Article Review 4

Clark, Irene. “A Genre Approach to Writing Assignments.” Composition Forum 14.2 (2005).

             ERIC. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.

            In “A Genre Approach to Writing Assignments,” Irene Clark argues that analyzing and composing writing prompts from a genre perspective will aid teachers in composing prompts that students are likely to interpret clearly and respond to thoughtfully.

            Clark utilizes a number of comparisons to illustrate the implicit assumptions made by many writing prompts and the teachers who write them. For example, Clark includes a snippet of stage directions without first labeling them as so. She observes that most readers of her article don’t need to be told that, “Mary with her jumper off—it is lying on the back of a chair—is arranging her hair before a tiny mirror,” is a stage direction. Teachers and scholars are likely to recognize the phrasing and word choice as belonging to such directions.

             In a like way, Clark argues, many teachers have a genre in mind when composing prompts, but fail to explicitly state that genre and its accompanying expectations. Clark borrows some additional comparisons from Devitt, Bawarshi, and Reiff, likening prompts composed by teachers for students to, “jury instructions, created by lawyers for jurors without legal training, tax forms, created by the IRS but meant to be used by people who are not experts in tax law, and ballots, which are created by politicians and lawyers but intended for average citizens.”

            In further support of her argument, Clark includes two writing prompts and two student responses to each, one the response of a student whose writing indicates he or she understands the implicit assumptions of the prompt and one whose writing indicates a lack of such understanding. These prompts and responses support Clark’s central argument with particular efficacy as they allow the reader to look at prompt, assumptions, and responses in close proximity.

            I found this section of the article particularly helpful as the writing prompts I use in my own composition classes do not consistently elicit the student responses I desire and expect. This section of the article helps me view my prompts from a fresh angle. Near the close of the article, Clark includes a list of questions teachers can consider when composing prompts, questions such as, “What role must the writer assume in writing this genre?” This list is one I will consult when composing prompts in the future.

            I would recommend this article to my peers seeking to implement a genre approach in the college classroom. Clark’s review of the literature on genre is brief but clear, referencing scholars such as Peter Elbow and David Bartholomae. Clark uniquely arranges these resources to demonstrate how the genre of writing prompts can work to either to invite students in or keep students out of the academic discourse community. While I would not dissuade scholars in the field from reading this article, Clark’s argument, explanations, and evidence are geared toward those on the “front lines” of the college classroom, those actively composing and grading assignments.