Rick's posting of Ann Johns' draft prospectus for the book from the
genre conference got garbled somewhere in the works and was pretty
tough to read. In order to read it myself I cleaned it up and
reformatted it; I thought it might save people some trouble if I
re-posted it.
-- Russ
Below is a draft prospectus which I plan to send to Earlbaum.
Suggestions for revision are welcome.
GENRES IN THE CLASSROM: THEORY, RESEARCH, AND PRACTICE
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: There is increasing evidence thoughout the world
that the issue of the social construction of texts within "genres"
has become a major factor in the discussions of theory, research, and
practice in applied linguistics, literacy studies, composition
studies, and rhetoric. One obstacle to understanding the issues and
pedagogies involved is that practitioners subscribe to different
theories of genre, and, as a result, take different approaches in
the classroom. The purposes for this volume are to explain the major
genre theories, to examine some of the issues relating to theory and
research, and, most importantly, to apply various theoretical
approaches to classroom contexts.
OUTSTANDING FEATURES: This edited collection will have a number of
features that have not been integrated in other volumes on genre:
1. It will not assume a particular view of genre from a specific
region or theoretical base (see Hyon, 1996, for a discussion of
the three major genre traditions). Instead, each author will
outline his or her genre theory before discussing implications
for research or practice.
2. Its contributors represent the major regions in which genre
theory is being discussed and utilized: Australia, Canada, Hong
Kong, the Middle East, and the various traditions in the United
States.
3. Contributors will raise some of the problems in applying
genre theory as well as suggesting some of the solutions.
4. Contributors will approach the study and pedagogies of genre
in different ways, depending upon the particular orientation of
the writer or research or the traditions from which the writer
comes.
In short, the volume attempts to cover the major theoretical
approaches to genre, some of the research issues these approaches
raise, and the pedagogical ramifications of the theoretical stances.
COMPETITION: I mention Berkenkotter & Huckin (1995), Bhatia (1993),
Freedman & Medway (1994, 1994), Johns (1997), A GENRE-BASED APPROACH
TO WRITING (Australia), Reid (1987), and Swales (1990).
APPARATUS: In addition to the chapters, the book will include the
following:
1) a list of references at the end
2) a glossary of terms, prepared by the chapter authors,
3) a list of questions for teacher/scholars at the end of each
chapter encouraging thought, discussion or research.
AUDIENCE: This book is intended for those who wish to educate
themselves to a more complete range of genre theory and practice.
The audience would include, among others,
1) Graduate students in applied linguistics, composition, or
rhetoric
2) Teacher educators and curriculum designers in various parts
of the world, 3) Interested professionals in several disciplines.
TABLE OF CONTENTS: (This is what I have so far; but I plan to
reorganize into categories when all of the abstracts are in.)
Christine Adam & Natasha Artemeva: "Situating genre learning
in the second language classroom"
Richard Coe: "Teaching political briefs"
Tony Dudley-Evans: (TBA)
Susan Feez: "Curriculum renewal in the Australian Adult Migrant
English Program"
John Flowerdew: "A genre-based approach to EST course design"
William Grabe: "Processinging narrative and expository texts"
Virginia Guleff: "Working towards genre: Participant
observation and the construction of texts"
Sunny Hyon: "A genre-based approach to ESL reading: An
evaluative case study"
Ann Johns: "Raising genre awareness: Demystifying methods,
texts, and tasks in the university classroom"
Terrance Pang: "Approches to teaching genre: Linking theory and
practice in teaching film reviews"
Betty Samraj: "Text and multiple contexts: Implications for EAP
curriculum development"
John Swales and Stephanie Lindemann: "Teaching the literature
review to international graduate students"
Looking forward to receiving some additional abstracts!
Ann M. Johns
Department of Rhetoric & Writing Studies
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182
(619) 594-6331
(619) 583-2966
__|~_
Russell A. Hunt __|~_)_ __)_|~_ Aquinas Chair
St. Thomas University )_ __)_|_)__ __) PHONE: (506) 452-0424
Fredericton, New Brunswick | )____) | FAX: (506) 450-9615
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