Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2006

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
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism writing pedagogy technical communication
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

  1. St.Amant et al. (2016)
    Addressing the Incommensurable: A Research-Based Perspective for Considering Is…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Garrison (2014)
    The Scientist, Philosopher, and Rhetorician: The Three Dimensions of Technical …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Moore (2008)
    Cruel Theory? The Struggle for Prestige and its Consequences in Academic Techni…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

References (22) · 6 in this index

  1. 10.1007/978-1-137-07810-0_1
     ↗
  2. Tebeaux E. (1997)
    The Emergence of a Tradition: Technical Writing in the English Renaissance, 1475–1640
  3. Connors (1982)
    The Rise of Technical Writing Instruction in America
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Hagge (1990)
    The First Technical Writer in English: A Challenge to the Hegemony of Chaucer
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. Longo B. (2003)
    Power and Legitimacy in Technical Communication
Show all 22 →
  1. Kynell-Hunt T. (2004)
    Power and Legitimacy in Technical Communication
  2. Tebeaux E. (2004)
    Power and Legitimacy in Technical Communication
  3. 10.2307/375964
     ↗
  4. Smith E. O. (2004)
    Power and Legitimacy in Technical Communication
  5. 10.7208/chicago/9780226310015.001.0001
     ↗
  6. Bourdieu P. (1984)
    Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste
  7. Faber (2002)
    Professional Identities: What Is Professional about Professional Communication?
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  8. Aristotle (1991)
    On Rhetoric
  9. Nelson et al. (2002)
    Between Anonymity and Celebrity: The Zero Degrees of Professional Identity
    College English
  10. Wright R. (2000)
    Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny
  11. Singer P. (1999)
    A Darwinian Left: Politics, Evolution, and Cooperation
  12. Moore Patrick (2004)
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  13. Moore (2004)
    Rethinking the Idea of Profit in Professional Communication and Cultural Capitalism
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  14. Moore Patrick, Evolving Paradigms of Communication Analysis: A Defense of Teaching Software Programs in Techn…
  15. Moore Patrick (1999)
    Technical Communication
  16. Moore (1999)
    Myths about instrumental discourse: A response to Robert R. Johnson
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  17. Moore Patrick (1997)
    Technical Communication
CrossRef global citation count: 3 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Computers and Composition Mar 2026
    Shifting rhetorical agency in multimodal UX composition with AI: Sharing rhetorical authority with technologies ↗
    Nupoor Ranade; Daniel L. Hocutt
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism writing pedagogy technical communication multimodality
  2. Pedagogy Oct 2025
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory cultural rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy advanced composition creative writing writing across the curriculum graduate education two-year college service learning teacher development technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions archival research multimodality artificial intelligence literacy studies race and writing gender and writing disability studies literary studies editorial matter
  3. Pedagogy Apr 2025
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism african american rhetorics cultural rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy basic writing graduate education two-year college teacher development writing centers technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions digital rhetoric multimodality social media literacy studies race and writing gender and writing community literacy literary studies editorial matter
  4. Poroi Nov 2024
    Charting, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication: Primary-Care Progress Notes in Rural Oregon ↗
    Kari J. Birrer-Lundgren
    rhetorical criticism writing pedagogy technical communication
  5. Technical Communication Quarterly Oct 2024
    Social Justice and “Harmful Tech”: Dis-Orienting Militarized Research ↗
    Calvin Pollak; Sanvi Bhardwaj
    rhetorical criticism discourse analysis writing pedagogy teacher development technical communication scientific writing race and writing disability studies editorial matter