Why We Chose Rhetoric: Necessity, Ethics, and the (Re)Making of a Professional Writing Program

Candace Spigelman Pennsylvania State University ; Laurie Grobman Pennsylvania State University

Abstract

This article examines the authors’ arduous struggle to develop a professional communication program that would not only meet their students’ professional and intellectual needs but also achieve an identity consistent with their goals as scholars and teachers of composition. Ultimately, the authors argue that a professional communication program that combines in its teaching the ethos of a liberal arts tradition along with the practical skills needed by writers in the workplace is both desirable and possible but that it must be flexible enough to allow for ongoing curricular and philosophical negotiations to meet changing contextual demands.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2006-01-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651905281039
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

  1. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

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