Within the framework of New Literacy Studies, Dirk Remley presents a historical study of how technical communication practices at a World War II arsenal sponsored literacy within the community in which it operated from 1940 to 1960 and contemporary implications of similar forms of sponsorship. The Training within Industry (TWI) methods developed by the U.S. government and industry at that time included multimodal literate practices, particularly combinations of visual, oral, experiential, and print-linguistic text. Analyses reveal a hierarchy in which print-linguistic literacies were generally esteemed at the workplace and in the community. This literacy hierarchy contributed to a catastrophic accident that killed 11 people, prompting changes in the approach to designing certain training documents. This book links technical communication, especially the multimodal forms of representation commonly found in technical communication and instructional materials, to the concept of literacy sponsorship. The TWI methods used in training and system improvement during World War II are currently applied in business and industry as part of the "lean operating" and "continuous improvement" philosophies. These methods have also become part of the experiential learning philosophy favored in academia. Remley includes examples of current applications of multimodal forms of technical communication similar to those used at the arsenal as well as new media-related applications related to training and instruction. He also discusses their implications for literacy sponsorship. This book provides useful information for technical communication and literacy scholars and educators as well as practical case studies for business leaders, consultants, and practitioners. Intended Audience: Scholars in technical communication and literacy/writing studies; scholars in business (especially management and organizational analysis) and business communication consultants; scholars in history and sociology.

This collection, aimed at scholars, teachers, and practitioners in technical communication, focuses on the praxis-based connections between technical communication and theoretical movements that have emerged in the past several decades, namely new materialism and posthumanism. It provides a much needed link between contemporary theoretical discussions about new materialisms and posthumanism and the practical, everyday work of technical communicators. The collection insists that where some theoretical perspectives fall flat for practitioners, posthumanism and new materialisms have the potential to enable more effective and comprehensive practices, methodologies, and pedagogies.

While Aristotle acknowledges the connection between rhetoric, biology, and cognitive abilities, scholarship continues to struggle to integrate the fields of rhetoric and neurobiology. Drawing on recent work in neurorhetoric, this book offers a model that integrates multimodal rhetorical theory and multisensory neural processing theory pertaining to cognition and learning. Using existing theories from multimodal rhetoric and specific findings from neurobiological studies, the author develops a model that integrates concepts from both fields, bridging, if not uniting, them. He also discusses possible applications of the new model, with specific case studies related to training and instruction. These applications include various media used in instructional and training contexts, such as print, slide shows, videos, simulations, and hands-on training. The book thus introduces concepts of cognitive neuroscience to multimodal rhetorical theory and facilitates theorization combining multimodal rhetoric and multisensory cognition, and serves as a vehicle by which readers can better understand the links between multimodal rhetoric and cognitive neuroscience associated with technical communication. Integrating case studies from industry and practice, the text makes explicit connections between academic scholarship and workplace preparation. It also describes how interdisciplinary research can contribute to pharmaceutical research, as well as the development of productive instructional materials. Rhetoric is affected by how the brain of any member of a given audience can process information. This book can promote further research-qualitative and quantitative-to develop a better understanding of the relationship between multimodal messages and how the brain processes such information.

Scientific and Technological Communication deals with the fundamental aspects of the elements and media of scientific and technological communication, with emphasis on the critical issues involving them as well as the opportunities and techniques for exploiting them. Topics covered include informal information exchange; specialized information and analysis centers; mechanization and information handling; and international aspects of scientific and technical communication. This book is comprised of nine chapters and begins with an overview of the scientific communication process, its evolution, and its elements, as well as the importance of the scientific literature to the integrity, correctness, and viability of this process. The following chapters explore the social role of the scientific literature in establishing priority of effort with respect to the research and engineering process; primary and secondary literature on scientific and technological communication, including scientific journals, monographs, and technical reports; informal information exchange; and specialized information and analysis centers. The final chapter is devoted to the international aspects of scientific and technical communication. This monograph will be a useful resource for scientific and technical practitioners, as well as users, generators, and managers of communication systems in private and government sectors.

In this book, Dirk Remley applies his model of integrating multimodal rhetorical theory and multi-sensory neural processing theory pertaining to cognition and learning to multimodal persuasive messages. Using existing theories from multimodal rhetoric and specific findings from neurobiological studies, the book shows possible applications of the model through case studies related to persuasive messages such as those found in political campaign advertising, legal scenarios and general advertising, including print, videos, and in-person settings. As such, the book furthers the discussion of cognitive neuroscience and multimodal rhetorical theory, and it serves as a vehicle by which readers can better understand the links between multimodal rhetoric and cognitive neuroscience associated with persuasive communication in professional and educational environments.

Scientific and Technical Communication is a major textbook that represents a new focus area in communication studies. It integrates multidisciplinary perspectives on the relations among rhetoric, science, technology, and public policymaking to the process and product of technical communication. The text is inspired by science and technology studies (STS), a field emerging from the history, sociology, and philosophy of science and technology--which also has roots in economics, political theory, and rhetoric. Reformulating the issues raised by STS within the context of technical communication, Scientific and Technical Communication is composed of three highly integrated parts. Part I provides a summary, critique, and alternative to recent theoretical perspectives developed in the rhetoric of science and the sociology of scientific knowledge. Part II applies these critical alternatives to the traditional practices of scientific and technical communication and shows how these new practices can be applied to the communication that is vital in forming national and local science and technology policy. This hands-on, introductory textbook will supply students and professionals in the areas of scientific and technical communication, rhetoric, and media studies with broad-based and applicable knowledge in this area.

The Tech Writing Game (Facts On File, 1992) offers a comprehensive introduction to the craft and business of technical writing.