ENGH 724: Professional Writing Theory and Research

ENGH 724-DL1: Professional Writing Theory and Research
(Fall 2020)

07:20 PM to 10:00 PM R

Online

Section Information for Fall 2020

This course examines current research in the field of professional and technical communication. Students will be introduced to many of the major contemporary theories of written discourse that influence research in professional communication. We will explore how communication has been differently defined and circumscribed and why these differences matter to people who study and produce writing in the workplace. You will develop a deep, complex understanding of the field of professional communication by reading seminal works on the history of the field, value of technical and professional communication, ethical and social responsibilities of professional communicators, research questions driving the field, and professional communication skills. We will explore questions such as, “How do practitioners understand their roles in ways both similar to and different from scholars? How do our perceptions of what texts are and how they function in organizational life affect the ways we enact our roles as practitioners and scholars? How are professional communicators implicated within wider systems inside and outside organizations? What kinds of questions do researchers in professional communication ask, and how do those questions affect the outcome of research?”

Students interested in academic careers will benefit by developing scholarly skills applicable across majors:

  • How to trace scholarly conversations across the publications of a field
  • How to recognize topics of recent and growing interest (i.e., promising topics for your own scholarship to advance the field)
  • How to visually represent an academic field
  • How to craft a literature review (a central component of research publications and presentations)
  • Students working in industry in technical communication will benefit by:
  • Conducting secondary research to synthesize how existing scholarship can inform problem solving in the workplace
  • Developing a broader understanding of the field, beyond their own career experience
  • Learning how theoretical frameworks can inform and improve practice

 

ENGH 724 DL1 is a distance education section that meets synchronously. Students should expect to be online during the days and times scheduled.

Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Examines current research in the field and the theories that inform it. Special emphasis is placed on workplace contexts and users in technological contexts. Course may include theories and methods such as activity theory, actor-network theory, complexity theory, cross-cultural rhetoric, digital rhetoric, discourse analysis, ethnography, genre theory, usability, and systems theory. May not be repeated for credit.
Registration Restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to Graduate or Non-Degree level students.

Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.

Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.

The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.