Review of Genre in the Classroom: Multiple Perspectives (Hardcover)

Language is used purposefully, and varies according to author, audience, situation and intent--that is the vital concept underlying the all-important linguistic sub-discipline of Genre Theory.

This book is then an absolute necessity on the shelf of any serious student (or teacher) of applied linguistics.

It contains a clear, comprehensive overview of the history of genre theory. Then each of the several schools of thought within genre theory are represented by by their most influential and articulate proponents in succinct, well-written chapters. I found the dialogue between some of these "opposing" viewpoints in the final chapters to be most informative. The extensive works cited list is a real gold mine.

As a student of genre, and a consultant for learners of "Less-Widely Taught Languages," I found each of the various schools of thought to emphasize valid aspects of language and genre, and this valuable book helped me to formulate my own composite view.

Product Description
For the first time, the major theoretical and pedagogical approaches to genre and related issues of social construction are presented in a single volume, providing an overview of the state of the art for practitioners in applied linguistics, ESL/EFL pedagogies, rhetoric, and composition studies around the world. Unlike volumes that present one theoretical stance, this book attempts to give equal time to all theoretical and pedagogical camps. Included are chapters by authors from the Sydney School, the New Rhetoric, and English for Specific Purposes, as well as contributions from other practitioners who pose questions that cross theoretical lines.

Genre in the Classroom:
*includes all of the major theoretical views of genre that influence pedagogical practice;
*takes an international approach, drawing from all parts of the world in which genre theory has been applied in the classroom--Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, the Middle East, the United States;
*features contributors who are all both theorists and classroom practitioners, lending credibility and authenticity to the arguments;
*combines theory and practice in every chapter, showing how particular theoretical views influence classroom practice;
*grounds pedagogical practices in their own regional and theoretical histories;
*openly discusses problems and questions that genre theory raises and presents some of the solutions suggested; and
*offers a concluding chapter that argues for two macro-genres, and with responses to this argument by noted genre theorists from three theoretical camps.


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Review of Content and Complexity: Information Design in Technical Communication (Paperback)

This book is meant for a Tech Writing Graduate Level class, but is poorly compiled.Good information, but delivered in a ball of mess. No structure to the book

Product Description
From the foreword by Karen Schriver, author of "Dynamics In Document Design"

Information designers bring together words and images in ways that enable people to understand, take action, or make decisions. A good information design helps people to use the content in ways that suit their unique interests. Although information designers have long recognized the importance of developing good content, much of the literature in the field has focused on issues of graphic design and typography. This volume broadens our perspective with new ideas about creating information designs that speak to peoples' needs through the design of effective content in products familiar to technical communicators.

Since the 1990s, information designers have been preoccupied with shaping content in order to reduce information overload. The authors here challenge us to think strategically about content-its selection, organization, and integration. They show that well designed content can help people ferret out fact from fiction, main points from details, and "must read" from "optional read" information. In addition, the authors remind us that the content we generate not only communicates information to people but helps to build relationships among people.

Throughout the book, a number of themes emerge. Perhaps the most prominent is the need to hone our skills in analyzing the structure of information more deliberately than we have in the past. For any given information design task-whether a paper document, an online help system, or a multimedia project-information designers need to identify core (must have) information and distinguish this content from supplemental (nice to have) information. With a thorough understanding of the structure, information designers can highlight the content distinctions through careful design of text, graphics, photography, full-motion video, typography, or sound.

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