A Title of Your Own:

A Technical Writing Reading Journal

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Technical Writing Reading Journal: Coalescing Issues and Practice
For the Reading Journal to get a good grade, you have to include the three things we've done with the readings all semester, state the "problem," the author's response, and connect to it. One key to doing this well, of course, is to explain key terminology the writers use. First, explain what the issue or problem was that instigated the author writing the work. Usually they spell out the common way of thinking about writing, rhetoric, or work, and how there is a problem with that way of thinking. Feel free to quote the article or chapter, but you need to explain what the problem is, in your own words, from the writer's perspective. Then you need to explain what the author's response to the problem is, again, in your own words. Finally you need to point out connections between the issues and the author's points here in your own personal experience, and in your projects for the course. Also, be sure to replace this paragraph with one of your own which reflects on how much you've learned about what "writing" really is through the readings, and how this technical writing course has exposed challenges to common views of writing and rhetoric--maybe even views you held before the course. This is also a place to look back at the initial concepts we went over the first week--rhetoric, ethos, logos, pathos, argument, claim, support, warrant, audience, context, purpose, process, and recursive. Between the opening bit here, and what you have at the beginning of the portfolio, you have a couple of spaces to show your understanding of concepts not directly covered in bits about the specific projects.


Faigley, Lester. “Nonacademic Writing: The Social Perspective.”

The Problem ::

Faigley's Response ::

Connections ::

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Miller, Carolyn. “What's Practical About Technical Writing?”
The Problem ::

Miller's Response ::

Connections ::

.


Regli, Susan Harkness . “Whose Ideas?: The Technical Writer's Expertise in Invention.”
The Problem :: Writing is not just Packaging Knowledge -- It is Making It


Regli's Response ::

Connections ::

.


Driskell, Linda . “Understanding the Writing Context in Organizations.”
The Problem ::

Driskell's Response ::

Connections ::

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Katz, Susan M. “Writing Review as an Opportunity for Individuation.”
The Problem ::

Katz's Response ::

Connections ::

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Katz, Steven B. “The Ethic of Expediency: Classical Rhetoric, Technology, and the Holocaust.”
The Problem ::

Katz's Response ::

Connections ::

.


Anson, Chris M.  and L. Lee Forsberg. “Moving Beyond the Academic Community: Transitional Stages in Professional Writing.”
The Problem ::

Anson & Forsberg's Response ::

Connections ::

.


Powell, Henderson. “White Sands.”
The Problem ::

Powell's Response ::

Connections ::

.


Redish, Janice. “Understanding Readers.”
The Problem ::

Redish's Response ::

Connections ::

.



Prior, Paul. “Writing Processes.”
The Problem ::

Prior's Response ::

Connections ::

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