Female Bias in Technical Communication and an Exploration of Pedagogical Strategies for Reversing the Bias

This thesis explores technical communication and seeks to establish that females outnumber males in the field while also holder more high-level positions. It further seeks to show why a field does not benefit from having one sex outnumber the other. The benefits of having an equal number of females and males contributing to the growth and expansion of the field are discussed. Finally, this thesis discusses potential pedagogical strategies which could be employed at the college level as a means of attracting more young men to the field and allowing for maximum growth of technical communication as a field of study and work. The thesis begins by exploring the history of technical communication as a means of understanding how it came to be a field where women outnumber men. It then briefly explores the differences between the learning styles of females and males as a means of demonstrating the importance of including both sexes equally. Lastly, using research from other, related fields pedagogical strategies are suggested for drawing more young males into the study and practice of technical communication. The conclusions drawn in this thesis are as follows: 1.) Women currently outnumber men in both the study and practice of technical communication. 2.) Research indicates that any field will benefit the most from including the skills and experiences of both sexes. 3.) Pedagogy may be effectively used as a means to help attract more young males into the field, thus increasing the growth and development of technical communication

Technical Communication Inclusionary Interventions Into Academic Spaces

While many efforts have been made to make higher education in the US more equitable, there are still academic spaces in which some knowledges and some knowledge makers are marginalized. In this dissertation, I identify three such spaces: technical editing, graduate instructor training, and online academic research in trans communities. When editors make revisions based solely in American Standard English, as most editing practices and teaching are currently based, they risk marginalizing non-heritage speakers of English and speakers of various dialects of English, like African American Vernacular English. I suggest that by shifting our focus of editing from grammar policing to editing for underrepresented audiences, we can make editing a more inclusive space for marginalized voices. I give examples of how to create these kinds of interventions both in the editing classroom and through workshops for faculty. Next, I address how programs can better support graduate student instructors’ sense of wellbeing. I suggest that one of the best ways to develop inclusive interventions in graduate instructor training is by inviting graduate students to help design the ways in which departments communicate student wellbeing. Finally, to intervene into the anti-trans violence that continues to scour the United States, I propose an intervention into the ways that academics study online trans communities. Through these kinds of interventions, I demonstrate that we can continue the work of creating more inclusive spaces in higher education

EXPLORING GENDER DIFFERENCES IN USING METADISCOURSE FOR POLITICAL OPINION WRITING

Background and Purpose: Metadiscourse marker is one of the most commonly-used linguistic devices in persuasive writing, and it shapes writer’s arguments to the needs and expectations of the target readers. Research has consistently shown that women, on average, are less politically interested, informed, and efficacious than men. However, this does not necessarily imply that male columnists are more persuasive than female columnists when writing political opinion articles. Hence, the present study aims to investigate how male and female columnists use metadiscourse markers in political opinion writing to effectively direct their political views toward their readers.   Methodology: This descriptive study used frequency analysis, comparative analysis, and a semi-structured interview with eight ardent readers to examine metadiscourse markers used by male and female columnists in their political opinion articles, as well as the impact of persuasion on their readers. 100 opinion articles about Malaysia's 14th general election were chosen from two English-language online newspaper portals in Malaysia, The Star and the New Straits Times.   Findings: The findings revealed that female columnists employed more metadiscourse markers than male columnists. Respondents concluded that articles with more metadiscourse markers used in the text, particularly in the interpersonal category, appeared to be more persuasive. Furthermore, the findings indicated that female columnists presented a more convincing image than those produced by male columnists.   Contributions: As research conducted on gender differences in political writing is still rare, this research provided information regarding gender preferences in using metadiscourse markers in political opinion articles. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by informing researchers and opinion writers about the many types of metadiscourse markers that may be used to establish rapport between writers and readers.   Keywords: Metadiscourse markers, persuasive writing, gender, male, female, political-opinion articles.   Cite as: Ramash, N. S., & Ng, L. S. (2023). Exploring gender differences in using metadiscourse for political opinion writing. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 8(1), 333-356. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol8iss1pp333-35

Science in the Public Eye: Communicating and Selling Science Through Images

Scientific visuals designed to capture the attention of nonscientist audiences appear everywhere — from magazine covers to Internet blogs, from billboards to the Discovery Channel — and yet they have not received the critical attention they deserve. Situated at the crossroads of the rhetoric of science, communication studies, visual design theory, and the still emerging field of visual rhetoric, this dissertation seeks to shed light on the persuasive function of visuals in communicating science to non-experts. Occupying a grey area between scientific visualizations and art, the visuals used to communicate science to nonscientists should be classified, I argue, as scientific advertisements. Their purpose is to sell a positive and supportive attitude toward science, and since this need for support has existed since the scientific revolution, scientific advertisements have existed in different guises at least since the seventeenth century. Their form, however, differs, depending on the available technology and modes of representation. In this dissertation I explore how such images as frontispieces, portraits, magazine covers, and aestheticized visualizations have contributed to the legitimization of science across temporal and cultural boundaries by influencing public attitudes towards scientists and their research. This project addresses the concern surrounding the public's current disengagement from science by considering whether science can be sold visually in a more responsible way

Visual Representations of Gender in Engineering Trade Journals of Professional Societies During 1998-2012: A Content Analysis of Hierarchy and Stereotypes

Recruiting and retaining women in engineering have stagnated since the mid-1990\u27s partially due to the marginalization of women in education and the workforce. This research analyzed the quality and quantity of representation of women and men in visual images of professional science and engineering trade journals to illuminate the marginalizing climate of engineering. A mixed methods approach using visual content analysis was performed for a 15-year period during 1998-2012 of three different trade journals of professional societies representing various disciplines of engineering: the first has a low percentage of women, the second has a higher percentage of women, and the third, a science journal, was at gender parity. Data was coded for men and women in one issue per year of each trade journal, and was analyzed using chi-squared and logged-odds analyses. Results show that women were 25% of the population in the trade journals and increased over time at an average rate of 1% per year. Women were shown in depictions that were qualitatively costly to their professional positions, whereas men were shown in professionally beneficial ways. Women were shown over-represented in feminine stereotypes and subordinate portrayals and under-represented in masculine stereotypes. Men were shown over-represented in masculine stereotypes and superior portrayals and under-represented in feminine stereotypes. The engineering trade journal of the society with a relatively high percentage of women portrayed women least negatively and men least positively. The trade journal of the society with the lowest percentage of women showed women most negatively and men most positively and used advertisements the most. Thus, the quality of female portrayals in the engineering trade journals were reflective of the quantity of female participation in the engineering disciplines they represented. Advertisements more than editorial content showed women more negatively and men more positively through depictions of stereotypical and traditional roles. Thus, trade journals with more control over their content (less ads) showed women less negatively. Changes over time reinforced these findings, where during the Great Recession the number of advertisements declined and the quality of women\u27s representation improved

Fair Use and the Fairer Sex: Gender, Feminism, and Copyright Law

Copyright laws are written and enforced to help certain groups of people assert and retain control over the resources generated by creative productivity. Because those people are predominantly male, the copyright infrastructure plays a role, largely unexamined by legal scholars, in helping to sustain the material and economic inequality between women and men. This essay considers some of the ways in which gender issues and copyright laws intersect, proposes a feminist critique of the copyright legal regime which advocates low levels of copyright protections, and asserts the importance of considering the social and economic disparities between women and men when evaluating the impacts and performance of intellectual property laws

Dramatism, Feminine Style and Women\u27s Weblogs: Women Speaking in the E-Public

During the 2004 election cycle, online communication technologies emerged as a legitimate influence on political participation and strategy. Weblogs (blogs) played a pivotal role in the Internet\u27s unprecedented sway. This research combined Burke\u27s (1969) dramatism with Campbell\u27s (1989) feminine style to describe and critique three women\u27s political blogs. The pentad highlighted an argument derived from each blogger\u27s master narrative, while feminine style analysis revealed subtle differences among the women\u27s persuasive tactics

Selling Beauty : A Linguistic-Communicational Investigation of the Female Beauty Ideal in Advertising in an International Comparison

The advertising campaigns of large international beauty companies greatly influence the perception of beauty. They promote beauty ideals in their campaigns - which easily spread worldwide thanks to the mass media - and offer solutions on how to achieve them. The use of language and persuasive communication is a crucial tool in this process. By using language and communication strategies, marketers actively manage the perceptions of their target groups. In my work, I examine 493 advertisements as well as 153 international and 711 country-specific websites of international beauty companies to find out what the beauty ideal they promote worldwide looks like. In particular, the Western world's idea of female beauty influences global perceptions. Scientists refer to this phenomenon as the Western or the global beauty ideal. I examine what is meant by the term Western in this context and whether beauty companies tend to show the global, Western or a local ideal in their advertising. I also look for answers to the questions: how do the companies use communication measures and language to promote the beauty ideal? Do they design individual campaigns for their target markets with different local ideals, or do they apply the same approach globally? Is English the lingua franca for the campaigns or are local languages used? The results of my research show that the characteristics which attractiveness research and social science refer to as the global ideal of beauty are identical to the ideal of beauty promoted primarily in the United States and Northern Europe. The Western ideal thus includes the beauty characteristics of a few countries in the world. The global promotion of this ideal leads to the spread of North American and Northern European beauty standards throughout the world. The principles of persuasive communication, rhetoric, and advertising language are used in the design of marketing campaigns. In my study, I first analyze the advertising material from different regions to determine how the companies interpret the respective local beauty ideal. Based on this analysis, I then examine the dominant beauty ideal in all advertising materials belonging to the object of study and assess which linguistic concepts and communicative appeals are used to convey it. In doing so, I analyze, among other things, the rhetorical figures used - the communicative appeals of ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion), or logos (logic) - the use of English as a lingua franca, the differences in the beauty ideal and language use between print and online, or the interplay of text and image. The scope of 493 ads as well as 153 global websites and 711 country-specific websites is necessary for representative results, as I conduct a majority analysis based on percentages. The results of my study show that overall, the Western ideal is predominantly promoted. Online, this is done through the use of English as the lingua franca on the international websites and through the use of local languages on the country-specific websites. In the ads, English is also the language of choice to promote the Western ideal. The exception is the ads from countries that historically have a very strong national identity; here, the local beauty ideal is predominant. For this reason, it is also not possible to determine an exclusive marketing of the Western ideal for the advertisements, as is the case with the websites, but rather a distinction must be made based on the regions. For both the printed ads and the websites evaluated, the most common communicative appeal is the emotional one (pathos), followed on the websites by the one to logic (logos) and the one to the credibility of the sender (ethos). The communicative appeals and linguistic features used in both the ads evaluated and on the websites are not country-specific, but are used worldwide. The ideal of beauty is promoted through a sophisticated interplay of text and image, with targeted use of rhetorical figures and linguistic patterns to convey the intended message. The language and communicative appeals used to promote the ideal and the products are the same worldwide. Of course, my study only provides a snapshot. In the fast-changing advertising business, where new campaigns are reworked within a very short time and current as well as future megatrends always have a strong influence, a follow-up study will provide interesting insights into further developments. In my study, I already touch on the topic of the body positivity movement and diversity, which will play an important role in the representation of beauty in advertising in the future

Report on the future conversations workshop at CHIIR 2021

The Future Conversations workshop at CHIIR’21 looked to the future of search, recommen- dation, and information interaction to ask: where are the opportunities for conversational interactions? What do we need to do to get there? Furthermore, who stands to benefit?The workshop was hands-on and interactive. Rather than a series of technical talks, we solicited position statements on opportunities, problems, and solutions in conversational search in all modalities (written, spoken, or multimodal). This paper –co-authored by the organisers and participants of the workshop– summarises the submitted statements and the discussions we had during the two sessions of the workshop. Statements discussed during the workshop are available at https://bit.ly/FutureConversations2021Statements