For my second summary, I read Spatial Orientations Cultivating Critical Spatial Perspectives in Technical Communication Pedagogy by Elise Verzosa Hurley. I think what attracted me most to this article is the multiplicity of the definitions of “space.” In my summary, I wrote,

Technical communication has the opportunity to create in-depth understanding of marginalized groups and influence policies and practice that, intentionally or inherently, reinforce oppressive systems. But teaching the relationship between space, place, and technical communications needs to start in the classroom with a really focused awareness of that relationship and how to make it meaningful and impactful to students.

Hurley talks about how the way technical communications is taught often creates a frame of reference for students that does not allow them to conceptualize how those writing skills transfer outside of academia. In a similar way to an earlier post about the transference of knowledge, if technical communications is taught from a vocational vantage point, its use in other areas, like social justice and public policy (as Hurley mentions) are lost.

ENL 266 is predominantly designed for Engineering Majors, but as a required course for many science or tech studies, this narrow pedagogy does inhibit students’ ability to see how useful these skill are in every field, including outside of the sciences. With more and more non-engineering students taking the course, I have moved the focus away from how technical communications supports engineering to how the skills benefit all types of professional communication.

Hurley also discusses how communication is shaped by our understanding of place and space. Given that technical Communications encompasses almost every type of communication where information and actions are being created and driven to produce actions, it is important that writers and communicators understand not only the explicit meanings of content, but the implicit ones.

As we create professional documents in 266, I discuss the benefits and dangers of assuming previous knowledge on the part of the audience. Words, phrases, grammar styles, etc. can create divisions, expectations, or biases in the audience. Particularly in today’s highly charged society, understanding how space and place shape communication in literal and figurative terms can help students become better global communicators beyond their university studies.