Ridicule, Technical Communication, and Nineteenth-Century Women Performing College Math

Technical Communication Quarterly Apr 2021

Ridicule, Technical Communication, and Nineteenth-Century Women Performing College Math

Andrew Fiss Michigan Technological University

Abstract

This article examines how nineteenth-century participants in technical and professional communication (TPC) used rhetorical techniques of ridicule to critique audiences’ assumptions and advocate for expanded educational opportunities. Encouraging laughter ostensibly about college mathematics, Vassar students drew on their knowledge of rhetoric and higher education to disrupt audience expectations regarding the gendered identities of mathematician and college student. Using a case study, this article broadly urges the development of the role of humor as a technique in TPC.

Journal: Technical Communication Quarterly
Published: 2021-04-03
DOI: 10.1080/10572252.2020.1803989
Open Access: Closed
Topics: technical communication

Citation Context

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Cites in this index (7)

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Burying the King Again: Buddy Bolden’s Jazz Funeral and Defleshed Memory

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