The Role of Historical Study in Technical Communication Curricula

Abstract

Historical study within academic disciplines is often used to invest students in their own futures and to create a sense of community among practitioners. As technical communication programs continue to develop, program designers must make decisions about how much historical study should be included. The current study examines information about how much value teachers of technical communication place upon historical study and the reasons for its inclusion in or exclusion from academic programs. Survey results show that attention given to historical study varies by program but that a few resources dominate study within many programs. The authors make recommendations for integrating historical study into technical communication curricula and offer an outline for a technical communication history course.

Department(s)

English and Technical Communication

Keywords and Phrases

history of technical communication; teaching of technical communication; study of history; survey; professional issues

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

2326-1412

Electronic OCLC #

456226694

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2012 Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication (CPTSC), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Mar 2012

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