Weekend Review

After this week of reading and discussion I understand the difference between debate and rhetoric. I also understand exactly what rhetoric is. I am now very clear on the textual perspective as well. I am still confused about the discourse community vs. the audience. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each?

A document in the workplace...

A document in the workplace is "a moment in the continuous process of communication." A professional writer must be able to participate in this process. When writing a document pertaining to work, a professional writer must realize that what they are writing serves a purpose to communicate to others currently and in the future. The knowledge they put down is used to teach and inform others on what is happening in the workplace. The PW must know that their information will be read by others in the hopes of gaining insight to what is currently going on. The "moment in the continuous process of communication" should be a reminder to the writer that what they write will continue to inform others of something that happened just once in one point in time. The more a PW accepts this theory, the better able they will be to write something that will continue informing others long after the event is over. The professional writer must be able to put themselves in the position of the reader and try to connect with them to see the bet way to communicate the information. The writer must always have the readers in mind to ensure the continuation of communication and information.

Rhetoric and Debate

Rhetoric defined by Aristotle is the power of finding the available argument suited to a given situation. Rhetoric is not "empty words" used for the deception of others. Debate is constructive argument between people who try to make others accept their opinion.

theatre
-questions prepared in advance, stock answers
-attack
-no listening
vs.
debate

Motivations
-interested in solving the communities problem
-defending one's position

Rhetorical Activities 2&4

2. One example of an argument that's not really an argument can be seen in the way younger people speak to each other. If you observe college students (mainly males), there is a certain way they speak to each other that may be misleading. Younger people tend to speak to their friends in derogatory and cruel names. To each other these words are not hurtful and they are just a way of joking around. The words and phrases they use can be considered "empty", because in some contexts certain words can be very hurtful and in others, like this case, they have a playful meaning. The way people use these words is a clear indication of how they are meant to come across. The tone of their speech is a good way to tell when the interaction between people is a joke or not.

4. Persuasion in my community comes mainly in the form of peers, family and media. These things are the three biggest influences to me. The last time I changed my mind about something was either directly influenced by my friends, family or persuaded by the television. The media can convince someone to go on a diet or buy a certain product. Religious conversion happens by people observing others' religions and wanting to follow. All types of influences come from others around you. Even if you are watching the TV, it is likely that the person on the commercial or television show is the one that convinces you to do something. However, there are somethings that other people can not influence you to do. A racist can not be convinced not to be a racist. This goes the same for a rapist - no person can tell a rapist to change their ways, in this case these people have to change from with in and no type of rhetoric will change that.

The Composing Process of an Engineer

Why did Selzer want to study the writing process of an Engineer?

Selzer may have wanted to study the writing process of an engineer because it is a different process as compared to other writers. Professional and technical writing had started and they wanted to view the process to teach others how to do the technical writing. An engineer not only has to be a professional writer, but have knowledge on a subject other than English. The combination of writing and Engineering skills put together to make technical reports/papers is a process that would be very interesting to see and observe. He puts emphasis on how not why.

What findings were most unique, interesting and compelling?

An interesting aspect was the the engineer spent 80 percent of his time inventing and arranging. Also that he spent under 20 percent of the total time drafting and revision takes up less than 5 percent. This is surprising because most writers explain that over 50 percent of there time is spent revising.
Multiple data collecting methods: Selzer asked Nelson questions about his writing sessions and had him respond on a tape recorder after he was done writing. He did not have him compose aloud. He observed him while writing and then conducted follow up interviews.
It is also evident that Selzer did in fact observe this man because the detail he provides is to such an exact point that there seems no way possible he could have fabricated it.

Professional Writers

Professional writing is a field with very diverse career paths and many different types of jobs to choose from. A professional writer can work with editing, publishing or take the business route of the profession.

Writing for corporations is one type of career path a professional writer may take. This type of writing would fall more on the business end of the field. Writers for corporations can hold titles such as Technical writer, Marketing communications and Internal communications. Technical writers may write documentations for new products and other technical issues. Marketing communications writers produce advertising and promotional types of writing. Internal communication writers create pieces such as manuals and rule books.

Editing is another type of career path a professional writer may take. Editors read, correct, rearrange, rewrite and of course, edit the work of others. Editors may write as well. Some editors have the final say on what goes into the final publication. These are called executive editors.

Publishing is a type of professional writing that has a wide variety of genres to work with. Publishers can work with businesses or with creative fiction. Types of publishers include Desktop Publishers, Print Production Coordinator/Manager and Scholarly Publishers. Desktop Publishers produce ready made products, do typesetting and also color separation. Print Production Coordinators manage the writing and printing staff. They are in charge of the printing process and those who are responsible for it. Scholarly Publishers usually work for universities in a specific field.

There are many more possibilities one can take when looking for a career in professional writing. Most businesses need well rounded writers to keep there production going.

https://www.msu.edu/~wrac/pw/careers/publishing.html

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos089.htm#outlook

http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2003/01/2003011401c.htm