Later today I hope to perform another content update in the resources section focusing more on TRPG scholarship.
Week 1:
Allen: The Case Against Defining Technical Writing
Annotation: Allen reviews previous attempts at defining technical writing and dismisses each in turn, from content-dependent definitions to goal-based. He does seem to have some sympathy for goal-based definitions but ultimately dismisses them for potentially including fields that he does not consider to be part of the technical communication portfolio.
Comment/Question: Allen seems to be held back by not wanting to step on the toes of journalism and advertising; I feel a definition of technical communication could be reached if you weren't afraid to include them.
Miller: What's Practical About Technical Writing
Annotation: Miller ruminates on what it means to be practical in the context of technical writing, focusing on how the field mingles between academic and professional life.
Comment/Question: I really liked that he pointed out we may need to revisit ancient wisdom when said ancient wisdom applied when having slaves was honorable and working for a living wasn't.
Bowden and Scott: A Rhetorical Toolbox for Technical and Professional Communication
Annotation: This piece addresses how rhetorical theory ais a fundamental component of technical and writing communication. It also gives some background on what rhetorical theory is and how it works.
Comment/Question: I feel like an excellent area for research would be a comparison of the way companies communicate via Kickstarter with their backers and how non-Kickstarter companies communicate with customers in terms of their ethos. Corporate messaging seems so inauthentic, but on Kickstarter the connection and feedback from the community tends to mitigate this somewhat.
Week 1 iteration of teaching philosophy:
Who is the audience?
Currently
I'm imagining the audience as peers I am attempting to explain my
teaching philosophy to. Not necessarily our class, but amorphous
friends and colleagues.
What kind of organizational structure is to be used?
First,
I would likely state what I'm trying to accomplish by teaching. Even
though it seems self-evident, stepping back and reexamining my reasons
should help to frame my approach. Then, I would segue into a couple of
concrete examples and describe how they are exemplars of my philosophy.
I would finish with something aspirational, where I hope to go in the
future or further develop what I've done. I feel like the combination
of framing, concrete examples and chronological progression should give a
pretty good overview of what my teaching philosophy is all about.
How might it be remediated?
A documentary video format might be interesting. If I had the choice I'd like it to be narrated by a reasonable Werner Herzog impersonator. Alternatively, I could frame the teaching philosophy statement as a lesson on itself or a study into the practice and effectiveness of such statements.
