Abstract

A reoccurring topic in the TPC (technical/ professional communication) field has been the exclusion and marginalization of some audience members, especially those who are African American/ Black, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, LGBTQIA, and those with physical or mental disabilities. Throughout this thesis, I make connections between what has happened in the past and how it has contributed to the kairos of the TPC social justice turn. I explore the term "kairos" which is the timing and space in which something occurs and, depending on someone's delivery, they can create a persuasive and opportunist moment. The subject of including audiences into the designing and decision-making process has been defined by authors like Grabill and Simmons (1998), Jones, Moore, and Walton (Jones et al 2016; Walton et al 2019), Cecilia Shelton (2019), Agboka and Dorpenyo (2021), and many others. Jones, Moore, and Walton write about ways for technical communicators to be more inclusive, like when they write about understanding our positionality, privilege, and power (The 3Ps). They also lay out a framework to help address social issues (the 4Rs). Technical communicators are, as Melody Bowdon says, "public intellectuals," which means we must remain civically engaged and responsible for our work. The subject of social justice has evolved through social unrest and modern issues, like the Black Lives Matter movement, recorded evidence of violence against the African American/ Black community, Covid-19, LGBTQIA communities receiving poor health care, etc. The social justice turn is important now because it has become the time and space, or kairos, to discuss any issues that audiences may face when it comes to communications.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2022

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Applen, JD

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

English

Degree Program

English; English Technical Writing

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0009048; DP0026381

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0026381

Language

English

Release Date

May 2022

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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