In a striking full-color visual format, The Bedford Book of Genres collects compelling examples that tell stories, report information, and persuade their audiences and then invites students to unpack how they work in order to experiment with their own compositions—not only through writing, but through photography, sketching, audio recording, and other creative forms. The Guide presents a simple rhetorical framework for reading in any genre and supports students through every step of the composing process, from finding a topic and sources to choosing a genre, presenting your work, and creating an author’s statement about your composing choices. Guided Readings—in print and e-Pages—map out the rhetorical situation and conventions of common public and academic genres, while Guided Process sections follow the decisions that 5 real students made as they worked in multiple genres and media. With 16 topic clusters and a range of readings from short visual arguments to longer, more complex pieces, the Reader gives students a wealth of sources, models, and inspiration for their own compositions.

Amy Braziller is an English faculty member and former department chair at Red Rocks Community College. She received her B.A. from Empire State College and her M.A. from New York University. Amy has presented on teaching writing and new media at numerous national and regional conferences. Her research focuses on the intersections between classroom and personal writing. Amy, who is at work on a series of personal essays related to her punk rock days in NYC, blogs about food, film, music, GLBT issues, and social media distractions at amybraziller.com. She is co-author (with Elizabeth Kleinfeld) of The Bedford Book of Genres.

Elizabeth Kleinfeld is the Writing Center Director and an Associate Professor of English at Metropolitan State College of Denver. She received her B.S. from Bradley University, and her M.S. in English and Ph.D. in Composition and Rhetoric from Illinois State University. Liz is a contributing researcher on The Citation Project and has published essays on new media, writing centers, and student source use in various journals and collections, including Computers & Composition Online. She is co-PI on a grant to develop a program on academic literacy for at-risk students, particularly migrants. Her current research focuses on how writing centers can intervene in students’ research processes. Liz is co-author (with Amy Braziller) of The Bedford Book of Genres.

GUIDE

Part I: Experimenting with Genres: from analysis to draft

1. Understanding Genres

The Rhetorical Situation

Purposes: Why Are You Composing?

Audiences: Who Are You Composing For?

Rhetorical Appeals: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

Modes & Media

Genre Conventions

Elements of the Genre

Style

Design

Sources

Case Study: One Event, Two Genres: Arch Collapse at a National Park

GUIDED READINGS

(press release) Paul Henderson, Wall Arch Collapses

(blog post) Shaan Hurley, The Wall Arch Collapses in Arches National Park

Student Case Study: One Topic, Multiple Genres: Prescription Drugs and Advertising

Kristen LaCroix (student), Drugs & Marketing Project

Researching a Topic

Choosing a Topic

Determining a Purpose

Considering Audience

Using Rhetorical Appeals

Choosing a Genre(s)

Working with Modes and Media

Working with Style

Working with Design

Drawing from Sources

GUIDED READINGS

(collage capsule sculpture) Kristin LaCroix, Prescription for Change: The Impact of Drug Advertising

(artist’s statement) Kristin LaCroix , Why I Created “Prescription for Change”

2. Narrative Genres

The Rhetorical Situation

Purposes: Why Tell Stories?

Audience: How Do We Get Others to Connect with Our Stories?

Rhetorical Appeals: How Do We Use Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to Tell Stories?

Mode & Media: What Are the Best Choices? How Will They Affect your Story?

The Genre’s Conventions

Elements of the Genre: What Do All Stories Have In Common?

Style: How Does It Contribute to Your Story?

Design: What Is the Best Physical Format For Your Story?

Source: What Information Do We Draw on to Tell Stories?

Literacy Narratives

Analyzing Literacy Narratives: What to Look For

GUIDED READING:

(literacy narrative) Richard Rodriguez, From Aria: A Memoir of Bilingual Education

Drafting a Literacy Narrative

Memoirs

Analyzing Memoirs: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(memoir) Dave Eggers, From A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

Drafting a Literacy Narrative

Graphic Memoirs

Analyzing Graphic memoirs: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(graphic memoir) Alison Bechdel, From Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

Drafting a Graphic Memoir

Photo Essays

Analyzing Photo Essays: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(photo essay) Eros Hoagland, Life in the Googleplex

Drafting/Sketching Out a Photo Essay

e-Pages

Fairy Tales

Analyzing Fairy Tales: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(fairy tale) Charles Perrault, Little Red Riding Hood

Drafting a Fairy Tale

e-Pages

Short Stories

Analyzing Short Stories: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(short short story) Annie Proulx, 55 Miles to the Gas Pump

Drafting a Short Story

e-Pages

Dramatic Films

Analyzing Dramatic Films: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(dramatic film) Danny Boyle, From Slumdog Millionaire

Drafting/Sketching Out a Dramatic Film

3. Informative Genres

The Rhetorical Situation

Purposes: Why Share Information?

Audiences: How Do We Inform Others?

Rhetorical Appeals: How Do We Use Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to Inform?

Mode & Media: How Can They Help You Inform?

The Genre Conventions

Elements of the Genre: What Does All Informative Writing Have in Common?

Style: How Does It Help You Inform?

Design: What Is the Best Physical Format for Informing?

Source: What Research Do We Draw on to Inform Our Readers?

Encylopedia Entries

Analyzing Encyclopedia Entries: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(encyclopedia entry) The Encyclopedia Britannica, Global Warming

Drafting an Encyclopedia Entry

Charts / Infographics

Analyzing Charts / Infographics: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(infographic) The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Why Does a Salad Cost More than a Big Mac?

Drafting a Chart / Infographic

News articles

Analyzing News Articles: What to look for

GUIDED READING

(news article) Nicholas Wade, For Cats, a Big Gulp with a Touch of the Tongue

Drafting a News Article

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Analyzing Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(peer-reviewed journal article) Sika Alaine Dagbovie, Mixed Race Superstars

Drafting a Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

e-Pages

Maps

Analyzing Maps: What to Look For

(interactive map) GUIDED READING: WorldView, Ltd. MyLondonMap

Drafting/Sketching a Map

e-Pages

Documentary Films

Analyzing Documentary Films: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(documentary film) Doug Pray, from Scratch

Sketching a Plan for a Documentary Film

e-Pages

Business Memos

Analyzing Business Memos: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(memo) Ellen Thibault, Video Project

Drafting a Business Memo

4. Persuasive Genres

The rhetorical situation

Purposes: Why Write to Persuade?

Audiences: How Do We Persuade Others?

Rhetorical Appeals: How Do We Use Ethos, Logos, and Pathos to Persuade?

Mode & Media: How Can They Help You Persuade?

The genre conventions

Style: How Do Elements of a Genre and Features of Your Writing Contribute to Your Persuasive Texts?

Design: What is the Best Physical Format for Persuading?

Source: What Research Do We Draw on to Persuade Others?

Advertisements

Analyzing Advertisements: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(advertisement) Danone/Evian, Detox with Evian

Drafting an Advertisement

Editorials

Analyzing Editorials: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(editorial) Katha Pollitt, Adam and Steve—Together at Last

Drafting an Editorial

Researched Arguments

Analyzing Researched Arguments: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(researched argument) Chase Dickinson (student), Are Kids On a One-Way Path to Violence?

Drafting a Researched Argument

Authors’ & Artist’s Statements

Analyzing Authors’ & Artist’s Statements: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(artist’s statement) Michael Kipp (student), Why and How I Created My Collage: Thank You

Drafting an Author’s or Artist’s Statement

Collages / Visual Arguments

Analyzing Collages / Visual Arguments: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(collage) Richard Hamilton, Just What Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing?

Sketch or Draft a Collage / Visual Argument

e-Pages

Presentations

Analyzing Presentations: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(presentation) Shereen El Feki, Pop Culture in the Arab World

Drafting a Presentation

e-Pages

Personal Statements

Analyzing Personal Statements: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

(personal statement) TopLawSchools.com & Stay-at-Home Dad, Personal Statement for Penn Law School

Drafting a Personal Statement

e-Pages

Cover Letters & Resumes

Analyzing Cover Letters & Resumes: What to Look for

GUIDED READING

Julia Nollen, Applying for Marketing Assistant Job

Drafting a Cover Letter & Resume

e-Pages

Film Reviews

Analyzing Film Reviews: What to Look For

GUIDED READING

Roger Ebert, Ratatouille: Waiter, There’s a Rat in my Soup

Drafting a film review

Part II: Composing in Genres — from start to finish

5. Exploring Topics & Creating a Research

Choosing a Topic through Basic Research

1. Brainstorm topic ideas: Read, talk, sketch, enjoy.

GUIDED PROCESS: How to Choose a Topic

Sharon Freeman (student), From Coffee to Germs

2. Explore topic ideas through preliminary research. Who’s saying what?

3. Commit to a single viable topic. What are you most curious about?

4. Form a working research question—and refine as you go.

Moving from Research Question to Proposal

GUIDED PROCES: How to Research a Topic

Jasmine Huerta (student), Diabetes Project

Exploring a topic: Diabetes

Finding facts about Diabetes

Gathering Opinions about Diabetes

Creating a Research Proposal

Organizing Your Sources

Use simple strategies: email, bookmark, copy/paste, screen capture 000

Create a list of sources: keep a working bibliography 000

Better yet, keep an annotated working bibliography 000

GUIDED PROCESS: How to Create a Bibliography

Jasmine Huerta (student), Diabetes Project: Bibliography

Drafting a research question, proposal, and bibliography

6. Evaluating & Choosing Sources

Getting Started with Sources

What are sources?

Where do I find sources?

What can sources do for me?

What’s a general source? What’s a specialized academic source?

What are primary & secondary sources? What are tertiary sources?

How do I preview a source critically?

Previewing a Source

Emily Kahn (student): Women in Comic Books Project

1. What is Lightspeed Magazine?

2. Who Are the Editors & Staff Members at Lightspeed Magazine?

3. Who Is Jehanzeb, the Author of the Article?

4. What Type of Article Is This? Will It Work for My Project?

GUIDED PROCESS: How to Preview a Source

Emily Kahn (student), Women in Comic Books Project: Previewing Jehanzeb Dar

5. Should I add this source to my working bibliography?

Evaluating a Source

Calvin Sweet: Hurricane Katrina Project

How do I evaluate a source? How is this different from previewing?

GUIDED PROCESS: How to Evaluate Sources

Calvin Sweet, Hurricane Katrina Project: Evaluating 3 Sources

Calvin Sweet, Hurricane Katrina Project: Research Plan

7. Integrating & Documenting sources

Integrating Sources into Your Writing

Using a Parenthetical Citation or Signal Phrase

Quoting

GUIDED PROCESS: How to Quote from a Source

Paul Pierre (student), Nonviolent Protest Project: Quoting Gandhi

Paraphrasing

GUIDED PROCESS: How to Paraphrase a Source

Paul Pierre (student), Nonviolent Protest Project: Paraphrasing Julia Bacha

Summarizing

GUIDED PROCESS: How to Summarize a Source

Paul Pierre (student), Nonviolent Protest Project: Summarizing Julia Bacha

Avoiding Plagiarism

Documenting sources: A Guide to MLA & APA Styles

How to choose a documentation style

MLA Style

MLA Models

APA Style

APA Models

8. Composing in Genres

Rough Drafting

Advice for rough drafting

GUIDED READING: A Rough Draft

Gwen Ganow (student), Superhero Project: Rough Draft

Rereading & Annotating Sources

Steps for Rereading & Annotating Sources

GUIDED PROCESS: How to Reread & Annotate a Source

Gwen Ganow (student), Superhero Project: An Annotated Source

Choosing a genre to compose in

Steps for choosing a genre to compose in

GUIDED PROCESS: How to Choose a Genre to Compose In

Gwen Ganow (student), Superhero Project:

Brainstorm to Refine Topic & Purpose

3 Annotated Persuasive Sources

Notes on Persuasive Genre Chosen to Compose In

Composing your Genre Piece

Steps for composing

GUIDED PROCESS: How to Compose a Genre Piece

Gwen Ganow (student), Superhero Project

Film Review Draft #1

Evaluation of Film Review Draft #1

Film Review Drafts #2 and #3

Composing an Accompanying Author’s or Artist’s Statement

Advice for composing your statement

GUIDED PROCESS: How to compose an author’s statement

Gwen Ganow (student), Superhero Project: Author’s Statement: Draft #1

9. Revising & remixing your work

Revising Your Work

Revising Based on Your Own Observations

Revising Based on Peer Review

GUIDED PROCESS: Integrating Peer Feedback: Draft to Finished Composition

Gwen Ganow (student), Superhero Project:

Author Statement Draft #1—with Peer Review

Author Statement Revision List

Author Statement Draft #2

Author Statement Revision List

Author Statement Draft #3

Author Statement: Final (shows edits)

Author Statement: Final (edits incorporated)

Remixing Your Work into Different Genres

GUIDED PROCESS: Remixing a Genre Project

Gwen Ganow, Superhero Project Remix: PowerPoint presentation with “Top 10” List

10. Assembling a Multigenre Project

The Possibilities of the Multigenre Project

Your Rhetorical Situation

The Conventions of the Multigenre Project

The Steps to Assembling a Multigenre Project

1. Introduce your project and provide context

2. Sequence your genre pieces

3. Title your project

4. Create an author’s or artist’s statement

5. Package your project creatively

Examples of multigenre projects

GUIDED READINGS: Multigenre projects

Neil Carr (student), Video Games and Violence: Who Should We Blame When Kids are Violent?

Gwen Ganow (student), When Worlds Collide: Why Superheroes Matter

Dawson Swan (student), The Threat of Nature Deficit Disorder

Appendix: 4 readings

e-Pages

Identity

(poster campaign) Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County, Not Who You Expected?

e-Pages

The body

(argument) Michael Pollan, 6 Food Rules

e-Pages

The environment

(object/ad) Surfrider Foundation, Catch of the Day: Plastic Surprise

e-Pages

Heroes & villains

(myths) The Federal Bureau of Investigation, From Serial Murder: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators: Common Myths and Misconceptions Regarding Serial Murder

READER

11. Identity

Identity & Stuff

(researched argument) Sam Gosling, From Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You

(ad) Acura, The 2009 Acura TSX

Composing Identity

(essay) Garrison Keillor, Last Words

(profile) Kirsten Herold, Facebook Profile

(blog entry / diagram) Mark Dixon, Discovering Identity

(timeline) Alli, Timeline of My Life

Our Bodies, Ourselves

(essay) Paul Bloom, First Person Plural

(photo series) Billie Hara, Identity: Parts and Pieces

(essay) Hanna Rossin, A Boy’s Life

(nursery rhyme) Unknown, What Are Folks Made Of?

Immigration & Identity

(fiction) Amy Tan, Two Kinds

(poem) Emma Lazarus, The New Colossus

(cartoon) Conservative Outpost, Not Yours

American Identity

(editorial) Matthew Iglesias, The Myth of Majority-Minority America

(ads) Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County, Not Who You Expected?

Sameya, age 18; Jeff, age 44

(editorial blog post) Ted Merwin, What Makes the Jewish Deli American?,

Subculture Identity

(wiki entry) eHow, How to Become a Geek

(interview) Deborah Soloman, Patti Smith: She Is a Punk Rocker

12. The Body

Bodies 101

(poem) Walt Whitman, From I Sing the Body Electric

(instructions) American Heart Association and the University of Washington School of Medicine, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

(medical history) Dr. John G. Sotos, aka Doctor Zebra, The Health and Medical History of President Ronald Reagan

(personal essay) Harriet McBryde Johnson, Unspeakable Conversations

(researched argument) Barbara Ehrenreich, Smile or Die: The Bright Side of Cancer

Food, Obesity, & Fat Advocacy

(list/argument) Michael Pollan, 6 Food Rules

(essay) Regina Schrambling, Lard: After Decades of Trying, Its Moment Is Finally Here

(ad) GlaxoSmithKline, Alli: My Story

(napkin) Starbucks, Real Food, Simply Delicious

(essay) Laura Fraser, The Inner Corset: A Brief History of Fat in the U.S.

(essay) Juliet Samuel, Fat Pride World Wide: The Growing Movement for Avoirdupois Acceptance

(blog pages) Paul McAleer, About Big Fat Blog; About Fat Acceptance

(essay) Daniel Engber, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Fat Asses

Messing with the Body

(argument essay) Gregg Easterbrook, Embrace Human Cloning

(essay) Victoria Clayton, Is Cosmetic Surgery a Good Gift for Grads?

(news article) Science Daily, Men Fuel Rebound in Plastic Surgery

(phone app) Dr. Michael A. Salzhauer, iSurgeon

The Brain & Mental health

(memoir) Andy Behrman, From Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania: “Oz”

(journal news article) Joan Arehart-Treichel, Women’s Depiction in Drug Ads: Holdover from a Bygone Era?

(letter & painting) Vincent Van Gogh, “Dear Theo” and Dr. Gachet Seated at a Table

Cigarettes, Drugs, & Alcohol

(spoof ad) Adbuster’s Magazine, Joe Chemo

(portfolio of ads) Stanford School of Medicine (curators), Vintage Cigarette Ads 000

(map & chart) John Hoffman & Susan Froemke, Addiction is a National Concern and Drugs and Alcohol at a Glance

13. The Environment

Going Green: Ethics & The Climate Crisis

(editorial) Alex Williams, Buying into the Green Movement

(argument) Al Gore, From An Inconvenient Truth

(brief arguments) Matt Power, Spencer Reiss, Joanna Pearlstein, Inconvenient Truths: 10 Green Heresies

Corporate Greening

(brief article) Eric Hagerman, Little Green Lies

(researched essay) Anna Lenzer, Spin the Bottle

(fact sheet) Jen Quraishi, H2-Uh-Oh: Dirty Facts about Bottled Water

(portfolio of ads) Shell, The New Energy Future; Chevron, I Will Leave the Car at Home More; BP, Gulf of Mexico Restoration

Pollution & Activism

(article) Leyla Kokman, Environmental Justice for All

(speech) President Barack Obama, The BP Oil Spill

(billboard) Environmental Defense Fund, The Traffic Is Killing Me

(complaint letter) Credo Action, Tell CEOs to stop burning coal

Plastics, Recycling, & Wildlife

(object/ad) Surfrider Foundation, Catch of the Day: Plastic Surprise

(ad) Oceana.org, Love Flipper and His Friends?

(poster) Republic Services, Recycle More. It’s Easy to Do

(comic & pie chart) Environmental Protection Agency, From Adventures of the Garbage Gremlin & Municipal Solid Waste Chart

Fashion & The Environment

(brief article & ad) NotCot, Global Warming, Diesel Style

(ad) Gaiam, Feel the World Outside: Organic Cotton

(t-shirt) Ban T-Shirts, There Is No Planet B

Food & The Environment

(personal essay) Jonathan Safran Foer, Against Meat

(argument) Christine Lennon, Pro-Meat: Why Veggies Are Going Carnivore

(argument) James E. McWilliams, The Locavore Myth

14. Heroes & Villains

Mythical Heroes

(presentation) Chris Murban, The Archetypal Hero

(interview) Joseph Campbell, From The Power of Myth: The Hero’s Adventure

(map) Prestwick House Maps, The Journey of Odysseus

(comic book adaptation) Homer/ Marvel Comics, From The Odyssey

(fiction) Margaret Atwood, From The Penelopiad

Archetypal Villains

(etymology) Dictionary.com, “Villain”

(list) The American Film Institute, 100 Greatest Heroes &Villains

(researched article) Stuart Fischoff, Villains in Film

(instructions) Lee Masterson, Instructions for Writers: Creating Villains People Love to Hate

Everyday Heroes

(parody) The Onion, Only Guy Who Puts Paper in the Copier Considers Himself a Hero

(posters & brochure) War Production Co-Coordinating Committee, Rosie the Riveter: “We Can Do It; Vocational Education Posters, I Am a Firefighter; CISCRP.org, MedicalHeroes

(lyrics) Bruce Springsteen, Local Hero

(article) Joshua B. Freeman, Working-Class Heroes

(editorial) Mike Celizic, No Athlete Deserves to Be Called a Hero

(memoir) Jimmy Santiago Baca, A Place to Stand

Public Heroes

(photo & quote) Martin Luther King

(obituary) The New York Times, Rosa Parks

(speech) John F. Kennedy, Special Address to Congress on The Importance of Space

(photo) Neil Armstrong, Astronaut Buzz Aldrin

Serial Killers, Murderous Moms

(myths) The Federal Bureau of Investigation, From Serial Murder: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators: Common Myths and Misconceptions Regarding Serial Murder

(argument) David von Drehl, It's All About Him

(police report) To Come

(profiles) Charles Montaldo/About.com,

Profile of Jeffrey Dahmer

Profile of Andrea Yates

Profile of Dennis Rader aka the "BTK" Strangler

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The Bedford Book of Genres: A Guide & Reader

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Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Rewards Program