Read and Response for April 18th

Finding Harmony in Disharmony: Engineering and English Studies

By: Ruth Johnson, Beth Clark, and Mario Burton

“Since our goal is to help bridge the gap between engineering and writing, which is usually associated with English courses, we must establish some background on writing in the field of engineering and define the gap between the two disciplines.” (Johnson, 64)

I thought that this passage was very important because it is basically the thesis for the whole article.  This passage shows how you must associate engineering with writing in order to see the relationship between the two.  Writing allows an engineer to put down his thoughts into writing which makes it easier for him or her to visualize and develop their idea.  The article talks a lot about the importance of writing skills to an engineer and the advantages having great writing skills can provide.  The article brings up the lack of writing preparation that most engineers receive during their schooling and that there needs to be added stress on writing skills for all types of students.

Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces

By: Elizabeth Wardle

“Learning to write in and for new situations and workplaces is complex in ways that go far beyond texts and cognitive abilities.” (Wardle, 521)

            I thought that this passage was important not only because it is taken out of the reading and quoted already, but it is the whole argument of the article.  It says that people can’t just know how to write in their new workplace just from process of thought, but has to learn and experience the new techniques needed to do the appropriate writing in that workplace.  People in new workplaces have to apply the things they already know and rethink their techniques after they are given some kind of direction.  You must follow the new workplaces standards and techniques in order to come out with the appropriate writing.  Wardle’s ideas related to the discourse communities because both talk about how you must adapt to your surroundings in order to achieve the desired outcome.  This suggests that you must learn and change what is needed in order to develop the skills required to do the best work possible in the profession that your in.

Engineering Writing/Writing Engineering

By: Dorothy A. Windsor

“Knowledge is not found ready-made in nature. Instead, knowledge is constructed in the interplay between nature and the symbol systems we use to structure and interpret it.” (Windsor, 58)

            I thought that this passage was most important because it was literally the first sentence of the article and it caught my attention right away.  I thought that this passage was very deep and it was an interesting way to look at knowledge.  It means that knowledge is a mixture between the things that occur in nature and the systems we as humans use to examine and record that knowledge.  However it talks about in some cases, such as engineering, where knowledge is gained solely on physical objects rather than in writing.  The article goes on to try explain how the gap between engineering and writing can be narrowed.