Cassie Edwards March 12, 2013 The Importance of Genre Knowledge for School Counselors When writing any

piece of work, whether it be an article, an essay, or even a letter to a friend, genre must be taken into account. Genre is also a main focus in the workplace when looking at discourse communities. Anne Beaufort (1999) makes an interesting point when she says, No writer can participate in a discourse community without adopting the genres of that community (p. 103). To adopt any genre for any discourse community, or for any situation, genre must first be understood. Kerry Dirk (2010) focuses on a very simple definition of what genres are and how we use them. According to Dirk, genres are seen as a way to accomplish a main goal or to get a point across (p. 253). This is also the central idea according to other authors, such as Carolyn Miller (1984). In Millers article, she says that, a rhetorically sound definition of genre must be centered not on the substance of the form of discourse but on the action it is used to accomplish (p. 151). The main point of a genre is to communicate with another person, or discourse community, and by doing so you are hoping to elicit a certain response. With this being said, the goal or action of a genre is to get a point across. Genres are a way of communicating to others, and they can be seen as a guideline of how to handle conversations and pieces of literature. Genres are used every day even when writing is not taking place. Every situation that takes place requires some sort of knowledge on genre. Recurring situations make it easier for people to handle situations when they come in contact with them. Individuals know how to handle situations because they have experienced them before and understand what is asked of

them. For example, a library genre is learned by visiting a library and taking in the situation. An individual knows to be quiet in the library because everyone around him or her is quiet as well. One would not go to the library and be disruptive, only because he or she knows that is out of character, or not following the genre. As previously stated, genres give us insight on how to carry ourselves or handle certain situations. Writers must also keep in mind that genres are not formats for writing. Kerry Dirk states that genres are not a format for writing by saying, If mastering a form were simply a matter of plugging in content, we would all be capable of successfully writing anything when we are given a formula (p. 253). This leads into the fact that genres are very dynamic. Genres are developed in response to situations that constantly reoccur. Since these situations are continuous, the response that was used the first time can be used to shape the response for the second time, third time, and so on. Although genres are used in association with these reoccurring situations, over time they change. Berkenkotter and Huckin (1993) used an interesting example to help clarify this idea. Huckin studied hundreds of scientific journals from the years 1944 to the late 1980s, and he found that these journals had changed significantly over time. The idea as to why these changes took place is that over time, readers had to begin to skim read articles because they cannot keep up with the literature, so more important information is placed in the beginning of articles (p. 481). Genres are changing all the time to better cater to a writers needs, and to help a writer communicate with his or her audience. Since genres are seen as a way to communicate within discourse communities, they are also a way to communicate with others outside of these communities. Knowing the discourse community and what genre is needed helps to understand what language and tone to use when writing and communicating. For example, when writing a letter to a friend, the language would

be very casual. In contrast, the language and tone of a cover letter or some sort of other business writing would be more serious and professional. Amy Devitt (2003) focuses on writing in the courtroom and how that writing will be used by others not in that discourse community. Devitt uses a more practical example to explain this process by addressing ballots for voters. The ballots are created by politicians but are completed by citizens (p. 514). These politicians are part of a discourse community, but they are writing for people that are not part of that community. The ballots themselves need to be written by someone who is knowledgeable of the subject, but they need to be written in ways that citizens will understand when it comes time to vote. Language is a very large part of genres because it is the main way writers communicate. Since genres are how we communicate to other people the way we speak in person and the language we choose to put on paper matters a great deal. Language in genres depends on the context of the situation. Knowing what kind of situation you are dealing with, whether it is professional or laidback, can help clarify what language will be used. If you were speaking with or writing for a boss or someone higher up, you would use a professional style of writing or tone of voice. If it is a friendly reminder to a colleague, the language, tone, and writing could be more relaxed. Having a better understanding of the situations one will face can prepare a new writer for what genres will be necessary to handle each situation. Psychology is a very vast field and there are many smaller discourse communities inside the psychology discourse community itself. School Psychology is the career path I have chosen to take, and with that I want to become a school counselor. School counselors work in elementary, middle, and high schools helping children achieve success academically, personally, and to help with the social development of the students. School counselors provide assistance to students whether it is about college decisions, personal development, or issues academically.

School counselors communicate with a younger generation, so language is very important. Self-help pamphlets can be found in just about any counselors office, and it is a tool that is simple and easy for both the counselor and the student to use. These pamphlets will be the genre of focus for the remainder of this paper, and I will be looking mainly at the language and style of writing in these pamphlets. The language and style of writing are very critical when creating these sorts of documents because you are writing to individuals that are not in the discourse community, and also because self-help pamphlets sometimes deal with very serious matters and tone is very important. Carolyn Miller discusses exigence, and this provides the rhetor with a socially recognizable way to make his or her intentions known (p.158). For a school counselor, the intention is always to help a student in need. When combining language and exigence, the writer has an effective way of communicating with students outside of the discourse community so that he or she can get the desired message across. Self-help pamphlets can range from minor situations, such as long distance relationships, to more major issues, such as contemplating suicide. Each situation requires different language to convey the message that is desired. Berkenkotter and Huckin (1993) discuss the idea of form and content. This focuses on what content is appropriate to a particular purpose in a particular situation at a particular moment in time (p. 488). To properly address the situations that are seen in self-help pamphlets, the writer must know what content is appropriate to include in each document. Kerry Dirk (2010) also discusses the importance of content when focusing on genre. Since writers know how these genres function as social actions, [writers] can quite accurately predict how they function rhetorically (p. 253). School counselors know that these pamphlets should result in making the student feel better, and to help them overcome the situation that is at

hand. According to Dirk, knowing what is appropriate in these situations obviously requires more rhetorical knowledge [than other forms of writing] (p. 253). To write these helpful pamphlets, the counselor must be knowledgeable in the area. If a school counselor was writing a pamphlet on depression, he or she wouldnt fill the document with how crazy the reader must be if they are feeling down about his or her life, but it would include helpful resources for the student and kind, motivational words would be used. Each situation is different, and each situation calls for a certain type of language. Often times, self-help pamphlets will include very casual language that will relate with the reader. For instance, When youre depressed, every problem seems more difficult to solve and every misfortune makes you feel worse. If youre feeling like life sucks and its never going to get better, its hard not to be depressed (Ohio University 2004). The point of these self-help pamphlets is to make the reader feel comfortable and not to feel like he or she is insignificant while struggling with whatever problem it may be that is bothering the student. The tone of the text is very laidback, almost as if it were two friends talking. Looking for help in some situations is very difficult for some people, but reading helpful material is an easy way for an individual to first gain some knowledge and to try and help his or herself before seeking more help if the situation comes to that. Making the reader feel comfortable will be more successful than making the reader feel like he or she is wrong for feeling the way they do. If the wrong language or tone is used in the genre, the pamphlet is not going to be effective. A student isnt going to feel better about his or herself if the material uses firm language, such as Start feeling better about yourself, life is a precious thing not and should not be wasted, or other statements similar to that. Language like that is going to make the student feel like he or she is wrong for feeling the way they are. As previously stated in this paper, the

writer must be knowledgeable on the subject, situation, and goals for the correct language to be used. Having knowledge of genre makes it easier for an individual to correctly write pieces of literature for his or her desired discourse community, and having knowledge of said discourse community makes choosing the language for pieces of work much easier. As discussed, language is a very vital part of genre and the work that is produced in discourse communities. Language plays a huge role in communication and can get a message across more effectively, or a goal accomplished. Whether your language is formal or casual, the tone of your work is what expresses the message and effects how the reader perceives the desired message, as weve seen in Carolyn Millers article when speaking of exigence.

Works Cited Beaufort, Anne. "Writing in the Real Word." Trans. Array Reading In Professional Writing. 2013. 111-130. Print. Berkenkotter, Carol, and Thomas N. Huckin. "Rethinking Genre From a Sociocognitive Perspective." Trans. Array Reading In Professional Writing. 2013. 83-100. Print. Devitt, Amy J., Anis Bawarshi, and Mary Jo Reiff. "Materiality and Genre in the Study of Discourse Communities." Trans. Array Reading In Professional Writing. 2013. 101-110. Print. Dirk, Kerry. "Navigating Genres." Trans. Array Reading In Professional Writing: ENG 3840J. Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky2013. 57-64. Print. Miller, Carolyn R.. "Genre As A Social Action." Trans. Array Reading In Professional Writing. 2013. 65-81. Print