Below are two examples of pieces of research writing, written as a part of my theory coursework. I chose to include these pieces because they are a good example of my ability to write on historical and women's issues.
I chose the first piece and its accompanying presentation because they showcase my ability to complete extensive research and a proficiency in presentation writing. This topic began simply enough with my stumbling onto an interesting journal article regarding sexism in nineteenth century sewing machine manuals. After reading the piece I found it easy to build a compelling paper about women's role in the history of technical communication. As I explained to my professor at the time, I don't consider myself to be a feminist but I also don't like the idea of women's roles being casually overlooked. Research writing is one of my favorite genres because I usually begin an endeavor with an idea of what my paper will be and through learning and researching that idea, it blossoms into a new and better topic of its own.
I chose the first piece and its accompanying presentation because they showcase my ability to complete extensive research and a proficiency in presentation writing. This topic began simply enough with my stumbling onto an interesting journal article regarding sexism in nineteenth century sewing machine manuals. After reading the piece I found it easy to build a compelling paper about women's role in the history of technical communication. As I explained to my professor at the time, I don't consider myself to be a feminist but I also don't like the idea of women's roles being casually overlooked. Research writing is one of my favorite genres because I usually begin an endeavor with an idea of what my paper will be and through learning and researching that idea, it blossoms into a new and better topic of its own.
I chose to include this second piece because, again, it was a research paper I began with certain expectations for the outcome that, after spending some time doing the research, ended up with a different outcome than I anticipated. Literacy sponsorship is an interesting concept that can be applied to any situation. I chose Colonial New England because I am a New Englander and the Colonial period was one where you had to fight to survive in New England. Again, I don't consider myself to be a feminist or even involved heavily in women's issues. I found myself drawn to the women's side of literacy sponsorship because of their being labeled as having "mass illiteracy." Once again, the outcome of my research took on a life all its own.