Bhalla 1

Divya Radhika Bhalla

Dr. Mary Jo Reiff
ENGL 801: The Study and Teaching of Writing
11/12/2015
Bringing the Speculative into First-Year Composition
In Kitchen Tables and Rented Rooms: The Extracurricular of Composition, Anne Ruggles
Gere builds a case for bringing extracurricular writing into college composition because of its
links with reality. She gives the examples of various writing groups who are extremely serious
and successful as they are writing within real rhetorical situations, with a real purpose, and for a
real audience, as opposed to academic writing which is often divorced from reality. Thus, for
instance, in the Lansing, Iowa Writers Workshop a collection of farmers write to improve their
economic and personal conditions. In a response to Geres article, Jean Ferguson Carr
appreciates Geres revolutionary argument that extracurricular writing be brought into academics
because of its links to the real. However, she cautions readers against being too invested in the
opposition between the ivory tower and reality and argues that we keep in mind that in addition
to the real, extracurricular writing can also append the pleasures of the surreal, the imaginary,
the speculative, the aesthetic (95, 96).
Since as a PhD candidate my area of research is speculative fiction, I was immediately struck by
Carrs statement and wondered how I could incorporate the speculative into my teaching of firstyear composition (FYC). My research into this topic has yielded that this question is thoroughly
being investigated by recent dissertations such as James Shimkuss Teaching Speculative Fiction
in College (2012) and Dawn Eyestones Feminist Aliens, Black Vampires, and Gay Witches
(2013).

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Rationale
Both Shimkus and Eyestones dissertations offer many reasons why bringing the speculative into
FYC would help achieve the goals of composition. One of the main reasons offered by both is
that speculative fiction (SF) improves students critical thinking skills. However, each
dissertation recommends a slightly different way of achieving this. Shimkus advises introducing
students to concepts such the Genre Wars (Neil Easterbrook) or textism (Maureen Barr).
Barr defines textism as a discriminatory evaluation system in which genre literature is
automatically defined as inferior regardless of its individual merits (qtd in Shimkus 34). Thus,
its formulaic and repetitive nature relegates genre fiction to the position of guilty pleasure,
while literary fiction which is original and creative and therefore requires greater effort of mind
results in a superior form of pleasure.
Recent genre theory however, has deconstructed this binary between repetition and creativity.
For instance, Amy Devitt argues that contrary to popular belief, genres actually encourage choice
or creativity, because as the conventions are given they free the writer up to focus on writing
something original and unique. Moreover, she contextualizes the denigration of genre in terms of
culture and ideology: since Western society values creativity highly, it views James Joyce as
literature, but is reluctant to view everyday writing within everyday genres [as] creative (154).
Devitts arguments resonate with Shimkuss views. Shimkus contends that introducing students
to the politics of canonization would make them realize that literary fiction is not inherently
superior to genre fiction (27). For instance, class was one of the reasons science fiction (which is
also genre fiction) was devalued. Printed in cheap paper backs and pulp magazines and dealing
with industrialization and technology which had a greater effect on working-class lives, science
fiction was more a working-class genre as opposed to realist novels which had a largely middle-

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class audience (36). However, in the 18th century the novel itself was considered a guilty
pleasure as poetry and the epic were seen as more serious forms of art (32). I think it would be
productive to introduce students to the concepts Shimkus recommends. In addition to increasing
their critical thinking skills, having conversations about genre within such historical and cultural
contexts would help make context an important element of the rhetorical situation less
abstract.
Whereas Shimkus recommends introducing students to SF primarily through literature or film,
Eyestone recommends doing so through SF television shows. Her dissertation draw[s] on
scholarship in critical pedagogy, cultural studies, and media literacy [to] uncover[] the
relative effectiveness of speculative fiction (SF) television as a pedagogical tool for developing
critical thinking skills in college level English composition students (vi). Eyestone argues that
since college students are still in the process of forming their identities, it is extremely important
that composition instructors help them become critically aware of how the media is constructing
their identities, even while it presents itself as harmless entertainment. SF television is
particularly suited toward doing that for a number of reasons. One is that mainstream, realist
shows are harder to critique as they seem to represent reality, whereas the monsters in SF so
obviously represent the other that seeing constructions of identity in terms of self versus other,
dominant versus marginalized becomes much easier. A second reason is in keeping with
composition scholar Donna Qualleys advice to students to travel the world and live with
different people and thereby inhabit plural perspectives. Eyestone argues that such world
travelling can occur virtually with similar results through the use of SF as the idea of
explor[ing] strange new worlds is the very backbone of science fiction (7). A third very
important reason is that in Eyestones experience many students were unwilling to critique

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mainstream media narratives such as that of Disney to see how they perpetuated stereotypes and
dominant modes of thinking because they identified too closely with it. On the other hand, since
SF is a less mainstream genre, students were more willing to engage in a critique of it because
the threat level to their own sense of self and identity is lowered (45).
This, then, is another point of divergence between Eyestone and Shimkus. Whereas Shimkus
advocates formally using SF in FYC as he was doing it anyway because of student interest,
Eyestone argues that it is advantageous to use SF even if students are not familiar with it. She
also notes that those in her class who were familiar with SF were more open and used to
watching media with a critical eye. The end result, however, is the same: whether or not students
are familiar with SF, bringing it into FYC is beneficial.
However, both Shimkus and Eyestone believe that improving students critical thinking skills by
bringing SF into FYC is in keeping with the direction in which English departments are headed.
Shimkus contends that studying genre fiction is particularly relevant today because universities
are embracing global literacy, digital humanities, and international programs, and English
departments [are] being redrawn not by time periods, but by genres and themes, and an increased
interest in the contemporary over the classics (38). Similarly, Eyestone argues that in the past
modernist curriculums merely equipped students with communication skills for the workforce
(11). She then quotes critical pedagogy critic James Berlin to argue that English departments are
moving in the direction of preparing students for work in a postmodern economy (qtd in
Eyestone 11). Thus, eliminating the myth of the classroom as a neutral space for skill-delivery
is a necessary first step in creating a critical composition pedagogy that asks students to think as
they learn to write (emphasis added 12). Just as the classroom should no longer be considered
neutral, neither should the instructor, whose job then is to make students aware that media and

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language are not neutral or innocent either, but saturated with dominant politics and ideologies
that marginalize many groups.
Eyestones argument is particularly interesting in light of Elizabeth Wardles argument in Mutt
Genres and the Goal of FYC. Like speculative or genre fiction is devalued within the academy
in general, this article devalues the genres taught in FYC, which it labels mutt genres, so called
because they are not only divorced from a real rhetorical situation or actual context, but also
from a purpose other than being a classroom exercise. Wardle argues that within FYC, recurring
assignments become their own genres (such as the Argument Paper) because the purpose of the
assignment is confused with the genre. This is problematic because it is not representative of the
actual genres in other disciplines in which students are required to write (where an argument
would be part of a paper but not the purpose of the paper itself). Thus, Wardle argues that FYC is
not really able to accomplish its goal of teaching students to transfer skills learnt in FYC and
write competently in the genres they actually encounter in their various disciplines. However,
Eyestones argument returns value to FYC and suggests that FYCs goal is actually larger than
just teaching students to write competently within the university. It is instead to empower
students and equip them with critical thinking skills, so that when they go forth to the workforce
they can critique the system of which they are going to be a part (11). Similarly, Carrs
warning to not forget the pleasures of the speculative while stressing the real also comes to
mind as Wardle devalues FYC genres on the basis of the fact that they are not really written
within a real rhetorical situation or context.
Empowering students is thus an important concern for both Eyestone and Shimkus. Eyestone
attempts to do this with an emphasis on critical pedagogy and improving students critical
thinking skills. Similarly, Shimkus argues that SF has a strong democratic and collaborative

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impulse, as writers and critics are also fans. This de-centers the critic and empower students to
read, write, and analyze SF as well as anyone, as long as they engage with the genres (15). In
keeping with this democratic spirit, students should also be allowed to partake of the text
selection process as many have expertise in SF.
In addition to linking SF to the pedagogical aims of Composition Studies, both Shimkus and
Eyestone establish strong connections between SF and rhetoric at the level of content. Thus,
Shimkus links SF to the branches of classical rhetoric on the basis of time frames: deliberative
rhetoric (used in legislation) and science fiction are both concerned with future
benefits/consequences, forensic rhetoric (used in law courts) and fantasy are concerned with
trying to recreate the past, whereas epideictic rhetoric (used in ceremonies) and horror are both
concerned with the present or the immediacy of events (28-29). Similarly, Shimkus
establishes a connection between SF and rhetorical appeals using librarian Joyce Sarickss
division of genre fiction on the basis of how it appeals to readers rather than conventions such as
plot. Thus, logos links to intellect which links to science fiction (a puzzle that engages the
mind), ethos to landscape and thus fantasy (the author has to set the reader in a fantastic but
credible world), and pathos to emotions and thus horror (which evokes emotions such as fright,
terror, disgust) (30-31). Like with the Genre Wars, Shimkus argues that it would be fruitful to
discuss the way rhetoric and speculative fiction blend with students to stimulate discussions
not only about the politics of categorization, but the relevance of categorization in an age when
technology and publishing are destabilizing genre boundaries (31).
Similarly, through research conducted over several semesters, Eyestone demonstrates that as
opposed to advertisements or realist television, rhetorical analysis of SF television leads students
to a deeper understanding of rhetorical issues such as audience, purpose, context, and

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authorship (131, 132). For instance, issues of authorship are much clearer in SF shows written
by individual authors (e.g. Joss Whedons feminism) as opposed to realist shows written by
studio teams. The niche target audience makes it easier for students to conceptualize the audience
in more specific terms. Also, since such shows are overtly dealing with issues such as gender and
race, it is easier to make students develop stronger thesis statements.
As Shimkus points out SF not only has a great affiliation with film and television but also video
games which often posit an alternate reality. Thus, SFs inherent relationship with media
meshes well with the drive toward multimodality in Composition Studies (24). Many
instructors have started using alternate reality games (ARGs) to teach rhetoric and multimodal
literacies in FYC with great success. As opposed to virtual reality games which immerse the
player in a virtual world different from the real world, ARGs try to blur the boundaries between
the virtual and the real. Unlike virtual reality games which are played on a computer, ARGs
make the game part of the players real world by immersing them in the narrative through
technologies they actually use such as cell phones, email, social media etc. (Bono). J. Bono who
uses the ARG World Without Oil to teach FYC explains that instead of responding to
decontextualized writing prompts disconnected from the real world, ARGs provide students
with extremely specific and nuanced rhetorical situations within which they have to conduct
research and compose arguments. For instance, students have to compose an account of their
daily experiences living without oil and then select appropriate multimedia to convey that
message. Today, Carrs warning made in 1994 that FYC instructors not invest too much in the
binary between the real and the speculative, but rather pay heed to the pleasures of the surreal
seems more pertinent than ever.

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Lastly, Shimkus quotes various composition theorists to demonstrate another link between SF
and composition. For instance, he quotes John Bean: texts are in conversation with
previously published texts, and Kenneth Burke: before you put in you oar you try to get the
drift of the conversations that were taking place before you entered the parlor (qtd. in Shimkus
42, 43). In speculative fiction it is very common for stories to respond to one another as well as
be part of a series. Drawing on this concept, Shimkus designed a dystopian-themed composition
class where students had to position themselves in the conversation taking place in dystopian
fiction about the dangers of technology (43).
Application
In my experience of teaching English 101, I felt that students were not able to successfully apply
the ideas of Chapter 2 Rhetorical Situations from Andrea Lunsfords Everyones an Author
(Norton, 2013) to their Unit I zine assignment. Taking into account the arguments made by the
above theorists (in particular that FYC should empower students, improve their critical thinking
skills, and emphasize the idea of texts being in conversation with other texts), I would like to
propose the following intermediate activity using SF films which I hope will lead to a deeper
understanding of rhetorical issues (Eyestone 132).
1. Class discussion of assigned reading: Chapter 2 Rhetorical Situations from Everyones
an Author which covers important elements of the rhetorical situation such as genre, tone,
audience, purpose, stance, context, medium and design.
2. Distribute the following worksheet:
Group Activity: Part 1 (Watch an SF Movie)
(i)
Get into groups of 5-6 students each. Each group should choose ONE of the
following genres: fantasy, science fiction, horror.
(ii)
Once the genre has been selected, each group should select a movie within that
genre that preferably everyone has seen or at least to which everyone will have
easy access.
(iii)
You have one week to source the movie and watch it individually for homework.
While watching the movie please take notes based on your reading of the chapter

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Rhetorical Situations in Everyones an Author. You may want to watch the

movie more than once.
3. One week later, distribute the following worksheet:
Group Activity: Part 2 (Rhetorical Analysis of SF Movie Scene)
Working in the same groups, select one scene from the movie you watched which you
think will best help you to answer the questions below (though you can also refer to the
rest of the movie for examples that might help you better answer the questions). These
questions have been adapted from Everyones an Author (pp. 20-23). You may refer to it
for additional questions.
Though you should discuss all of the questions below as a group, each member should be
responsible for answering at least one question during class discussion. Please note down
your responses on one sheet and hand them in to the instructor at the end of the
discussion. You should also be prepared to share the scene you selected with the rest of
the class before the discussion, so that other students can follow your responses.
1. What are the characteristics that helped you identify the movie as belonging to that
particular genre? (List at least 5 characteristics.)
2. Who is the intended audience of the movie and in what ways did the movie try to
appeal to them?
3. What tone or stance does the movie adopt? How would you say the genre affected the
tone? What rhetorical strategies did the movie adopt in order to establish that tone? For
instance, did the music used help convey a certain tone?
4. What can you say about the context of the movie? Is it part of a series? Has it been
adapted from a novel or a comic? Is it a remake? What other texts is it in conversation
with and how would you describe its position within that conversation?
5. Do you think the movie has a purpose beyond entertainment? If so, what do you think
was its purpose?
6. What can you say about the medium and design of the movie? How did it use its
medium to its advantage? What elements of design did it use to achieve its tone?
4. Class discussion of Group Activity: Part 2.
I hope this activity would help achieve the following objectives:
1. Form a bridge between the theoretical reading of Rhetorical Situations and application
in an unfamiliar genre (zines), by first applying the concepts in a genre that is more
familiar to students (SF).
2. Introduce the subject of genre and make students realize the importance of considering
genre conventions and audience expectations when writing. Since genre conventions are
more apparent in SF, this will draw their attention to it and then make them realize that

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zines and academic writing (whether rationales or analysis papers) also have certain
genre conventions and audience expectations.
3. Empower students by giving them a bigger role in text selection and allowing them to
choose their own film and scene for analysis. I hope that they will be able to make the
selection since they are working in a group. If, however, they need some help, some
recommendations are: Star Wars, Aliens, The Matrix (science fiction); Harry Potter, Lord
of the Rings, Cinderella (fantasy); Friday the 13th, Final Destination, The Omen (horror).
All of these films are either remakes, part of a series, or adapted from literature and so
texts in conversation.
4. Introduce students to the connections between rhetoric and SF (especially through the use
of appeals) as outlined by Shimkus and use the emphasis on genre to trigger discussions
about the politics behind the canonization and marginalization of certain genres.
5. Improve students critical thinking skills and understanding of the political rather than
neutral nature of the world around them thorough the question of the purpose of the
movie beyond entertainment. For instance, science fiction movies often critique issues
like capitalism, colonialism, or environmental destruction, whereas the house elves from
Harry Potter who participate in their own oppression are a great example of hegemony. I
would hope this increased understanding of political issues would reflect in the zine
assignments. Whereas students could have used the zines to discuss a cause they were
passionate about, most stuck to neutral topics like hobbies. Since zines reflect counter
culture and are an extremely political genre, I think this was a real missed opportunity for
the students and I hope this activity will help address that.
Annotated Bibliography
AboutSF. Center for the Study of Science Fiction, 2015. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.

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Maintained by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction (CSSF) at the University of Kansas,
this website is a great resource for teachers (as well as students and scholars). At a theoretical
level, it discusses the question of the value of teaching (as well as reading) science fiction. In
addition to that, it includes course outlines, links to free online courses, interviews, lectures,
readers guides with writing activities and discussion questions, sample projects, assignments,
and worksheets. These resources have been contributed by renowned science fiction professors,
writers and scholars and are all available free of charge. Composition teachers will find it useful
because the information is aimed not only at those wanting to teach entire courses in science
fiction, but also those who want to incorporate SF readings into existing classes. Additionally,
composition teachers who are new to science fiction will find the website useful because it
provides a forum where they can reach out to other teachers and scholars.
Bono, J. James. Alternate Reality Games: Composition, Collaboration, and Real Community
Play. U of Pittsburgh, 2008. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.
This site or project as he calls it, maintained by J. Bono, a PhD student studying rhetoric and
cultural studies, is a combination of theoretical and practical resources on using ARGs to teach
rhetoric and multimodal literacies. The site includes a definition and short history of ARGs as
well as arguments (presented at conferences) on their effective use as a pedagogical tool to teach
rhetoric. For instance, the characters and narratives provided by the games make for nuanced
rhetorical situations within which students can conduct research and compose arguments.
Similarly, the narrative is conveyed to students using the discourse technologies they actually
use such as cell phones, social media, email, or instant messaging. Such technologies can also be
used to make students aware that the writing medium of the internet is blurring boundaries
between audience and author. For instance, Bono found that when students plan a section of the
game, not only do they engage in multimodal composition, but are more thorough with their
research and editing as the game is available online to a wide audience. Composition teachers
will find useful the list of scholarly articles and books on ARGs, the links to news sites, listservs,
online tools, details of the ARG World Without Oil and the four interrelated assignment prompts
based on World Without Oil that build upon each other (while also recommending other games to
which they can be adapted). Teachers who are new to ARGs will especially find links such as the
guide for beginners and glossary of terms extremely helpful.
Carr, Jean Ferguson. Rereading the Academy as Worldly Text. College Composition and
Communication 45.1 (1994): 93-97. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
In this article, Carr responds to Anne Ruggles Geres argument in Kitchen Tables and Rented
Rooms: The Extracurriculum of Writing that extracurricular writing is important because it
takes place within real situations and should, thus, be brought into the composition classrooms,
which are often detached from reality. Carrs article draws on Edward Said to remind us that
contrary to popular belief, academic texts are also worldly and are not divorced from the
culture and history that produces them. The article is useful for composition teachers because it

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serves as a reminder that all texts are culturally and historically situated, an idea that is currently
important in Composition Studies. Additionally, in light of the recent interest in bringing SF into
FYC, the article is useful because it reminds us that while stressing that extracurricular writing
connects writing to real situations as Gere does, we should not forget that extracurricular
writing can also tap into the pleasures of the surreal, the imaginary, the speculative, the
aesthetic (95-96).
Detweiler, Eric. Multimodal Mondays: Using Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) to Teach
Multimodal Literacies. Bits: Ideas for Teaching Composition. Andrea Lunsford,
Bedford/St. Martins, 6 Apr. 2015. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
Multimodal Mondays is a series of blogs by Andrea Lunsford about rhetoric, writing, and
specifically teaching multimodal composition. In this article, her guest blogger Eric Detweiler,
who is also a PhD student studying rhetoric, makes an argument for teaching multimodal
literacies through ARGs. Detweiler has created one such game called Battle Lines to teach
rhetoric and writing at the University of Texas. Since it would be too complex to expect students
to design their own clue, he proposes that students design one clue inside an existing game which
would help them think about procedural rhetoric, audience, the relationship between physical
and virtual environments, and a variety of other rhetorical variables. This article would be
useful for composition teachers as it introduces the idea of using ARGs to teach multimodal texts
and gives links to websites with further information on ARGs and rhetoric. Moreover, it includes
an assignment prompt that can be used to emphasize audience in a rhetoric-based course, but can
be adapted for further complexity in a games-based course.
Devitt, Amy J. Creative Boundaries: An Argument for Genre as Standard, Genre as Muse.
Writing Genres. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 2004. 137-162. Print.
Chapter 5 of Writing Genres is useful because it weighs in on the genre debate in which writers
of genre literature are seen as hacks, whereas writers of real literature are seen as creative
writers. Whereas traditionally genre is seen as opposed as well as inferior to creativity, Devitt
examines the dialogue between genre and creativity to argue that both constraint and choice are
necessary and positive components of genre and that this combination is essential to
creativity. In order to prove this, Devitt draws on concepts from creativity theory such as
vertical and lateral thinking. Thus, knowing the conventions of the genre or the constraints of the
rhetorical situation within which one is writing (vertical thinking), actually frees one up to focus
ones energies on writing something unique, on what is novel in this particular writing task and
situation (lateral thinking). This proves Devitts point that genres in fact encourage choice
because constraints are given. What is particularly useful for composition teachers in this
chapter is that Devitts argument addresses the genre debate as it exists in rhetoric and
composition as well: Does teaching students genres empower or entrap them? Devitt advises
teachers to appreciate genres as both constraint and choice, as this will enable them to help
students to use genre both critically and creatively so that they know how to write within

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genre conventions as well as diverge from them. Additionally, teachers should also learn to
appreciate the diversity of genres and recognize that a conversation among friends is as much of
a genre as academic writing.
Eyestone, Dawn. Feminist Aliens, Black Vampires, and Gay Witches: Creating a Critical Polis
Using SF Television in the College Composition Classroom. Diss. Iowa State U, 2013.
Ann Arbor: UMI, 2013. Print.
Through the use of current theories such as critical pedagogy, media literacy, and cultural studies,
this dissertation establishes that SF TV should be brought into college classrooms to teach FYC.
This dissertation is particularly useful because it makes instructors aware that it is their
responsibility to equip students with more than just communication skills for the workforce, but
critical thinking skills to critique the system of which they are going to be a part. It advocates
the use of SF TV to do so because not only is media constructing identities that first-year
students are still in the process of forming, but because SF more than mainstream or realist
media offers opportunities to explore different perspectives via the strange new worlds it
represents. SF also makes analysis easier because the monster as other makes constructions of
identity more apparent. This dissertation will also be helpful to composition teachers because it
demonstrates how SF can be used to strengthen concepts of rhetorical analysis. Whereas Chapter
3 outlines in detail the four phases (electronic proposal, thesis statement, rough draft, final draft)
of the unit where students are required to rhetorically analyze the episode of an SF TV show, the
appendix contains a complete sample syllabus along with prompts for all major course
assignments. Moreover, the authors claims that SF TV can be used to improve critical thinking
skills is backed up with the analysis of a comparative study of students analyzing realist TV
versus those analyzing SF.
Gunn, James. Teaching Science Fiction Revisited. Inside Science Fiction. 2nd ed. Lanham, MD:
Scarecrow, 2006. 89-95. Print.
Originally published in 1974, this article is part of a section called Science Fiction and the
Teacher in Inside Science Fiction which includes many articles that discuss various approaches
to teaching science fiction. In this particular article, Gunn clarifies that his purpose is not to
defend the teaching of science fiction, but rather to examine the qualifications of science fiction
teachers. He concludes that though teachers are not well qualified to teach science fiction, that is
only to be expected for a discipline in its inception, which would also not include organizations
that can help determine what these qualifications should be in the first place. He looks forward to
a time in the future when science fiction teaching will develop its own criteria, canon,
[and] tools. He also reassures science fiction writers and editors to not fear the subject being
inducted into academics because this will increase and not lessen the readership as it exposes
new people to the genre. What would be of particular interest to composition teachers in this
article is the long list of teaching materials and guidance Gunn offers, all of which are still
relevant and often found on science fiction courses. What would also be of interest to

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composition teachers is his concluding anecdote of discovering a graduate teaching assistant in

Auburn University using science fiction to teach freshman composition as early as 1974 and the
reassuring promise that even students unfamiliar with the genre would continue to read it beyond
the course.
Nelson, Scott et al. Crossing Battle Lines: Teaching Multimodal Literacies through Alternate
Reality Games. Kairos 17.3 (2013): n. pag. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
This article or webtext as the journal Kairos calls it was written by a team of nine PhD
students from the University of Texas who created the ARG Battle Lines. This article argues for
the use of ARGs in teaching composition because not only do teachers have to compete for
students attention with [other] interactive media, but it empowers students and makes them
collaborators in their own education, rather than passive consumers of scholarship as they
are in lecture based classrooms. The article gives a comprehensive description of the narrative of
the game (which is set in the University of Texas) as well as the rhetorical goals of the game and
the various composition theories by which it is influenced such as social construction theory
which allowed students the agency to construct and negotiate their identities in contexts they
may not have experienced otherwise. Composition teachers will find this webtext useful
because it addresses the question of assessing such creative and collaborative efforts through the
portfolio system and provides a link to the Learning Record Online a portfolio system
developed by the university. They will also find it useful because this webtext provides image
and video samples of student work in relation to the game.
Shimkus, James H. T. Teaching Speculative Fiction in College: A Pedagogy for Making English
Studies Relevant. Diss. Georgia State U, 2012. Print.
The first part of Shimkuss dissertation contextualizes the position of SF within what critics have
referred to as the Genre Wars. As genre fiction, SF is considered inferior to literary fiction
because it is formulaic and repetitive. Shimkus not only defends SF by exposing the politics of
canonization, but simultaneously makes a case for teaching SF which would, thus, improve
students critical thinking skills (an important goal of teaching composition). Similarly, SFs
democratic and collaborative nature, where readers and writers are also fans, de-centers the
critic and empowers students. As fans with expertize, students are not only in a position to
competently analyze SF, but can also participate in curriculum text selection. The second part of
Shimkuss dissertation is designed to be a resource for college teachers who are new to SF, but
interested in bringing it into the classroom and includes introductory theories, genealogies,
glossaries, and sample applications for each major subgenre of SF (horror, science fiction,
fantasy). Whereas the dissertation is designed to be a resource for teachers across literature,
creative writing, and composition, it is particularly useful for composition teachers because it
establishes a strong link between SF and composition using the branches and appeals of classical
rhetoric. Shimkus encourages teachers to bring up these links with students to debate the politics
and relevance of genre.

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Wardle, Elizabeth. Mutt Genres and the Goal of FYC: Can We Help Students Write the Genres
of the University? College Composition and Communication 60.4 (2009): 765-789.
Web. 05 Nov. 2015.
In this article, Wardle does not devalue genres in general, but rather what is taught in FYC which
she labels mutt genres, or an assortment of genres made up by FYC instructors via the
assignments they repeatedly assign, which do not have a connection to the actual genres students
write in other disciplines. She argues that teachers may be able to see the common patterns in
these assignments because they repeatedly assign them, but they are not helpful to students who
do not even recognize them as genres because they write in them only once and are definitely
unable to transfer the skills learnt in FYC to genres in which they actually write. The problem is
that genres cannot be meaningfully mimicked outside their real rhetorical situations, even if
FYC teachers have the best of intentions and are trying to simulate the rhetorical situations and
genres of the disciplines in which their students otherwise write. What would be useful for
composition teachers in this article is to consider Wardles conclusion that since FYC is unable to
fulfill its goal of teaching students to write in the university, it should rethink its goals and
teach them about writing in the university instead. Additionally, it would be useful for
composition teachers to consider Wardles repeated advise that we come to a meta-awareness
of genres, teach explicitly about genre conventions in other disciplines, and at least attempt to
design assignments that teach students skills that will transfer over into their writing of other
genres.