Semester Reflection

As I reflect on the wealth of knowledge I've gained this past semester, I am particularly thankful for the information learned in English 690. Throughout the semester I described this class through a variety of metaphors. It was the one class that "kept me grounded" and reminded me why I chose the MAPC program. English 690 was also "the glue" or "piece of the puzzle" that made everything come together. Other classes this semester were a little too theory heavy and often lacked a practical element. However, this was not the case with this class. English 690 perfectly combined the theoretical and practical elements of professional communication. This class also allowed me to apply the overabundance of theory I learned in other classes. During multiple readings and class discussions I often had "Ah ha!" moments. Finally, Socrates, Plato, and the like made sense! Without this class this semester, I probably would have questioned my decision to enroll in the MAPC program. I am extremely thankful for English 690, and I am looking forward to other classes like it in the program. Thanks for a great semester!

Belles for Beaus Recruitment Video... watch out Scorsese!

The following Belles for Beaus recruitment video serves as a tool to generate interest in the program and provide information for applicants. With a little more "expert" video editing, it will be ready to upload to the main website's Belles for Beaus section as well as the Facebook groups and pages.

Katz, "The Ethic of Expediency"

In most deliberative rhetoric, the focus is on expediency, on technical criteria as a means to an end. But here expediency and the resulting ethos of objectivity, logic, and narrow focus that characterize most technical writing, are taken to the extremes and applied to the mass destruction of human beings. Here, expediency is an ethical end as well (p. 197). What does expediency mean?

Katz suggests it is the ethic of expediency that enables deliberative rhetoric and gives impulse to most of our actions in technological capitalism as well, and he explores some of the implications and dangers of a rhetoric grounded exclusively in an ethic of expediency.

Katz asserts science and technology become the basis of a powerful ethical argument for carrying out any program (p. 203). Technology becomes a means and an ends in itself (p. 204). “Technological rationality” calculates the value of everything in terms of its own technical criteria and use, supplants and replaces the traditional values of the society (p. 204). Technical rationality is based on expediency.

In our culture, the danger is that technological expediency can become the only basis of happiness, can become a virtue in itself, and so subsume all ethics under it, making all ethics expedients and thus replacing them.

To some extent, technological expediency is the moral basis of many decisions/actions in our society that sometimes harm human welfare or imperil human life. Can you name any examples besides the ones mentioned in Katz's article?

In any highly bureaucratic, technological, capitalistic society, it is often the human being who must adapt to the system which has been developed to perform a specific function, and which is thus always necessarily geared toward the continuance of its own efficient operation. In a capitalistic society, technological expediency often takes precedence over human convenience, and sometimes even human life (p. 207).

When expediency becomes an end in itself or is coupled with personal or political or corporate or scientific or technological goals that are not also and ultimately rooted in humanitarian concerns, as is often the case, ethical problems arise (p. 208). Have you experienced anything like this before in your previous work experience?

Back when I was in school, we used to write with pencils and paper...

I received an e-mail today that got me thinking... when we have grandchildren, what will we tell them about our elementary school experiences? It brings me back to the oh so familiar quote played out on television, movies, etc... where a grandmother or grandfather reflects on their childhood education experiences noting, "Back when I was in school, we had to walk barefoot in the snow..." You know how the rest goes. Well, I surely didn't walk to school barefoot in the snow during my elementary school days, but I did do some things that are quickly sliding out the door as technology rushes in.

You see, back when I was a kid, we used to write with pencils and paper and chalk and chalkboards. These days, as technology changes, so are the mediums in which children are learning to communicate. Scary for some with the amount of predators, etc. out there. But enlightening for others to see how the times are changing and children are adapting to this technological era. I can't imagine what my life would have been like if the Internet or e-mail had been around when I was in elementary school.

As many of you know, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend four years as a second grade teacher. The experience is one that helped shape me into the person I am today, as well as lead me to the path that I am currently on. During my years as a teacher, I shared the wealth of technologies with my second grade students teaching them how to use PowerPoint for class projects, SmartBoards for math lessons, and Web sites for research. Technology was always a part of our lessons as well. I was amazed by the Word savviness of my students. All of my students insisted on typing their final writing drafts at the end of our writer's workshops. Many of them were already aware of all of the bells and whistles in Word and learned to use bold, italics, and fonts effectively!

That's why, when I said goodbye to my students at the end of the school year, I was never surprised when they asked for my e-mail address to be able to contact me over the summer. However, this past school year was different as my students asked for my e-mail address because they knew they would not be able to see me in person when August rolled around. One little boy (I'll call him "B"), who is a story all in himself, recently e-mailed me and reminded me of the impact that teaching had on my life, as well as the impact I had on the life of my students. It is something that I will never forget, and I will always look back on as one of my greatest life experiences.

Here is his e-mail:

Hello! Ms.Williams,

I like third grade. Mrs.Streeter is my teacher.I got 3 A"s on my first reportcard.

We had a fun time in San Diego. We went to sea world, legoland,zoo, and saw Tiger Woods win the US open.

How is school at Clemson? When is your wedding?

I am playing academy soccer for SCSA and we won all of our games at a tournament in Greensboro last week.

Please come and see us if you come to Charlotte. I miss you very much.

Happy Thanksgiving!

love,

B

Thank you, "B"

Ethics in Professional Communication

After reading the final chapter of our textbook, I was reminded why some sophists received a "bad wrap" in Ancient Greece. Sophists believed that one could not fully know the truth. Many sophists used this stance to further themselves by persuading others to believe their opinions and ideas. Sophists succeeded by appealing to an audience's emotions and viewing language as a "drug" that affected the mind as well as the soul. Sophists also made the weaker argument, the stronger argument. This approach allowed them to mask one side of an issue, and argue for another side of an issue leading to a more favorable outcome for the orator. Take the example of Gorgias' Encomium on Helen written to rid Helen of her guilt for committing adultery. Gorgias argues there are many good reasons to explain why Helen committed her unfavorable act. He points out that Helen's misfortune is a result of the overwhelming powers of language. She committed adultery because she was under the influence of language (they must have had AUIs in Ancient Greece instead of DUIs). Therefore, Gorgias argued on the weaker side of the argument, taking advantage of the fact that one cannot truly know the truth. He developed a logical argument that no one was able to refute, regardless of whether or not they agreed with his reasoning.

So, back to the 20th Century, and the ethics examples from our textbook. Were the sophists ethical? Many people do not think so. People who manipulate others to get ahead usually are not seen as ethical. In the case of the engineers and managers in the NASA Challenger Case Study, it is fair to say that poor communication was a result of personal interests interfering with cold, hard facts. The engineers and managers had difficulty communicating because each group had different interests in mind in regards to the space shuttle launch. The managers in particular chose not to persuade NASA officials not to launch because they did not have enough facts to support the decision not to launch. However, they didn't use the engineers' recommendations to fully investigate the issue either. Personal interests, funding and reputations proved to be major influences over the decision to launch.

In Darrell Huff's article, How to Lie with Statistics, he discusses an issue that is all too familiar with anyone who reads newspapers and magazines, or watches television. He alerts readers to the ways in which the public is misled by statistical graphs and information. He asserts, "crooks already know these tricks" and "honest men must learn them in self-defense" (p. 368). Huff is educating people on the ways in which advertisers, writers and companies manipulate the truth. Although they are not completely lying at times, they are still trying to make a weaker argument the stronger argument by omitting certain pieces of data or portions of graphs. Another type of manipulation he mentions is "permitting statistical treatment to befog causal relationships" (p. 368). He discusses how evidence, treated statistically at the expense of common sense, has made a medical fortune and resulted in many magazine articles.

Many times, ethics is about promoting the public good in activities as opposed to individual good. The STC Ethical Guidelines for Technical Communicators state communicators provide truthful and accurate comunications as well as clear and concise information to address the needs of those who use the company or organization's products. Dan Jones asserts, "codes of conduct are valuable because they establish ideals and help define the character of a profession" (p. 372).

Technology Preview

The preview of my Belles for Beaus movie/slideshow is available on the Mac computer in the MATRF. Unfortunately, I have not had unlimited access to my fiance's laptop as he has been traveling a lot more. However, I've still managed to create what I believe is a quality slideshow that incorporates pictures from many events taking place on campuses all over the United States. The only part I have left to do, is incorporate my video footage into the slideshow and create my audio track. The audio track will combine a voice over as well as music that will fade in and out. The movie was created in iMovie which has proved to be extremely user-friendly. The "Help" manual is very thorough, and any problems that have occurred have been handled adequately with the use of the manual. Doing a slideshow has also allowed me to incorporate many more photo opportunities than I would've been able to use if I had filmed everything. The slideshow also uses the program's logo and examples of flyers created for events (as seen below).



Southern Sportsman from Chip Lay on Vimeo.

Cover Letters and Internet Resumes

Steven Graber makes an important point in his article "The Basics of a Cover Letter" that cover letters, much like resumes, should be tailored to fit job descriptions. It is not enough to have one cover letter where you just change the name of the hiring manager, address, and job title. Although this process takes more time, it is worth it in the end regardless of whether or not you get the job. He also notes how important it is to locate the hiring managers name and avoid greetings that read, "Dear Sir or Madam." Much like a resume, cover letters should also be a page long. An applicant should be able to sum everything up in three or four short paragraphs. Graber also suggests avoiding catch phrases. However, I somewhat disagree with this assertion because some job descriptions contain catchphrases and if you incorporate those into your cover letter, it shows that you read the job description and fully understand the responsibilities of the position. He also suggests applicants consider their audience when writing a cover letter. Focusing on what they can do for the employer is better than focusing on how the employer can benefit them.

Margaret Riley Dikel and Frances E. Roehm discuss putting a resume on the Internet in their article. The first point that caught my eye is their assertion about not attaching a resume to an e-mail. This concept is a first for me. I understand their point about 20 seconds and making a quick first impression, but I feel like cutting and pasting a resume into the body of an e-mail is absolutely ludicrous. You'll experience formatting issues, who knows what it will look like when they try to print it out, maybe they'll think you have no idea how to attach a file to an e-mail... all of the above are possibilities. If you turn your resume into a PDF and attach it to your e-mail, it's much easier and more professional. Also, I think if you're going to put anything in the body of the e-mail it should be the cover letter. Still, I'm not sold on that idea either.

They also discuss uploading a resume to a corporate website when job searching. I have become extremely frustrated in the past with uploading a resume AND having to go through 10 or so pages of filling in the SAME information about Education, Employment, etc. If you submit your resume by uploading it, why is it also necessary to fill in the same exact information?