The purpose of this assignment was to learn about the different types of genres that we encounter everyday. While we may use some more than others they each play a very important role in our lives. This paper discuses the difference between an academic paper and a video
The Use of Force in Texas Joseph Lawson
There are currently many issues that police officers are facing today. One of these issues is the use of force. If someone were to turn on the television, they would most likely see a story about how an officer has used force that was not needed to subdue a suspect. Texas is no different. There have been cases of unnecessary use of force in Texas before. The Texas Bar published a typographic paper, “Use of Force Continuum From A Law Enforcement Perspective”, written by Albert Rodriguez. This paper looks at the training that law enforcement officers in Texas receive before they are allowed to be licensed and start the job. Click 2 Houston published an iconographic video, “HPD Shows Training On Use Of Force”, by Gianna Caserta. This short video talks about how police officers only have seconds to make a judgment on what force is appropriate to use, as well as how hard it is to make that decision. Both of these different genres try to tell the same message, but are done in different ways.
Analyzing the Audience and Purpose Both of these genres are trying to appeal to two different communities/ audiences. In the paper, “Use of Force Continuum From A Law Enforcement Perspective”, the author wrote this paper for an audience that is well educated in law enforcement as well as the law, it was also written so that people can get a basic understanding of how officers are trained in the academy to use the use of force. This is because of the language that the author uses. While most people could read this paper and understand a good amount of it, there is some specialized language that is used. An example would be, “Force Continuum”. (Albert Rodriguez, n.d., pg. 1) Unless someone has taken a criminal justice class or done some research, not everyone would understand the meaning of this phrase. Even though this paper does use some unknown phrases to many people, it still uses specialized language that could be understood by most people. Phrases like, “Officer Response”, “Policy”, and “Use of Force”. These are phrases that most people would know without having to look them up. The purpose behind this paper is to inform. The author wrote this paper to inform the people that all officers are trained in the use of force continuum before they are able to take the test for their license. The paper states, “The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Education (TCLEOSE) Basic Peace Officer Training Curriculum outlines specific force options that law enforcement officers in Texas are required to be trained on for licensure” (Albert Rodriguez, n.d., pg. 1) Based on this statement it shows that the author is trying to inform the public that every officer in the state of Texas is required to learn about the use of force continuum. The audience of this paper may be trying to learn about how officers are trained to react when they are in the academy. This paper explains what each student is taught, “TCLEOSE’s curriculum specifies instruction not only “how” to use the force options but also “when” to use certain force options.” (Albert Rodriguez, n.d., pg. 1) This paper would take anywhere from 15 to about 25 minutes for someone to read this paper, depending on their education background and their understanding of their vocabulary. The duration would also be caused because of the length. The paper is a little long but not long enough to make it hard to read in just one sitting. The video “HPD Shows Training On Use Of Force”, by Click 2 Houston is for a different audience from the paper mentioned above. The audience for this video would be people who are not as educated, such as those who have only completed high school or less. The audience for this video could also be people who only get information from the news. The majority of the audience would be people who live in Houston. The video does not use any specialized language. The terms that are used during the video are ones that people hear everyday such as, “suspect” (00:00:29), ‘scenario” (00:00:35), and “discharge” (00:01:05). These are terms that most people would know without having to look them up. The purpose behind this video is to educate the audience on what officers go through when they pull up on to a situation. If someone were to watch the video then they would see that not every situation is black and white, like many people would like it to be. An example of this would be when the woman from the news pulled out her firearm to take down the assailant (00:01:06). The audience ties into this video by seeing what it is like for officers and why they act the way they act. It also would give the audience a chance to try it out if they were to attend an event like this. The audience would watch this video to learn how hard it is for officers to read a situation as shown in the video with the misreading of the suspect by the reporter (00:01:06). For an audience member to watch this video it would take them one minute and fifty-eight seconds to watch and understand this video. When it comes to these two genres they are trying to send the same message, how officers are trained to use force, but in different way. The paper it is written for an educated audience and it uses specialized language, while the video is geared more towards a lower educated audience and it does not use specialized language. There is also a difference when it comes to how long it would take someone to read/watch and comprehend it. The paper takes longer to read and if someone was to read it and not understand certain areas then they would have to find out what it means, adding time. Compared to the video where someone could watch the video only once and understand the meaning and the lesson. While these genres differ from each other the work to tell the same message. Rhetorical Issues Both of these genres try to establish credibility in their presentations. In the paper “Use of Force Continuum From A Law Enforcement Perspective” the author establishes his credibility from his education and his experience. Albert Rodriguez lists all of his education, his professional experience, specialized training, subjects taught in the US, and his memberships, such as; FBI National Academy Graduates Associates, American Society of Law Enforcement Trainer’s Association, and International Law Enforcement Trainers and Educators Association. From his experiences and education he establishes the credibility that is needed for people to take his findings seriously and as truth. The paper is also published by the Texas Bar Books, a website that is geared towards law students who are about to take the bar exam, this helps establish credibility for the author as well. In the video “HPD Shows Training On Use Of Force” the credibility does not come from the reporters. Instead it comes from two senior officers that were interviewed. The officers have the experience in the field while the reporters do not. If the reporters did not use the officers for their information then their video would not have any credibility. In the video the reporters try to pleasure the audience. This is from showing the training. By showing the training that the officers receive they reporters are trying to pleasure the audience because the officers are receiving good training on how to handle situations. In the paper the author is not trying to get an emotional response from the audience. While an emotional response was not the point of the paper, the message is still delivered in a meaningful way. Leaving out on emotional response did not hinder the paper. The paper, the author uses information from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Education (TCLEOSE). The information that is used from TCLEOSE is appropriate for the purpose, since that is the test that all officers in the state of Texas are required to take. There would have been no other better source to learn about how officers are trained. In the video the evidence comes from current officers. The officers are good examples for the purpose but more officers could have been used to see how all of the officers feel about the training. When it comes to the credibility both the paper and the video establishes credibility. They do it in different ways but both establish credibility. In the paper the author established credibility from his own education and experience, while in the video they established credibility from the officers that were interviewed. In the video they were trying to get an emotional response of pleasure from the audience since the future officers are receiving adequate training to handle those situations. The paper on the other hand was not trying to provoke an emotional response. The paper and the video both use evidence to support their claim and they are appropriate. Structure and Delivery The information in the video is shaped by what they are able to show. In the video they show multiple examples of the training and even of a reporter running through a cycle of it. It was also shaped by the fact that they way it was written was so that even the people who have not had a high level of education can watch it. It is also short enough that people could watch it without losing too much interest. Compared to the video the paper is different. The language shapes the paper. The paper was written for people who are educated. This limits the number of people who would be able to read it and understand it. The paper is also a little long and could cause people to lose interest as they read. The paper does not use any other communication features but the video does. The video uses images (video) to get the message out. This helps people to visualize how the training is completed. This helps people to see. The video was successful in getting the message across for everyone. At the same time the paper was able to do the same thing as well as use examples directly from the test that is used. The paper was able to get their message across more successfully because of the examples as well as the specialized language that was used. Without the specialized language or the examples the paper would be just another paper. Genres have a huge impact on discourse communities. If genres were not used then there would be no separation. People would not know how to interpret different forms of communication.
Reference Caserta, G. (2015, March 27). HPD shows training on use of force. Retrieved February 5, 2016, from http://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/hpd-shows-training-on-use-of-force_20151123144723871 Rodriguez, A. (n.d.). Use of force continuum from a law enforcement perspective. Retrieved February 5, 2016, from http://www.texasbarcle.com/materials/events/5852/109618_01.pdf