Daniel Reifsnider
Connor, Jennifer J. "History and the Study of Technical Communication in Canada and the United States." Professional Communication, IEEE Transactions on 34.1 (1991): 3-6.
In this short article Connor studies the role of history in “the teaching and research of technical communications”, and “explores three examples of early 19th-century published engineering reports and comments on their historical implications.”
This article is useful in the sense that it examines physical pieces of technical communication for their historical implications within the realm of technical communications. By doing so, it demonstrates where the field of technical communications comes from, not only theoretically but also physically. Connor states that, “the history of technical communication can be a “medium of education,” used to increase understanding and develop judgment.” By teaching the history of technical communication it’s easier to understand certain aspects within the field as it relates to the history of the field itself. This is helpful as Connor says, because it allows us to examine the field and to “rethink the avowed principles of technical communication, to ask new questions, and to follow new lines of inquiry.” Also tying this back to last week, it is also helpful because it gives us more support in coming up with a definition that is not only based on the historical aspects of the field, but also one that defines where we’re going as well.
I also looked for definition on a historical basis, but used an organizational lens to capture a different angle.
ReplyDeleteThough my particular article didn't give me a lot of clarity on a definition of TC, it did help me to understand the transformation of TC since its inception.
As you look at the evolution of technical communication, it may be interesting (and possibly even enlightening) to factor in the political forces involved in the "professionalization" of the discipline, and to examine these in parallel with the theoretical and practical evolutionary iterations revealed in your review of TC history.
Just an idea ... but it might make for a pretty interesting article or graphical timeline, don't you think?
As a novice researcher in the field, I think reading referential articles is very helpful. Especially in a field like Technical Communication where the domaine is new and still accepting more axiomatic input from scholars.
ReplyDeleteI tend to think of Technical Communication as a pragmatic field; in other words, a field that puts bread on the table for the teacher and the learner. Theory and application in Tech Comm helps all parties involved directly or indrectly such as the information designer, the sponsor and the consumer no matter who or where they are.
I would like to second on What Josh said about how politics (in a broad sense not only that of doing diplomacy)shape up our discourse i.e. communication.