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Running head: GENRE ANALYSIS

The impacts of Technology and the Different Genres

Regina Servin
University of Texas at El Paso
Mondays 7:30

GENRE ANALYSIS
Introduction
There are many types of genres that contribute to the beliefs that there are in society.
Each genre has its own way of persuading individuals in to believing what the message they are
trying to get across. Two genres that are both informative but yet different are scholarly articles
and media, such as the news. The sources from which the information is coming from are
Technologys Impact on Student Writing at the Middle School Level by Susan Cramer and
Annette Smith, this is a scholarly article. The other source is from a segment from NBC called

Family Circle- How Technology is Affecting Our Children They are both very different in the
sense of who is delivering the information and how it is being delivered. The purpose of this
paper is to study two different types of genres, in this case a scholarly article and a news
segment, and discover what the purpose of each genre is.
Audience and Purpose
It is very important to know which kind of genre is the best to follow. Some genres are
trying to just persuade and others actually have statistics and information backing up the
statements. Scholarly articles are using past information to make their theory credible. Scholarly
articles contain information that is based off other information and other tests. As for news
segments it is as if the only point is to persuade with pathos. The news segment only target the
parents, maybe them feel bad, but not giving any actual information as to why, no past
knowledge is being presented. The article is trying to take the topic into a deeper a level, a more
experimental and more affective level. The news is more for show, more to just grab the
audiences attention but to not really teach the audience anything. The articles targeted audience
are teachers, students, administrators, and even other scholars who are trying to learn about the
same topic. The targeted audience for the news segment is more for just parents. It seems as if

GENRE ANALYSIS
the articles main purpose is to not only give awareness but to also provide a solution, and of
course contain statistics and experiments. The only thing that the news provides is persuasion.
The audience will simply watch the news and honestly yes, it will give them something to think
about it but will not why there is a problem or what is actually causing it. The article will give

the audience something to think about and will allow them to actually think of other solutions, it
will not just be something to reflect on, it will be something that can teach. The way it is also
presented is also quite different, the article is very formal and provides Academic English as
for the news is very informal, it is friends talking amongst friends. The similarities of these two
genres are they are both using the correct language for the targeted audience. Both the scholarly
article and the news segment have been created in a certain way in order to attract their targeted
audience. The differences are that they target a different audience and the information is
presented in a very different as way, as well as the amount of information. When it comes to
audience and purpose the main goal the scholarly article wants to achieve is to create something
with depth, something that is made for students, school faculty and other scholars. Providing
statistics and passed experiments are all great reasons as to why the scholarly article is a great
genre to rely on. On the other hand the news segments only wants to achieve the purpose of
getting the issue known and to get parents to think about situation. It is not all about providing
information is it about being able to provide past resources that have been tested and researched.
The scholarly article is using ethos, which also enhances the logos. As for news segment, it is
using pathos and little bit of logos.
Rhetorical Issues
The genres that should be used the most should be those that not only include pathos but
focus on the use of ethos and logos. The article does a great job of establishing credibility do to

GENRE ANALYSIS
the fact that it has many sources from which the information came from. The more people there
are in the genre, the more credibility. The purpose of the article is not to tug at the heart, it is
too open the mind of others, the information provided will also give the audience the ability to
create their own ideas, therefore create new data that will be passed on. The credibility for the

segment comes in a different form, yes, everything that is being say may be true but there are no
sources, there is no depth. Everything that is being said on the news segment is logos and pathos,
all the facts are statements that seem logical but were at no point actually researched. An
emotional response would not really be present in the article, but it is in the segment is more
about the emotional aspect, it is directed at parents. As for the scholarly article the author
focused on the use of pathos and logos because he is not trying to persuade you by emotions, but
by facts. Throughout the article there are many types of quotes form past scholars, examples
from studies, and also a full explanation as to why thing are being impacted the way they are.
The article wants to not only spread information but also teach and provide past sources and past
studies, this is to create a more reliable source. The segment is missing credibility it is missing
more sources. Yes what they are saying sounds true but it has no body, is has nothing to back
them up. It is a simple conversation about a topic, no depth and no analysis.
Structure and Delivery
One has to think about how some genres are not able to provide as much information as
another one can. What has to be considered with the genres are limits and the amount of space
there is to analyze. The article has somewhat of an advantage because the author can pretty much
say whatever it is they want. The limit of sources is none and there is possibly no limit on the
amount of information that can be brought in, with in reason of course. In the segment there is
not much time to explain so much and there is not a lot of room to work with. The way the

GENRE ANALYSIS
information is presented is very important, the scholarly article uses Academic English is order
to attract the targeted audience. It not only uses English but it is also structured in a very
professional way, all the information is grouped together in an understanding matter. As for the
news segment the language used is very informal, and it does not provide as much information,
do to the fact that their targeted audience are most likely not interested on an hour analysis as to
why technology is harmful. The use of other sources and research is also what gives the
scholarly article the credibility and strength it deserves. By involving past sources the structure
and delivery become stronger, knowing that the information being presented has been through
various minds and various research projects, creates a genre that is reliable and full of
knowledge. The scholarly articles structure was so professional, it contained pages on
information, all written in Times New Roman, and very formal language. The similarities with
both of these genres is that they both do a good job of setting the structure and delivery up
perfectly for the audience it is intended for and to deliver the message they are trying to convey.
On the other hand they have quite a bit of differences. The scholarly article structure is very
professional that will use every detail of the subject to its advantage. All the information is
written in a way the paper becomes a whole, the arguments are precise and thorough. As for the
news segment, yes it is created to point out the subject but it does not have as complex of a
structure and the fact that the segment does not have nearly as much room to worth with is

something that has to considered. The structure and delivery for the segment are not meant to be
as strong, its been said before that the only purpose of the segment is to make the audience aware
of the issue but not to actually inform.
Conclusion and Synthesis

GENRE ANALYSIS

The genre that did a far better job at informing an audience about the topic is the
scholarly article. Scholarly articles provide much more information and credible sources than a
news segment. All the credible sources and the academic structure gives the reader a much
bigger picture of the actual problem. The article had a great deal credible sources that one could
not look past. All the information that the article provided was information that has been studied
by many other scholars. Every genre has an impact on a discourse community, some more than
others, but all count. It is very important that the genre is able to be trusted but that the
information that is provided will not only give the reader something to think about but will also
give the reader the ability to create new knowledge.

GENRE ANALYSIS
Sources
Cramer, S., & Smith, A.Technology's impact on student writing at the middle school level.
Family circle- How technology is affecting our children. . ().[Video/DVD] NBC.