This accessible read introduces students to some sophisticated concepts around genre and genre analysis. The goal, as Kerry explains, is “to give [students] an awareness of how genres function by taking what is often quite theoretical in the field of rhetoric and composition and making it a bit more tangible” (251). A key take-away is that, while they are often represented as static formats, genres are based off recurring patterns in social interaction that “shape our everyday lives” (254). Furthermore, the goal is not to master any specific genre, but to develop “genre awareness” (251). As writers, students “start to see how specific choices that writers make result in specific actions on the part of readers.”

The author supplies loads of familiar and humorous examples (onion headlines, a ransom note…), to show students how to investigate genre to understand the “rules” of a writing situation as interaction between writer and reader. But in understanding genre, students also learn that rules only exist because they have intended effects on readers, and those effects can be accomplished by other means (258). Thus, while genre awareness allows students to understand the “rules,” it should also help them avoid being trapped by “formula” while developing mastery in a discourse. The reading ends with discussion questions that challenge students to think about genres they are already familiar with.

https://wac.colostate.edu/books/writingspaces1/dirk–navigating-genres.pdf