In this volume, methodological, cultural, technological, and political boundaries felt by writers are analyzed, translated, and challenged in a way that will appeal to researchers, theorists, graduate students, instructors, and managerial audiences. Instead of extracting rules from previous research, the contributors, working from multidisciplinary perspectives, describe and analyze the social and technological contexts surrounding nonacademic writing. Their essays present a formative rather than summative outlook toward future research on nonacademic writing.

Collectively, these chapters articulate a unique perspective toward nonacademic writing that considers:

* The centrality of emerging communications technologies in nonacademic writing research and the need for a socio-technological perspective. New technologies reshape the concept of text and significantly impact the writing process and written products in nonacademic settings.

* The relationship between the academy and the workplace. A number of chapters challenge us -- sometimes from opposing perspectives -- to scrutinize our role as writing educators in preparing students for the workplace. Should we support the interests of corporate employers, or should we resist those interests? Should we enculturate students in workplace writing practices by placing them in these environments, or should we examine the tacit knowledge gained by workplace professionals and deliver this via classroom instruction?

* New theory, new research agendas. Contributors from diverse fields offer new theoretical lenses or use established lenses in innovative ways, expanding the agenda for nonacademic writing research.

This volume represents the vision the social landscape demands for research and pedagogy in nonacademic writing.

First Published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

"...the authors contribute some quite strong essays, with several ground breaking pieces."
—TCQ Reviews

"...offers a collection of essays that develop insights into a wide variety of nonacademic writing situations."
—College, Composition and Communication

"...provides a useful overview of the navigation skills needed to present information and interact with others in corporate settings..."
—Technical Communication

"The revolutionary character of Duin and Hansen's volume is that it finds a group of authors who are willing to question the very academic/non-academic distinction that has thus far kept technical communication suppressed. The contributors use high-powered academic theories to discuss workplace writing and literacy, and practices from the workplace to understand classroom behavior....The articles are, at the very least, provocative, useful for class discussion....As a director of a technical communication program, I have longed for a volume like this, one that could be used as an advanced undergraduate or graduate anthology helping students understand the possibilities of technical communication as an intellectual pursuit. I think this volume will be seen as a 'breakthrough' or 'coming of age' for technical communication in the 90s..."
—David Kaufer
Carnegie Mellon University