Essay Problem
Our next set of readings start off creaky. Johnson (1997) still uses the word "microcomputer" when attempting to jumpstart the then-nascent field of usability, and Dobrin's attempt to define technical writing in 1983 is, as he admits in the introduction, probably a failure. Thralls and Blyer, though, in 1993, do some real heavy lifting. Social constructionism, ideology, paralogic hermeneutics are not concepts that I expect you to grasp on the first read, but they are key to this course as they address some of the more "philosophical" concerns I spoke about in our last class concerning the "rhetorical situation" concept.
Rhetoric might be the Swiss knife that solves most problems in TC, but the three problems presented these three essays allude to knots that it can't be cut easily. Where should the field be heading? What is the field , exactly? How should we be conceptualizing our work?
The response must include a reference list. Using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, double-space, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.