Christina Astore Professor Leslie Wolcott ENC 1102 February 13, 2013

Genre Analysis Assignment

At the beginning of the semester, we started our class discussions with the concept of literacy. From there, we moved on to defining discourse communities and understanding what it meant to be one (the six characteristics). Now, we are faced with the daunting task of identifying a discourse community that applies to our interests, as well as analyzing a type of genre used in that community. I had a difficult time choosing a proper discourse community to begin with, and am still not sure if what I have selected thus far in the process is what I will be utilizing for future assignments. That being said, when this assignment was introduced to us (mind you we were still trying to wrap our heads around the concept of a genre), I was overwhelmed to say the least. However, I have found that the previous articles, assignments, and class discussions have contributed to my basic understanding of genres in the context of discourse communities. Despite much contemplation, I settled on the discourse community of the film industry. Even though this community in its entirety is broad, it identifies with Swales six criteria and utilizes many different types of genres to achieve its goals (depending on the aspect of film you are focusing on). The rhetorical situation

addressed by the film industry is the need/want for people to be entertained and/or educated by effective communication through motion pictures. After many frustrated Google searches, I finally stumbled upon a journal published by the University of Texas Press. The journal, Cinema Journal, is sponsored by the Society for Cinema and Media Studies and represents recent scholarship by SCMS members. Here, members consist of university faculty, graduate students, archivists, and filmmakers, who collaborate to promote cinema and media studies in universities, reward excellence in scholarship or writing, improve the teaching of media studies, and extend multi-cultural awareness. SCMS aims to strengthen ties between the academic community and the people who interact with it (from the media industry, to the government, to the general public), and to promote the preservation of film and media heritage. That being said, all articles published in this journal are written by its members, scholars who possess the appropriate knowledge from the industry, and are therefore credible. Before analyzing three selected text-types from this genre, it is important to understand the type of genre being used in this context. As noted by Devitt, genre is a dynamic response to and construction of recurring situation, one that changes historically and in different social groups, that adapts and grows as the social context changes (Devitt, 580). Devitt also makes the point that structure and content are interwoven, and therefore cannot be separated. This new concept of genre stresses the importance of the context of a situation. Within this journal, scholars are invited to speak to other scholars in an academic community through

academic articles that address (the recurring situation of) issues and changes in the film and media industry. The three academic articles I have selected from Cinema Journal each contain their own set of content, and a reader could instantly see that just by reading the titles: Audiovisual Change: Viral Web Media and the Obama Campaign, 9/11 Film and Media Scholarship, and Postclassical Nonfiction: Narration in the Contemporary Documentary. However, immediately after a quick scan, one can pick up recurring patterns throughout the articles and notice that they follow the same format, which is that of an academic article. Each article has a title page, and at the bottom of the first page of text, the volume, issue number, and date of publishing is stated in small print. Located on the left margin vertically, is the reference to the publisher, (University of Texas Press). I also noticed that the name of the journal, volume, and issue number are listed at the top of every page of text (alternating left or right each page). From there, it is easy to see that the articles are clearly organized, beginning with an abstract (titled), followed by the content of the article (also separated by larger titles), and a formal conclusion. There are in-text citations that are elaborated as footnotes at the bottom of the appropriate pages. Because of the fact that these articles are intended for scholars to read, it is important for them to be presented in a way that is concise, professional, and not distracting, while still making sure that all sources/publishers/authors are cited correctly. Most sources that I noticed were either of other articles in the journal, or of films. I also noticed recurring features such as images with captions, charts, and

other excerpts including quotes. Bullet points were utilized to organize main points, as well as italics for proper names of films or concept terms being discussed. All of this adds up to the purpose of this type of genre. These articles are written to educate and inform other scholars about issues in the industry. Therefore, they must be clean cut, basic, easy to follow, thorough, and consistent with one another. I believe that from what Ive analyzed, the articles of Cinema Journal fulfill this purpose and accurately respond to such a rhetorical situation.

Works Cited

Cagle, Chris. "Postclassical Nonfiction: Narration in the Contemporary Documentary." Cinema Journal 52.1 (2012): 45-52. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/cinema_journal/>. "Cinema Journal." Project MUSE. The Johns Hopkins University Press in Collaboration with The Milton S. Eisenhower Library., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. Devitt, Amy J., Anis Bawarshi, and Mary Jo Reiff. "Materiality and Genre in the Study of Discourse Communities." National Council of Teachers of English 65.5 (2003): 541-58. Slocum, David. "9/11 FIlm and Media Scholarship." Cinema Journal 51.1 (2011): 181-93. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/cinema_journal/>. Vernallis, Carol. "Audiovisual Change: Viral Web Media and the Obama Campaign." Cinema Journal 50.4 (2011): 73-97. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/cinema_journal/>.