This document provides an overview of genre theory in rhetoric and composition. It discusses how genres have traditionally been viewed based on their formal characteristics, but genre theory has evolved to view genres as social and rhetorical actions that shape interactions and organize roles. Genres respond to recurring situations and contexts. They dictate what is possible in a given social situation and organize people into roles. Major thinkers such as Carolyn Miller and Amy Devitt see genres as typified social actions associated with recurring contexts that reveal cultural values.