By Katy Morejon Portillo, PTW Program Intern
Dr. McKinley Green, a scholar specializing in queer rhetoric, community-based research, and sexual health risk communication with a focus on HIV/AIDS, holds a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Scientific and Technical Communication from the University of Minnesota. His research examines how young people living with HIV navigate and communicate about risk on social media and dating platforms. As a professor at George Mason University, he teaches courses such as Intro to Writing and Rhetoric, a class I had the privilege of taking in fall 2024.
During my interview with Dr. Green, he reflected on professional and technical writing (PTW), noting its traditional association with workplace communication aimed at helping individuals convey complex topics to non-expert audiences. He explained, "Most people think of professional and technical writing as communication that happens in workplaces or professional settings, sustained by a dominant understanding of the history of our field, which often points to teaching engineers how to write." However, he emphasized a broader perspective: "I came to professional and technical writing mostly out of more recent scholarship in our field, which sought to displace the professional workplace focus of our discipline and recognize that the principles of technical and professional communication extend beyond workplace settings and into community-based contexts."
Social justice is a cornerstone of Dr. Green’s teaching and research, and he integrates this perspective across his courses. He focuses on empowering students to think critically about communication and its impact on marginalized communities. His research on young people living with HIV exemplifies this approach, particularly in how these individuals communicate about risk and health-related topics. Key strategies in Dr. Green’s teaching include:
Community-Based Micro-Projects
Dr. Green encourages students to undertake micro-projects within their own communities, allowing them to apply theoretical concepts to real-life situations while fostering meaningful engagement. He explains that this approach shifts away from formal organizational partnerships, instead empowering students to address needs within their personal or professional networks and initiate change in their own communities.
User Advocacy
Dr. Green highlights the importance of listening to community members and designing communication that meets their needs through usability studies and user experience research. He explains that working with marginalized communities, like young people living with HIV, challenged his assumptions and underscored the value of deeply understanding diverse perspectives to create more effective communication strategies.
Challenging Norms
Using cultural rhetorics, Dr. Green encourages students to question traditional communication frameworks, recognizing that each community has unique methods of understanding and addressing issues.
Applying Queer Theory
Dr. Green leverages queer theory to explore resistance to norms, particularly in the context of understanding risk. This approach highlights alternative perspectives on risk that better reflect lived experiences, especially in marginalized communities.
Critical Engagement
By encouraging students to work within their own communities, Dr. Green fosters empathy and deeper understanding. This strategy enhances students' ability to design communication that resonates with the values, culture, and language of their audiences.
In his work, Dr. Green demonstrates how technical writers can incorporate greater inclusivity when addressing health and risk, especially within marginalized communities. He advocates moving away from assumptions about audiences and instead actively engaging with their needs and experiences. Dr. Green’s work with young people living with HIV highlighted a disconnect between traditional public health approaches and the lived realities of these individuals. He argues that PTW professionals must move beyond outcomes-driven approaches and reassess their assumptions and priorities.
Dr. Green’s work situates professional and technical writing within social justice, cultural rhetorics, and user-centered approaches, pushing boundaries to make the field more accessible and impactful. His insights have challenged traditional norms and highlighted the importance of listening and engaging meaningfully to amplify voices and foster true collaboration.
January 29, 2025