Running head: GENRE ANALYSIS 1

Genre Analysis:

Origin of Social Work and TedX Columbia Video

Genifer Heath

The University of Texas at El Paso

RWS 1302

Dr. Vierra

February 23, 2020

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Abstract

Social work is a broad term to describe a field where a professional that belongs to a collection

of occupations has the main goal of bettering the lives of families or individuals in a community.

There are many types of genres that give an abundance of information on this profession. The

two genres being examined is a monograph and a video of a TEDx presentation. The topics are

examined though their intended audience, structure and delivery, and rhetorical appeals. These

examined topics give an idea to the effectiveness of each genre and the impact they have on a

discourse community. Both genres selected have different audiences, different structures, and

utilize rhetorical appeals differently.

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Genre Analysis:

Origin of Social Work and TedX Columbia Video

Social work is a profession where educated and trained people make it their priority to

help others in their community by alleviating problems that pertain to their client’s or patient’s

personal situation. Social workers can be found in schools, prisons, hospitals, therapy centers,

and as part of different government organizations. They are given a mission of fighting social

injustice and advocating for community and individual well-being. There is an abundance of

information on this profession, given by many different types of genres. The two genres being

examined is a monograph called, The Origins of Social Work: Continuity and Change, written by

Malcom Payne (2005), and a video of a TEDx presentation given by Dr. Anna Scheyett at the

University of South Carolina (2017). Both of these genres were created with the purpose of

informing different audiences and accomplished this through different rhetorical appeals and

deliveries.

Audience

The two examined genres have different intended audiences. Payne’s monograph was

written for the intended audience of social work students and professionals. The author

specifically states his audience, which is intended to be students and professionals of social

work, by explaining that he was inspired to write this monograph after he, as a student, struggled
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to obtain reliable information on the history of his field of social work (p. xiii). It is also

mentioned that the reader of this monograph must have a basic understanding of the profession

in order to understand the significance of its history (p.3). The audience of the monograph differs

from the intended audience of the video. While the video could be relevant to a social work

student, it is more about what social workers do for their communities and how everyone will

need a social worker at some point in their lives (2:42). Knowing the basics of what social work

entails would be something already known to a student of the field. Because of this, the audience

of the video does not have to have any prior understanding or education concerning social work.

In fact, it is almost preferred if they do not have deeply seeded stereotype of what the field is

about. Given that information, this video is for the general public and undecided college

students. The audience of each genre is also apparent due to the language used. Payne uses

formal language throughout his monograph. He does this by using language someone would find

in an academic textbook, and supporting his thoughts with references from past, relevant

historical figures (p.145). The presentation in the video uses a different approach to match the

genres purpose. Dr. Scheyett speaks more informally, even from the beginning of the

presentation by starting out with a joke about having a theme song (0:07). Despite having

different intended audiences, both genres are meant to inform their audiences. Payne’s purpose is

to inform students of the history of social work, while the video’s purpose is to inform the

community on how important and relevant to everyone social workers are.

Delivery

Both genres fulfil their purposes using different techniques and overcoming different

obstacles. An example of this is the amount of time the author and presenter will spend

conveying the message to the audience. The monograph is 306 pages long, with a smaller sized
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font and very few tables or charts. This could make the monograph difficult to get through in less

than a day. This is also depending on the interest level of the reader, as well as the reading and

comprehension level of the reader. This is great for putting an exceptional amount of information

for the audience, but it takes longer to get that information. The eight-minute video is not the

best choice for giving copious amounts of information, but it is quick and to the point which

keeps the audience’s attention. The author of the monograph also uses specialized vocabulary,

such as referencing to different acts and laws that have affected social work in the past (p. 21).

This use of language is understood by professionals or students in the field, making the language

specialized. The monograph does not have any other language features. The video does not

utilize specialized vocabulary, but it does utilize other features like entertaining visuals, such as a

picture of a social worker dressed up like Supergirl (1:20). Both genres display the information

in an organized way. The monograph is organized by a table of contents which makes it easier to

find specific information (p. vii). The video is organized because it easily flows from one idea to

the next. The presenter makes it simple to follow along. The genres both have the freedom to

express what is needed, but in different ways. The fact that one source is a monograph means

that there was no limitation to the length of the genre. It could have been as long as it needed to

portray the information. The video has this freedom as well because sometimes it’s easier to give

the information personally. The information given in the video would not have had the same

effect had it been in a monograph form of genre. These methods of organization facilitated the

purpose of each genre.

Rhetorical Appeals

Each genre uses rhetorical appeals to convey their separate messages to the audience.

Payne, the author of the monograph, establishes credibility by explaining his education and his
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personal experiences. The author has a social work degree, and more importantly, he grew up

during the U.S. Great Depression and has firsthand experience with being on the other side of

social work. This insight is important for leaning the history of social work, because during that

time was a turning point that created the profession as it is known today (p. 3). While the ethos

of the video is not as strong, it is still present. The presenter in the video, Dr. Anne Scheyett,

obtains credibility because of her education and professional position, as well as experience in

the field. Dr. Scheyett obtained her PhD in social work, is the dean of social work for the

University of South Carolina and has many years of experience working in the field, according to

the information given to the viewer on the videos YouTube page.

Pathos, or emotional appeal, is not seen in the monograph. Payne’s book was written for

academic purposes, so appealing to the audience’s emotions was not necessary or helped with his

purpose. On the other hand, the video genres strongest rhetorical appeal is pathos. The presenter

shows the impact a social worker can have on someone though personal stories. She tells an

emotional story about a man who was depressed and suicidal, but because of a social worker he

was able to get a job, make friends, and live a happier life (6:50).

Logos, or logical appeal, shows back up in Payne’s book heavily. The monograph uses

many resources, statistics and charts as evidence to support the authors claim. An example of his

use of logos is the of a chart that tracks the development of the social services structure from

1948 until present day (p.168). The chart clearly shows the impact that the development of new

programs has had on society and the author uses it to show the audience the importance of

progress in the field. Along with his personal experiences, he also uses research from other

published books and historical documents (p. 248). Payne utilizes resources such as professional

colleagues, university librarians, and research conducted by others. Due to this, all of the
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evidence collected is well backed up and is from credible and/or academic sources. Dr. Scheyett

from the video genre does not utilize logos in the presentation. The video does not have statistics,

facts, or other forms of logical appeal to back up her claim. Instead, she uses her personal

experience working as a social worker or a social work supervisor as a way to support her claim.

Despite the lack of the use of logos in the video, the presenter was still able to reach her purpose

of the video.

Conclusion

While both designated genres were effective, the video of the presentation was more

effective at conveying its message than the monograph. This is for many reasons, starting with

the fact that the video has a larger community as the intended audience. The video is also more

accessible and provides a faster way to obtain the information. The average person would be

much more invested in the entertaining presentation in the video versus reading a wordy

monograph on social work origin. Overall, while it lacks logical evidence, the videos emotional

appeal and presenter credibility makes it the most effective. This decision is only by a slim

margin, as the monograph is also effective and a great academic source. The monograph has

made its own effects on the academic community for social work, as it is one of the few

published works about the profession’s history. It is also a highly credible genre that uses many

outside scholarly sources. Still, while both genres are effective, the most effective is the video

presentation presented by Dr. Anna Scheyett at the University of South Carolina.

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References

Payne, M. (2005). The origins of social work: Continuity and change. New York: Palgrave

Macmillan.

Social workers as super-heroes. TedxColumbia, S. C. (Director). (2017, April 10). [Video/DVD]

Columbia, SC.