A Comment on Greg Wilson's “Technical Communication and Late Capitalism: Considering a Postmodern Technical Communication Pedagogy”

Environmental Impact Communication: Cape Wind EIS, 2001–2015

“…Karkkainen (2002) characterizes this as 1960s “quest for perfect rationality” which is “doomed to futility” because not all information is “free, abundant, and unerringly accurate” (p. 926). In the spirit of Miller (1979), several articles at the turn of the 21st century expressed similar skepticism about science (see Fox & Fisher, 2001; Grabill, 2000; Patterson & Lee, 1997; Richardson, 2005; Rude, 1995; Wilkins, 2003; Wilson, 2001). Many EPA national policies such as acceptable or safe levels of pollutants, for example, lead in drinking water, often depend on setting definite, quantified levels that are frequently contested in the scientific literature and in the courts.…”

Seeing Technical Communication from a Career Perspective

“…In a career theory context, these are examples of professional communicators enacting careers-and in turn investing their career capital in the various contexts in which they interact, creating both individual and organizational change. G Wilson's (2001b) article and Fox and Fisher's (2001) thoughtful commentary on his argument along with G. Wilson's (2001a) response are among the few pieces that deal directly with how to prepare professional communicators for working in the new economy. More studies influenced by a career studies perspective could contribute to our better understanding the ways that technical communication work is enacted within various settings; how such work influences the organizational, institutional, and professional contexts of this work; and what strategies for dialectical institutional and individual change could be generalized and taught in professional communication courses.…”