Know your informative genres
- Brandi Bradley
- Sep 25, 2017
- 6 min read
Informative genres is what you will be compose most in this course.
Both Project #1 and Project #2 are specifically FORMAL INFORMATIVE genres. This is why I ask you to write these Projects in 3rd person. In Formal Informative Genres, the focus of the composition is the subject, not the person composing the genre. No one ever asks for the backstory of the person who writes the dictionary entries.
Informative genres include but are not limited to:
News
reference
instruction manuals
pamphlets
flyers
recipes
patterns
infographs
Wikipedia entries
Peer Reviewed journal articles
Ask yourself which of the above list are formal and which are informal?
So how do you know if you are reading a credible informative genre? This is trickier than it used to be. Information which comes off the internet runs the risk of looking credible, but being false. Sometimes people we know and respect will post articles on Social Media which is not factual, and you might accept it as credible because you feel the person is credible.
Think about click bait, the "sponsored content" at the bottom of a website. These are usually advertisements in disguise. Other than being incredibly annoying, sometimes it baits with information which lures in people who believe it.
Recently, HGTV host of Fixer Upper, Joanna Gaines, had to address her fans on social media and her own web publication that she was not leaving Fixer Upper so she could launch her own skin care line. The "Fake News" story had disturbed the fans enough to where she felt she had to address her viewership with the truth.
When you come across unbelievable information, first ask yourselves these questions:
Is what they are claiming true?
How do you know it is true?
The best way to determine if something is true is to look at their evidence.
What do they provide for evidence?
Does their evidence come from respectable or credible sources?
Does their evidence make logical sense?
Can another source back up this evidence?
This is establishing ethos. We discussed Ethos as one of the Rhetorical Appeals. It evokes a sense of trustworthiness and respect.
Take the above Joanna Gaines example from above. In the photo, the headline of the article claims that the information had been reported in Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, Women's Health and People magazines. So Google it. If the article appears on any of these magazines, then it "might" be credible. Two sources is good, 5 sources it better.
Beware of evidence which uses:
Random blogs: these individuals are not always experts in their field
Uncited information: If they cannot back up their statements, then how can you be certain they are not making it up.
Unauthorized material: Think about unauthorized biographies, Wikipedia articles and Reddit. They could be right, but they haven’t been fact checked by the source.
Corporate Sponsored information: Pepsi is never going to be honest about the health effects of sugar. They are biased. Always beware biased information.
If you are attempting to establish ethos in your writing, make sure you:
Use declarative statements of facts
Provide evidence to those facts by quoting and referencing reliable sources. By doing this, you establish where your information originates and answers the question, “What do you know?”
The primary genre conventions of Informative Genres are Accuracy and Clarity.
Review this recipe.
Is it accurate?
It seems to be missing important information, such as measurements. This is why you see "Pinterest Fails," because the person providing the information was either careless or skipped steps. Don't be careless in your informative genres.
The expectation from your viewer/listener/reader is that the information you are providing is correct. If they suspect the information is inaccurate, they will stop engaging with your composition. If the information is not understandable or clear, they will stop engaging with your compositions. You want to create a composition that people want to view/listen/read until the end.
Other genre conventions will depend upon the specific mode. Informative genres can come in many modes, and often the choice of one mode over the other will be determined by the type of information you are attempting to convey. There is a reason why most recipes or instruction manuals are not in podcast form. People need the images in order to ensure what they are constructing is correct.
HOW TO WRITE AN OUTLINE
Project #1 is an analysis of artifacts composed to represent a Pop Culture Icon in order to understand that Icon’s brand.
How does one begin a project like this? I would suggest an outline.
After years of teaching First Year Composition Students having assumed that outlines were covered in high school, I discovered that they are not. I don’t necessarily mean “formal outlines” with Roman Numerals, letters and tiny little iiis. I just mean a plan. Plans are good. Plans keep you on track. Or if the idea of making a plan contradicts with your free spirited existence, fine. Call it a map, list, blueprint or spirit guide… whatever. This practice fits well in your toolbox. Thinking about what you are going to compose before you do it is always a good idea.
Here is what you need to accomplish for Project #1.
You need to pick a Pop Culture Icon who you LIKE, enjoy or admire. You will be spending a considerable amount of time thinking about this person, so choose wisely.
Select 3 different artifact.
Look at these artifacts. Examine these artifacts. What do they have in common? What are they trying to communicate about that Pop Culture icon’s brand? That is your thesis statement, the thread that connects the whole paper.
Remember that a paper is like a party.
Title – Titles are required. They are the invitation to the party. Make it compelling. Give the reader a reason to keep reading. Make sure the reader is dying to attend your party.
Introduction- Welcome to the paper. The introduction is like opening the door to the person you invited and welcome them inside. Acclimate them to the party. Introduce the Pop Culture icon in the first sentence. Then explain the artifacts you studied. Then add and the thesis statement. Or consider it like this:
The Body of the paper is like taking your reader through the party and introducing them to all your friends. The Body can be as many paragraphs as necessary. When your subject shifts into subtopics, switch paragraphs.
The Body should resemble this:
Artifact #1
Mode
Media
Audience
Style/Design
Purpose of that style and Design
Genre – Informative, Persuasive or Narrative (or hybrid)
How does it contribute to the brand?
Artifact #2
Mode
Media
Audience
Style/Design
Purpose of that style and Design
Genre – Informative, Persuasive or Narrative (or hybrid)
How does it contribute to the brand?
Artifact #3
Mode
Media
Audience
Style/Design
Purpose of that style and Design
Genre – Informative, Persuasive or Narrative (or hybrid)
How does it contribute to the brand?
Conclusion – Wrap it up. Show the reader out the door. Don’t recap the events of the party.
Just provide the reader with a So what?
What does all this mean?
Why is this brand important?
Does it contribute to something bigger in Pop Culture?
The beauty of an outline is once you have set it up, all you really have to do is fill in the blanks.
Don't forget... Due before TUESDAY 9/26 at 11:59 pm
Also, don't forget to Tweet.Suggested Twitter Assignment (minimum of 10 Tweets): (1.) Post an informative image/graphic on your Twitter page. [DUE before 11:59 pm on WEDNESDAY 9/27] (2.) View another classmate's image/graphic and engage in conversation on Twitter regarding the rhetorical devices of the image/graphic. Ex: How could you tell it was an informative article? Was it formal or informal? How did the design and style of the article contribute to the information. [DUE before 11:59 pm on SUNDAY 10/1]
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