[ 692 ] :: WRITING TECHNOLOGIES

Brian J. McNely, Ph.D.

Spring, 2011

Beginning with Haas' (1996) germinal Writing Technology, ENG 692 explores writing as a technology and
writing work as the key driver of contemporary, sociotechnical knowledge work.

A Genre Ecology

In this course, we will consider writing technologies less for what they are than for what they enable,
focusing our explorations on how our writing work allows us to surface and trace human interaction with
contemporary mobile and web-based technologies. We will take an activity theory approach, drawing from
Nardi and O'Day (1999), Spinuzzi (2003; 2008), Dourish (2004), and Kaptelinin and Nardi (2006) among
others.

Exploring writing technologies from within the frameworks of activity theory, ENG 692 will introduce
students to qualitative methods appropriate for conducting rigorous research of digital writing work—of
people acting with technology.