Saif Elkilani ENGL2089 EPortfolio

EPortfolio

  • Blog Post 4 – Academic Genres and Research

    Academic Genres of writing are specific to a field of study and process that field of study is best articulated in. They include lab reports for collection and analysis of scientific data. Or narrative essays on life experience. Academic genres are the expressions of scholarship. Although constrained to the specific discipline of academia, these genres are still responses to rhetorical situations. Each discipline or class assignment has a guided preference for the writers academic genre. The ability to meet these guidelines are each individual creators academic genre.

    Research is meant to collect data on a topic through academic investigation. This data can then be used in research projects to present a conclusion to an audience. The goal of research and subsequent projects of research, are to persuade the audience to adopt the researchers viewpoint. In that way, through we research we create knowledge for ourselves in the hopes of summarizing that knowledge to best display it to an audience.

    When I was a senior in high school I had my first true research project. It was a ten-page thesis paper tying two books on the topic of a post-apocalyptic world to support a specific conclusion about the human race. The key differences between what I did then and what I am tasked with writing now are several. Firstly, the research I am doing now is more observational and internal. I am looking into my own behavior and routine to come to gain knowledge about my creative process. This is vastly different than the external gathering of of information from fictional novels with real world issues and tying it together with deeper extensive research into those issues.

    Beyond that, the structure and expectations will probably be different. My thesis was required to have three clearly labeled sections. One on the first book, one on the second, and one tying the central topic together with additional research. I will look to incorporate much more of my own style into this paper. After all it is a paper about myself!

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  • Blog Post 3 – Rhetorical Situation and Genre

    A strange intrigue of mine is watching videos of news reactions at the time of historical events. There a stark differences between contemporary analysis of past occurrences riddled with hindsight and instant reactions the day of or day after an event that I like to look at to get the whole picture. Even more interesting is how much less emotion is shown by TV journalists during actual events when there is much more to be emotional about, as opposed to later debates on the topic. Often, when I see the news report a tragedy such as a school shooting, I see the host present the facts with calmness and candor. I’ll see the same host in a different rhetorical situation weeks later, passionately arguing their point about gun laws and safety on their show.

    The same can be seen in news articles. Initial reports or articles from the day of have a very matter-of-factly genre of text. The writers typically focus on small details and descriptive language. After the event becomes a memory, writers begin to publish articles speaking in analytical terms about the bigger picture.

    It seems those in the journalistic profession are trained to present a certain genre in response to different rhetorical situations. Their style of writing, tone, and verbage are dependent on the rhetorical situation. To meet the daunting task of reporting tragic news while maintaining credibility with their audience, newscasters and journalists match dramatic events with calm rhetoric. To keep their ratings consistent, they insert captivating language and analysis during less dramatic moments.

  • Blog Post 2 – What is Genre?

    Before reading the chapter on Genre, I understood it as a category of literature, like fantasy, romance, Sci-Fi, etc. Defining genre as “how the speaker chooses to respond to the rhetorical situation” (18) completely changed my perspective. I now view genre as a category of response. Different circumstances warrant different genres of response. Genres function as a way to contextualize my writing and reading.

    In my reading, the author’s genre is crucial to truly interpret their text. Past philosophical or political passages, for example, can not be fully weighted unless the knowledge and point of view of the author are known. When I read Marx’s work for Political Theory during my freshman year of college, I had to constantly remind myself of the political landscape of the time these works were written to further contextualize what I was reading and apply it to present examples.

    In writing, my genre is more internal. It is my response, my context, rather than that of who wrote what I am reading. I am currently choosing a specific genre to write this post. I find myself in a situation where I want to meet the requirements of the assignment while also writing an interesting piece that my readers can connect to. To accomplish my goal, I chose to spread out the points I need to address for the assignment over the story I want to tell and/or the examples I wish to relay. That choice is my genre.

  • Blog Post 1 – What is Rhetorical Situation?

    To me, Rhetorical Situation is the internal motivation for why and the external style for how we express ourselves. Every bit of speech has a purpose, and the way we present that speech depends on that purpose in addition to the circumstances the speech is made. Rhetoric that creates a Rhetorical Situation can be verbal, written, or visual. Rhetorical Situation is present in everything we do, from lazily telling your sibling you will be down in a second in the morning, to passionately presenting a topic to your peers.

    As an aspiring litigator and courtroom geek, I often imagine myself presenting a closing argument in court during a Mock Trial Tournament. I practice this situation for weeks to perfect my rhetoric for the jury.

    Despite the scores of people, the courtroom is quiet. Not a pin drop would go unheard in the seconds before I begin my speech. My purpose is to summarize the evidence presented throughout trial, persuade the jury of my case theory, and perform this persuasion in such a way that I will score highly on the judges ‘ ballots. I am constrained, of course, by the rules of competition, court procedure, and the facts in the case packet. There is a certain candor I am restricted from by the anxiety I am feeling. Yet, as I grow more comfortable through more competitions and experience hopefully my rhetoric will grow more powerful.

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