Key Concepts in Rhetorical Genre Studies: An Overview

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of Rhe-torical Genre Studies (RGS ), also known as North American genre theory. It follows the development of RGS over the past twenty years with particular attention paid to the recent theoretical tren. These trends include a new theo-retical treatment of the temporal aspect of genre, which highlights the dy-namic nature of genre that is both constraining and enabling for a rhetor. Another theoretical trend that receives special attention is the new under-standing of genres as flexible communication strategies. These recent trends in the RGS development prompt educators to reconceptualize their under-standing of what makes communication effective and what is and is not pos-sible to teach in an academic classroom.