ABSTRACT
Genre is a useful and generative concept for our work in writing centers. To illustrate the place of genre theory in writing center studies, this chapter offers a brief overview of definitions of genre and relevant scholarship in genre theory, reviews some of the key conversations about genre in writing center studies, and suggests ways that future research in writing center studies might take up genre theory more intentionally. In the process, this chapter suggests that the ability to integrate genre theory in writing center research and pedagogy is, in fact, a specialization of writing center practitioners. We have many opportunities to further develop this expertise through empirical research that considers the role of genre in scaffolding writers’ learning, facilitating more equitable and inclusive pedagogies, and attending to the materiality of composition in the writing center.
