Cory Lammers
(email address)

Braaaiins! Defeating Writing Misconceptions With the Power of Rhetoric
When I first walked into Technical Writing, I was mindless (no jokes), brainless zombie. Like so many other students ending their college career, I was taught falsities about how to write, always focusing on getting the paper done for some invisible purpose. I had created documents, but never once taken into consideration the context, purpose, or power of rhetoric.

In all, my previous writing projects, no matter how proud of them I am, failed to meet what I now know as their ultimate purposes. My writing projects have always been good, but good in a general context. With the knowledge I gained from Technical Writing, I will now be able to write documents not necessarily better, but with a more clear purpose. That is to say, I can now use my knowledge of writing to communiacte more effectively and with better end results. To summarize my position before this class, I quote the epic motion picture The Return of the Living Dead:

"Well, it's a puzzle because, technically, you're not alive. Except you're conscious, so we don't know what it means."

The Team Introduction Memo (TIM) and Process Documentation Memo (PDM): I Know You're Here, I Can Smell Your Brains

Contextualizing the TIM & PDM

I'm Here, I'm Clear, and I'm Going to Eat Your Brains
The Team Introduction Memo (TIM) was our first official assignment in class. The purpose of the memo was to introduce ourselves to our classmates. When constructing the memo, each student had to take into consideration the context and purposes of the memo. Whereas we have all compiled memos for previous classes, this TIM was reliant on the specific context in which we were working. By studying context of the classroom, students were able to have a more refined scope of what they would need to be writing within. Another important aspect that students needed to look at, when composing the TIM, was the purposes the memo must fulfill. Rather than writing as a means to an end, we needed to reflect on the purposes of the memo; who it was being written for, why is was being written, and for what purpose.

When students combined all these aspects together, the end result was a well-written, focused, and concise memo which delivered all the necessary information clearly and without any excess information. The final drafts of the TIM did not come without reflection via the Process Documentation Memos (PDMs). By revising the memos and more clearly stating the context and purposes from draft to draft, students were able to see their shortcomings and misconceptions they had about the TIM. The end result was a distilled version of an overly informative and broad memo which worked within the context, fulfilling the necessary purposes.

Reflecting on the TIM & PDM

Vacant, With a Hint of Sadness
Like so many other students composing the TIM for the first time, I thought it was simply a matter of putting some information about myself into the memo format we all learned. However, after the first draft and class discussions, I realized that it was not so simple. It wasn't that the memo was structurally wrong; it simply did not fit the context in which I was working. As this was a new concept for me, I found it difficult to compile the first PDM.

There's no 'I' in Team, but There is an 'I' in Meat Pie. Meat is an Anagram of Team....
When I composed the second and third drafts of the TIM and PDMs, I slowly became aware of what the context was in which I was writing. It was always there, but I didn't have a grasp on how (or why) it should be applied in a memo (or any document for that reason). I now see the importance of context and purpose, and find it almost impossible to begin any exchange of information (whether it be a phone call or a document for another class) without first stepping back and studying the context and purposes of the given situation to ensure I get the largest amount of information across clearly and without confusion

The Creative Rhetoric Scenario: Look! A twitcher.

Contextualizing the Creative Rhetoric Scenario

The 'Zed' Word. Don't Say It.
The second assignment, the Creative Rhetoric Scenario, gave students an opportunity to apply their new knowledge of context and purpose. However, writing about a context with certain purposes proved to be more difficult than most students thought. The assignment was to write about a situation in which the writer had to explain the importance of rhetoric within a certain context. The confusion came when students realized that their writing about context and rhetoric must be written in a specific context with certain purposes using rhetoric. The context (in my case a Chemistry Lab) had to be explanatory within the context of the classroom with the purpose of using rhetoric to explain the rhetoric I was using in my example.

This assignment gave troubles to many students composing it; but the outcome was a deeper knowledge of the idea of rhetoric and its applicability in any situation.

Reflecting on the Creative Rhetoric Scenario

It Lives... Out in Those Woods, in the Dark... Something
The technical writing skills I learned in this assignment have helped me to realize the importance of rhetoric in my everyday life. By using the CRS as an example to explain rhetoric to someone who doesn't understand it, I was able to learn a deeper importance of rhetoric, how it functions, and how it can be (mis)used in everyday life.

As Bertrand Russell Once Said, 'The Only Thing That Will Redeem Mankind is Cooperation.' I Think We Can All Appreciate the Relevance of That Now.
The technical writing skills I learned by doing this assignment helped me throughout the rest of the year. Not only was I able to have a more developed sense of rhetoric and purpose, but I was also able to see their applicability in contexts outside of the classroom. The sort of 'a-ha' experience my character goes through in my CRS is now something I go through all the time when I realize the context of any situation in which I am in.

The Airbag Letter Case: Take Car. Go to Mum's. Kill Phil...

Contextualizing the Airbag Case

Safety First, Shaun
The Airbag Letter Case dealt with writing a response letter to a varying customer base regarding problems a few people had regarding automobiles' airbags. The assignment was to create a letter that addressed the customers' concerns, gave them proper usability information, and inform them of the proper steps to deactivate the airbag if need be, all the while retaining a good rapport with the customers.

The importance of the assignment laid in the context. The letter must be able to fulfill all these criteria and be applicable to a varying range of people who will receive the letter. Understanding the audience in this instance, as in so many, is vital the success of the letter. By compiling a letter that does so, the document fulfills one purpose in a large context.

Reflecting on the Airbag Case

Like the Others Before You. One by One, We Will Take You.
The technical writing skills I learned from the first two assignments played heavily into the knowledge I applied in this assignment. With the new understanding of the importance of context, purpose, and audience, I was able to draft a letter (after several drafts) that, I feel, is one of my better documents I created in this class.

I May be Bad... but I Feel Gooood.
The skills I learned on this assignment have helped me out both in my educational and future professional lives. In school I have been taught writing for an end goal and not the context or audience involved. However, after doing this assignment, I have learned a new knowledge of the importance of audience and purpose that will help me when I go into the professional world and have to write documents for any number of possible businesses. With the knowledge of the importance of purpose, I will be able to adapt to the situation and acclimate myself to whichever situation I find myself in.

The Context & Genre Analysis Project: I Ain't in no Mood to Die Tonight.

Contextualizing the Context & Genre Analysis Project

If I Were Surrounded by Eight or Ten of These Things, Would I Stand a Chance With Them?
The Context-Genre Analysis assignment dealt with studying a context in-depth and analyzing the writing projects used in this context, studying the relationship between the context and documents and features of the document and the context. We were to each study a business and the writing practices within that context. We were then to analyze the situation and how the context affects the documents or how the features of the documents affect the context. By studying the interaction of these two things, we were able to summarize the importance of the skills we have learned throughout this semester.

These Creatures are Nothing but Pure, Motorized Instinct.
The technical writing skills students learned this semester were contextualized in a situation and context they each know and are familiar with. Because of this, students were able to take an instance they are familiar with; many students were able to have a deeper understanding of the ideas and tools we learned in class as well as their applicability in real life.


Reflecting on the Context & Genre Analysis Project:

Reports, Incredible as They May Seem, Are Not the Results of Mass Hysteria.
The CGA was one of the most difficult, but most rewarding assignments of the entire class. By being able to study all lessons we have learned in class in situations we were each familiar with, many students were able to see the importance of this class. The readings we studying all semester, although important, passed by many students because they were written from a context students were not familiar with. Although the authors tried to contextualize their findings in situations they thought students would find relatable, many students simply did not make the connection until this assignment.

Look, They're Ugly and They're Dirty and They're Dumb, and I Don't Even Care if They Are Dead. I Hate 'em
In all, this project was the most educational of all we worked on all semester, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Although it took many drafts to ensure a clear and informative document, the work that went into far outweighs the end result. Although I can contextualize the assignment and relate the CGA to past readings and assignments, the most important aspect of this project was all the work put into it. The CGA used the cumulative skills we learned to create a document that, more or less, summarizes all of the information we have learned and processed in Technical Writing.