Genre

== Overview ==
Genre is a subset of media. In the same way communication can be broken
down into different mediums, each individual medium can be broken
down into different genres within that medium.
Definition and History 
The concept of genre hasn't been discussed too heavily in the context of WAM. However, I
believe it to be the more specific types of media within a given
medium. We've discussed at length what each different medium affords
you, and in doing so, have touched on a number of different genres in
each medium. While documentaries and blockbuster movies are both
within the medium of video, they are two completely different things.
As are paintings and info-graphics, paintings and cartoons, and songs
and spoken word poetry. Each of these pairs belong to the same
medium, and can be discussed within the broad definition of sound or
visual, but each afford the author or artist different things. 
Genre itself, like the culture and society that defines it and vice versa, is subject to change throughout history. It began with Plato's division of literature into three categories that are still used today: drama, prose, and poetry with the latter have further subdivisions. According to Ralph Cohen's essay on History and Genre, genre has been "defined in terms of meter, inner form, intrinsic form, radical of presentation, single traits, family traits, institutions, conventions, contracts," all of which were considered as empirical historical groupings. When a genre is transformed, it reveals the social changes in audiences' interpretation of literature. 
French philosopher and social theorist Michel Foucault argued that applying genre to subjects like literature or philosophy is useless since there's no longer any agreement upon such distinctions compared to when they were first formulated. Another French philosopher, Jacques Derrida, argued that genre is both necessary and unnecessary, that no generic trait completely confines something to a specific genre. 
Francis Cairns points out that genres were used during the days of oral communication to help listeners distinguish about the story the poet was reciting. When literary communication came to replace oral, genre had to undergo a change as well. Much to the agreement of Derrida, no one genre can describe an entire text, so there must be a hierarchy of genres to coexist in order to complement the work, defining them by their interrelation and differentiation from one another. 
== Examples ==
Within the medium of sound:
Song: Song separates itself from other forms of sound by using melodies and sung as opposed to
spoken lyrics. These unique characteristics make it an important
genre within sound.
Spoken Word: Spoken word can be
thought of as a stripped down version of song. Lyrics are 			still
the source of information/message but they are spoken not sung. This
genre can 			manifest itself in a few different ways. While it is
common place for there to be no audio 		but the speaker, some artists
choose to include subtle or minimalistic backing music or 			rhythms.
Sound
Effects: Sound effects are
the absence of lyrics and in some cases melody. Our “sounds from home” project is a great example of this genre. A message is
conveyed via sound, 			but this time
not with the use of words. A collection of noises recognized by the
listener 			creates a story or provides a message.
Within the medium of visuals: 
Paintings:
Paintings are one of the
most popular visual genres. John Berger's Ways of Seeing 			delve
deep into all that can be interpreted and understood from paintings.
This pieces are 		incredibly influential within the visual medium and
could easily be divided into
even 			more specific sub-genres. The meaning behind these pieces is
open to far more 				interpretation than other visual genres.
Paintings are an expression by the artist and can 			mean different
things to different viewers in different locations. 
Cartoon:
Cartoons are a more relaxed
less-realistic version of paintings. These pieces can be 			hand
drawn or computer drawn. Often used to convey a story in scene be
scene form, 			this genre is a powerful one as discussed by McCloud
in Understanding Comics. 			Stripping away the unnecessary detail of
a character allows the artist to convey a 			stronger version of
expressions and emotions on a characters face. This genre also
			includes single panel
cartoons that make a statement or comment on a specific subject
			like political cartoons. 
Info-graphic:
Info-graphics are designed
with information in mind. They are a visual diagram 			and often
contain cartoons or paintings, but their purpose is to inform. Often
utilizing 			charts, graphs, or diagrams, these pictures are
analytical where other visual genres are 			creative
and artistic.
Within the medium of video: ''
Documentary: A documentary can be thought
of as the video version of an info-graphic. It's 			goal is to
inform. Unlike a movie which creates a story with fictional
characters, a 			documentary is non-fiction and factual. Often used
to raise awareness or inform the 			viewer about an issue or problem,
this genre is a powerful way to deliver a lot of 				information in
an engaging way. 
Movie
(narrative): As stated above
movies are fictitious stories used to entertain and inform the
		viewer. As all narratives do, movies follow a story arch that can
be mapped out including 		elements of climax and resolution. The
goal of a movie can vary from film to film. 			While some are simply
to entertain and provide escapism for the viewer (see Die Hard)
			others are intended to make a comment on a
true event or situation.
Animation:
This genre is rather broad
and could actually include the previous two within it. 			Movies are
to paintings as animation is to comics. The same benefits an artist
gains be 			using the medium of cartoon can be achieved through
animation. This illustrates
a sort 			of venn diagram nature within the video medium.
Documentaries and movies are 			mutually exclusive, but animation and
other forms of video production can be used on 			either. 
== Further Reading ==
Chandler, Daniel (1997): 'An Introduction to Genre Theory'. This articles gives an overview of the idea of genre theory in regards to various forms of media such as literature and film. This articles gives some basic terminologies such as narrative, themes, setting, and characterization that can be used to interpret different genres. 
Mittell, Jason. (2001): "A Cultural Approach to Television Genre Theory". Cinema Journal Vol. 40, p.3-24. This articles exmaines genre theory in regards to the medium of television. Television genres are explored through the examination of the industry, audience, and contemporary cultural theory on genre. 
Kaminsky, Stuart M. (1974). American Film Genres: Approaches to a Critical Theory of Popular Film. This book examines different genres in popular films and gives an indication of how genre and genre theory can be applied to popular films by using twelve case studies. 
Altman, Rick. (Spring, 1984). "A Semantic/ Syntactic Approach to Film Genre". Cinema Journal. Vol. 32, No. 3, pp 6-18. This articles examines the necessity for genre theory in Hollywood films and how to apply genre theory to study popular films. 
Troyan, F. J. (2014). Leveraging Genre Theory: A Genre-Based Interactive Model for the Era of the Common Core State Standards. Foreign Language Annals, 47(1), 5-24. This articles examines the future of genre theory in high schools with the Common Core State Standards. The author argues that genre theory will allow teachers to help students comprehend a variety of different texts better. 
== Keywords ==
Genre 
Medium/Media
Sound
Video
Category:Keyword