels of
people, including people who took the class previous years to try and figure out different topics
that did and did not work. In addition to that, I drew the inspiration for my paper from a movie
Bo
ok trailer, something that many people would find difficult to do as they view movies strictly as
on
AI entertainment. I may have bent the rules slightly on the rubric as I wasnt 100% certain on
(So
urc whether or not artificial intelligence was a category, but since the websites we had to use had
e
of information on the topic, I assumed that the teacher would have to accept my topic.
the
The ecology map works in that the paper is in the center, and it branches out in order of
blo
ck what I used to gather information on my topic. The books and technology websites are on the
qu
ote outside because they were the last resources used.
on
AI
an
d
ex
pla
ine
d
wh Technology websites (Required sources and main information on AI
applications in real life scenarios)
y
AI
is
so

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Conferences (Discussion with friends, professor, and mentor on

Sear
ch
engi
ne
(use
d to
find
all
sour
ces
exce
pt
the
web
site)

Grading Rubric (guideline for the paper)

Research paper
on Artificial
intelligence

Music + Motivational Videos (stress reliever,

lead to lnspiration for topic)

Movie Trailer (inspiration for topic which I would write about

Technology databases (contained articles with info on how AI

functions, including pros and cons of AI in real life)

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Works Cited Page

Coe, Richard and Aviva Freedman. Genre Theory: Australian and North American Approaches
Theorizing Composition, A Critical Sourcebook of Theory and Scholarship in
Contemporary Composition Studies. Ed. Mary Kennedy. Greenwood, 1998. 136-147.
Print.
Dean, Deborah. Genre Theory: Teaching Writing and Being. Urbana: National Council of
Teachers of English, 2008. Print.
Devitt, Amy. Generalizing About Genre: New Conceptions of An Old Concept. 44.4. Urbana:
National Council of Teachers of English, 1993. Print.