ENGL 7030 Studies in Technical and Professional Communication

Where Theory Meets Practice
1:15-5:15 TR
Keith Gibson

Technical communication is a field focused on practical matters: design, usability, clarity, etc. But practice is necessarily informed by theory, and we will be better practitioners if we are familiar with the theoretical foundations of TPC. In English 7030, Studies in Technical and Professional Communication, we will conduct an extensive study of the theory that defines and describes technical communication. Specifically, we will examine TPC as an intersection of rhetorical theory and scientific practice. We will do this by reading much of the theoretical work that has provided a foundation for the field; we will also examine how the field has shaped and been shaped by interactions with scientific communities. We will discuss the readings in class, and the students will build on these works with in-depth research projects of their own that explore further extensions and applications of these theories.

Texts:

Scientific and Technical Communication: Theory, Practice, and Policy —James Collier

Rhetorical Scope and Performance: The Example of Technical Communication —Merrill Whitburn

Central Works in Technical Communication —Stuart Selber, Johndan Johnson-Eilola

Requirements:

Book Review

Term Paper