Jeremy Huston

Staples, K. "Technical Communication from 1950-1998: Where are we now?" Technical Communication Quarterly, 8 (1999): 153-164.

In her article, Staples argues that as TC theory and research has matured in the frame for her article, but with that maturity has come growth away from its original industrial/engineering foundations, creating a split in the discipline not unlike the literature/composition schism of the first part of the 20th century. She tracks TC history from 1950-1998, treading over some of the same ground as Connors and citing him several times, then going a little further to document TCs flourishing in the the early 80s, intradisciplinary problems, and the real solidification of the discipline in the 90s. This history has led to a more theoretically supported, researched, and developed discipline, but it has also heightened the academy/industry, theory/praxis split. To solve this, she advocates for open dialogue between industry and the academy, as well as a broader, more inclusive research agenda to accommodate a more inclusive TC pedagogy and a more diverse discipline.