Technical and Professional Communication Programs and the Small College Setting: Opportunities and Challenges

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Oct 2003

Technical and Professional Communication Programs and the Small College Setting: Opportunities and Challenges

Catherine G. Latterell Pennsylvania State University

Abstract

This article argues that the small school context has been a relatively unexamined or under-examined context for technical and professional communication program development. While graduate program development holds a large share of the field's attention in recent national forums, growth in graduate programs is a consequence of demand in the job market among mostly “teaching” schools. Thus, the field must consider how well we are socializing new Ph.D.s into the values and the real work of institutions where they will find employment. Toward this end, this article articulates three mediating forces of program development in the liberal arts and humanities settings of small schools: 1) interdisciplinarity and flexibility are lived dynamics of small schools; 2) the campus-wide privileging of writing and communication skills presents ongoing opportunities for curricular initiatives and program development; and 3) compression of decision-making structures leads to more involvement of/with administrators and units across campus.

Journal: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published: 2003-10-01
DOI: 10.2190/pkt1-j8lf-r4gq-k2v8
Open Access: Closed
Topics: writing across the curriculum professional writing multilingual writers

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

Moeggenberg (2022)

Job Market Mentoring in Rhetoric and Composition and Technical Communication

Rhetoric Review
Harlow (2010)

The Province of Sophists: An Argument for Academic Homelessness

Technical Communication Quarterly
Sapp (2006)

The Lone Ranger as Technical Writing Program Administrator

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Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
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Also cites 2 works outside this index ↓

Brooks K., Yancey Blake K., and Zachry M., Developing Doctoral Programs in the Corporate University: New Mode…

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Gaff J. G. and Lambert L. M., Socializing Future Faculty to the Values of Undergraduate Education, Change, pp…

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