In the technical communication classroom, the received wisdom is that good instructions should "stay out of the way" of the users' engagement with technological systems. This article draws on Burke's concept of perspective by incongruity and on examples of instructions produced during the Women's Health Movement to demonstrate that sometimes…

When examined rhetorically, Savannah River Site Community Preparedness Information calendars from 1994, 2004, and 2008 represent living rhetorical practices aimed at changing the public mind. My technical communication classroom at USC Aiken is uniquely situated for us to examine documents constantly generated by the site's Public Affairs…

When the author became a professor with interests in literature, composition, technical communication, speech, and rhetoric, he little anticipated the extent to which book collecting could affect research and teaching, but his finds increasingly enlightened him. As he gravitated toward composition, technical communication, speech, and rhetoric in…

Focuses on the difficulty of moving literacy programs from the classroom to the workplace. Suggests that writing consultants face similar difficulties as they develop writing-across-the-curriculum programs and consult with public schools K-12. (JAD)

Describes how an assignment to teach technical writing at a community college shaped much of the author's professional life. Discusses the author's experiences in the late 1960s of preparing a text on technical writing for publication. Notes that community colleges are open door, accessible, affordable, and cost efficient. Suggests that community…

Despite the widespread acceptance of many kinds of nonliterary texts for first-year writing courses, primary scientific communication (PSC) remains largely absent. Objections to including PSC, especially that it is not rhetorically appropriate or sufficiently rich, do not hold. We argue for including PSC and give some practical suggestions for…