Date of Award
5-11-2025
Date Published
June 2025
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition
Advisor(s)
Krista Kennedy
Subject Categories
Arts and Humanities | Rhetoric and Composition
Abstract
This dissertation examines the process of revising a core professional writing course to integrate anti-ableist and anti-racist pedagogies throughout its design. Focusing on the pragmatic and theoretical aspects of this collaborative curriculum redesign, this dissertation examines how an intersectional, Black feminist approach to professional and technical communication curricula disrupts neoliberal legacies. In addition to limiting students’ critical thinking skills, interdependence, and imagination of workplace ethos, these legacies affect instructors' experience of teaching professional and technical writing (PTW), particularly those individuals who hold (multiply) marginalized identities. Through archival research and interviews, this dissertation contextualizes these revisions by exploring the rhetorical history of the Writing Program at Syracuse University, analyzing the ideals that shape its orientation to PTW. Simultaneously, it highlights mechanisms of erasure within PTW instruction that perpetuate neoliberal patterns of dehumanization, demonstrating how intersectional, coalition-led scholarship in Technical and Professional Communication (TPC) broadens our collective imagination of what is achievable through PTW and provides the analytical foundation that drives meaningful change. Addressing broader issues within Writing Studies, which have historically revealed ambivalence toward technical communication curricula due to its non-humanist underpinnings, I demonstrate how this scholarship enables me in charting a path towards reconciling these tensions. Ultimately, this project advocates for a dynamic praxis that critically engages dominant narratives and dismantles systems of oppression through practical, nuanced strategies. By integrating Black Technical and Professional Communication (BTPC) into programmatic and professional practices, we make the social justice values of our field visible, advancing accessibility in writing instruction and fostering an inclusive culture that thoughtfully responds to the needs of the communities we exist within and serve.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Gabriel, Lerie M., "CURRICULAR RECONCILIATION: EQUITABLE, INCLUSIVE, AND ACCESSIBLE APPROACHES TO PROFESSIONAL WRITING THROUGH COALITION-LED TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION" (2025). Dissertations - ALL. 2137.
https://surface.syr.edu/etd/2137
