Legitimizing Technical Communication in English Departments: Carolyn Miller's “Humanistic Rationale for Technical Writing”

Patrick Moore University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Abstract

Carolyn Miller's oft-cited “Humanistic Rationale for Technical Writing,” published in 1979, tries to give technical communication faculty more cultural capital in English departments controlled by literature professors. Miller replaces a positivistic emphasis in technical communication pedagogy with rhetoric. She shows how technical knowledge is produced by individual activity and social affirmation and not by objective descriptions of sensory impressions. Her “Rationale” is an attempt to change institutional and discursive structures by persuading literature professors that technical communication can have as much distinction in the academy as literature.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2006-04-01
DOI
10.2190/e1w4-wbxn-htnc-u7ed
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Cited by in this index (3)

  1. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

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