Project #1: Research Report
The first project for the course will be a research report on an aspect of professional writing that virtually defines the field: technology. Writing has always been a technology, from pencil and paper, through the typewriter, up until today's computer. The latest information and communication technologies are rapidly changing the ways that we distribute information and communicate with others, meaning that professional communicators need to stay on top of cutting-edge technologies in order to effectively do their jobs. For instance, one issue of the journal Technical Communication, the Society for Technical Communication's professional journal, was devoted to the topic of single-sourcing; various articles, written by both academics and practitioners, discuss how single-sourcing can change and revolutionize technical writing practices.
Your assignment is to select and become familiar with one emerging technology or a technology-related issue that is influencing, significantly affecting, or has the potential to change the field of professional writing and communication. Remember that the notion of technology is an expansive one. The rhetorician Walter Ong proposed that writing is a technology that restructures or transforms thought; that is to say, it is a kind of technology that changes the way humans think. Other philosophers like Martin Heidegger have made similar observations: technology is not so much about things and objects as it is about a way of being in the world. Thus, when you are considering a topic, don't necessarily feel confined by the notion that a technology much be a mechanical tool. Rather, it can be a process or approach that helps or changes the way people think and communicate.
As you discover your topic, you will be asked to engage with your research in a variety of ways-from a proposal that outlines the parameters of your project to the research report itself. Each of the components, or deliverables, should be oriented toward professional writers and their specific needs. Keep in mind that professional writers in the publishing field will have different needs than science writers. Therefore, as you research, you will need to consider, and discover, more about the type of professional writing community about which you are concerned. Consider the audience for this project to be members of the professional writing community who need and want to know cutting edge technological innovations that can solve problems and improve workplace processes. The resulting report should exemplify the type of document that one might find in a professional writing publication or workplace. Since each student will, more than likely, research a different topic, the class should be exposed to a variety of emerging technologies and practices applicable to professional writing.
Deliverables
1. Research proposal - One page, single-spaced professional memo to your instructor that proposes a topic for research, provides credible reasons for researching this topic, addresses the audience for your report, and presents a preliminary plan for research. You will need to do some preliminary research for this proposal. This document is persuasive in nature, meaning you should make your proposal convincing and important. The research proposal is part of your writing assignments grade and will not be revised for the portfolio.
2. Annotated Bibliography - This document should consist of fifteen credible and recent sources, accurately cited, each with a minimum fifty-word annotation. The annotated bibliography is part of your writing assignments grade and will not be revised for the portfolio.
3. Research report - A fifteen to twenty page, double-spaced informational report with at least ten to fifteen documented sources (page count should not include works cited or cover pages, etc.). This document should accurately and effectively present relevant research on an emerging technology. It should be explanatory, in general, and persuasive, in particular, with respect to its significance for professional writing. The report should be formatted (page numbers, running headers, cover page, works cited, abstract, etc.) according to common report expectations.
Schedule
Thursday, January 29 - Research proposal due
Thursday, February 5 - Annotated Bibliography due
Tuesday, February 24 - Draft of research report due
Thursday, February 26 - Research report due