Rhetorical Function in Large-Scale Technological Disaster

技术传播中的伦理研究强调了教授学生有效沟通的重要性，但许多教材使用假设的案例研究来展示伦理问题。历史研究表明，沟通错误在大规模技术灾难中起着主要作用，但修辞学家并没有详细研究实际文件。对国会监督的矿难进行的初步研究表明，文件、指导方针和规范方面的问题是造成灾害的原因之一。这些证据提出了关于写作练习和技术文件的使用和解释的后果的问题。本研究将研究两种灾难中的文件，以(1)定义影响技术发展和管理的不同类型文件的类别和功能，(2)确定管理文件生产并允许管理人员使用和解释它们的代码和惯例，(3)描述作者如何选择或排除接受的证据，分配或逃避责任，并确定这些决定如何影响灾难；(4)确定作者是否将自己视为观察者、记录客观事实的人，还是积极解决问题的人；(5)比较专家和非专家证词，以了解机构如何影响文本的制作；(6)确定个别文件在影响复杂技术决策中的作用。本课题是伦理与价值研究的重点课题。调查员的资格和工作记录都很好。该项目为复杂技术开发和管理中的技术写作修辞研究提供了重要的推动力。除了对该领域的学术研究有用外，研究结果对关注这些问题的科学家、工程师、政策分析师、决策者和公民也很有用。它们在技术写作的课程和课程中也很有用。建议支持该提案。

Ethical studies in technical communication underscore the importance of teaching students about effective communication, but much teaching material uses hypothetical case studies to demonstrate ethical issues. Historical research suggests that communication errors play a major role in large-scale technological disasters, but rhetoricians have not studied actual documentation in detail. Preliminary research into mining disasters that were the subjects of Congressional oversight suggests that problems in documentation, guidelines and specifications contribute to disasters. The evidence raises questions about the consequences of writing practice and the use and interpretation of technical documents. This study will examine documentation in two disasters to (1) define categories and functions of different kinds of documents affecting technological development and management, (2) determine the codes and conventions that govern the production of documents and allow management to use and interpret them, (3) describe how writers select or exclude evidence to accept, assign or avoid responsibility and determine how those decisions affect disasters; (4) determine whether writers see their role as observers, recording objective facts, or active problem solvers; (5) compare expert and non-expert testimony to understand how agencies influence the production of texts; and (6) determine the function of individual documents in influencing decisionmaking about complex technologies. The topic of this proposal is of high priority for Ethics and Values Studies. The qualifications and track record of the investigator are good. The project provides an important impetus to rhetorical studies of technical writing in the development and management of complex technologies. Besides their utility for scholarship in this field, results will be useful for scientists, engineers, policy analysts, decisionmakers and citizens concerned about these issues. They will also be useful in courses and curricula in technical writing. The proposal is recommended for support.