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Major Course Projects

Students complete five creative challenges:

1. Rhetorical and Stylistic Analysis of Research Studies in Professional and Technical Communication (PTC)
2. Mapping the Scholarly Conversation: Literature Reviews and Citation Practices
3. Mapping Ways of Knowing Across Research Communities
4. Methodological Critique
5. Final Project – Research Proposal

(For details on these assignments, see Research Methods — Summary of Course Projects – ENC 3266.)

Metacognitive Report

If you use GenAI to complete any deliverable, you must submit a Metacognitive Report alongside your assignment. For the exercises, the report can be as concise as 250 words. For the Creative Challenge, the report should be more substantive because it should summarize how you used GenAI across the across the module.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. explain how interpretive frameworks (i.e., epistemological assumptions such as constructivism, positivism, post-positivism, and interpretivism) shape the research practices and values of methodological communities (e.g., creatives, designers, scholars, and empiricists.
2. analyze how researchers construct and communicate knowledge by performing rhetorical, textual, citation, and genre analyses to reveal disciplinary norms, conventions, and interpretive assumptions.
3. evaluate knowledge claims and research designs through methodological critique, identifying how authority is constructed and contextual within creative, scholarly, qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods traditions.
4. compose a literature review that demonstrates how scholarship functions as a conversation—mapping how researchers pose questions, synthesize prior work, and situate new claims within evolving dialogues.
5. design an original research proposal that defines a research question, selects appropriate methods, and justifies methodological choices in light of interpretive frameworks and information creation as a process.
6. visualize relationships among epistemologies, research methods, and communities of practice to show how research as inquiry operates across disciplines and professional contexts.
7. develop critical information literacy by engaging the information ecosystem—recognizing that information has value, that searching is a strategic exploration, and that credible research depends on transparency, accuracy, and collaboration.
8. use generative AI tools responsibly and critically as aids for reflection, revision, and rhetorical reasoning across research and writing tasks.
9. apply visual and multimodal design strategies to represent research problems, data, and conceptual relationships effectively.

Course Description

This course introduces students to how different methodological communities define and evaluate knowledge within the field of professional and technical communication (PTC). Building on Kenneth Bruffee’s (1984) interpretation of Michael Oakeshott’s idea of the “conversation of mankind”—here reframed as the conversation of humankind—the course examines inquiry as a shared, ongoing dialogue through which scholars and professionals test ideas, interpret evidence, and justify belief. Students explore how methodological communities—creatives, designers, ethnographers, clinicians, scientists, and scholars—approach research from distinct epistemological perspectives. Through rhetorical, genre, textual, and methodological analyses, they learn how these communities create, critique, and circulate knowledge in professional and academic contexts.

Course projects build cumulatively from analysis to application. Students first conduct rhetorical and stylistic analyses of leading PTC journals. They identify how editors and other community stakeholders (e.g., members of the editorial board or publishing company) shape the topics, methods, and genres valued within PTC. Next, they analyze the function and genre of literature reviews through a close reading of six studies published in the top two journals in the field. For the third project, students complete a visualization exercise, mapping relationships among epistemological assumptions, research communities, and research methods. The fourth project, a methodological critique, asks students to analyze how researchers assess the authority of their own and others’ studies—examining how authors justify methods, interpret findings, and negotiate claims of validity and credibility. Finally, students apply what they have learned by developing an original research proposal that defines a focused question, situates it within a literature review, and justifies the proposed method in light of its epistemological grounding. Together, these projects help students understand how knowledge is made, evaluated, and communicated—and how they can contribute responsibly to the ongoing conversation of humankind.

Scope

This is an introductory course. Students are introduced to the idea of research as inquiry and as a knowledge-making enterprise that is used to solve problems or answer questions. They do practice rhetorical, genre, textual, corpus, citation analysis. However, given it’s a survey course, they do not leave the class with detailed knowledge of how to conduct research across the methodological communities.

Why Does this Course Matter?

Understanding how to assess the authority of knowledge claims is a critical life skill. Understanding how to engage in original research that research communities deem to be authoritative empowers you to be a creator rather than merely a consumer of information.

Being Able to Conduct Research is Empowering

Being able to engage in research has important personal benefits. Research enables

• Creatives to channel their inner voice, weaving fiction and nonfiction from intuition and experience.
  • A novelist crafting a dystopian future might draw inspiration from climate change reports, while a documentary filmmaker capturing life in Tokyo might combine personal interviews with archival footage to create a compelling narrative.
• Developers to prototype and refine, transforming insights from customer discovery into innovative solutions.
  • A UX researcher designing an app might conduct usability studies with diverse participants to evaluate how intuitive the interface is. An industrial designer creating an ergonomic chair might use 3D modeling and rapid prototyping to test multiple versions before selecting a final design.
• Empiricists to make observations of the material world.
  • The Scientists (Quantitative Empirical Researchers) to conduct controlled experiments, systematically manipulating variables and using control groups to identify causal relationships. A medical researcher testing a new vaccine might administer the vaccine to one group while giving a placebo to another, measuring differences in infection rates. A physicist studying motion might drop objects of different masses in a vacuum to test gravitational acceleration.
  • The Interpreters (Qualitative Empirical Researchers) to explore lived experience, discourse, and culture to interpret meaning
• Pragmatists (aka Mixed Methods Researchers) to combine qualitative and quantitative inquiry to address complex problems. A public health researcher studying vaccine hesitancy might combine survey data on vaccination rates with in-depth interviews to understand personal beliefs and social influences. An education researcher evaluating a new teaching method might track student test scores while also conducting classroom observations to assess engagement levels.
• Scholars to ignite debates, refining interpretations and shaping intellectual landscapes.
  • A philosopher examining the ethics of AI might deconstruct arguments about human agency, while a historian studying Renaissance Italy might analyze letters and diaries to challenge existing narratives about political power and influence.

Over time, the collective efforts of researchers across methodologies form what scholars have called the “conversation of humankind”—historically referenced as the “conversation of mankind” (Oakeshott, 1962)—a continuous dialogue through which knowledge is constructed, debated, and revised. It is through this ever-evolving exchange that humanity not only understands the world but transforms it.

Understanding the Epistemological Assumptions and Values that Define Methodological Communities Helps You Create and Evaluate Knowledge Claims

Being Able to Critique Research is a Life Skill

Researchers and consumers of research must be able to discern credible studies from misinformation or manipulation. They need to identify inaccurate literature reviews, inappropriate methods, methodological errors, ethical lapses, and the misrepresentation of data in order to protect themselves and others from personal, societal, and public health harm.

A foundational mission of research is the pursuit of truth. This is why methodological communities maintain archives—written records of procedures, data, and findings—and why they conduct rigorous literature reviews that track a topic over time, consider counterarguments, and clarify what is known and what remains uncertain. Across communities, researchers triangulate data, seek peer review, and document their reasoning processes not merely for credibility—but to allow others to replicate, contest, or build upon their work. Whether in the lab, the archive, or the field, researchers aim to contribute meaningfully to what scholars and scientists call “the conversation of humankind.”

Different methodological communities—Creatives, Scholars, Designers, and Scientists—have distinct ways of constructing and validating knowledge. The Creative may look inward and engage in iterative, constructivist processes rooted in subjective experience. The Scholar interprets texts and examines competing claims through dialectic and hermeneutics. The Designer iterates prototypes based on user feedback and usability data. The Scientist engages in randomized, controlled trials and statistical modeling to test hypotheses. Yet despite their differences, most researchers strive for some version of truth, whether personal, cultural, or empirical.

This commitment is codified in professional research ethics. U.S. research codes emphasize the values of honesty, transparency, and responsible data interpretation. These frameworks assert that researchers must move beyond opinion, declare conflicts of interest, and allow findings to be challenged through community vetting.

However, even with these codes of conduct, individuals often interpret information through subjective lenses. Cognitive biases, emotional investments, and cultural contexts can lead people to perceive and accept information that aligns with their preexisting beliefs, sometimes disregarding contradictory evidence.​

For example, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now serving as the 26th Secretary of Health and Human Services, has long promoted the debunked theory linking vaccines to autism—a theory originally popularized by Andrew Wakefield, whose fraudulent 1998 study was retracted by The Lancet. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence refuting any connection between vaccines and autism, Kennedy has continued to assert this link. During his confirmation hearings, he cited a flawed paper to support his claims, despite its severe methodological issues that experts argue should have precluded its publication (Annenberg Public Policy Center 2025, February 3).

Kennedy’s organization, Children’s Health Defense, has been instrumental in spreading anti-vaccine narratives, which have been widely discredited by the scientific community. He has referred to vaccines as a “holocaust,” claimed COVID-19 was “targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people,” and suggested that chemicals in tap water alter children’s gender identities. These unfounded assertions have fueled vaccine hesitancy, contributing to public health risks.

In the case of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his persistent promotion of the debunked theory linking vaccines to autism may stem from such cognitive biases rather than deliberate misconduct or scientific illiteracy. Kennedy has long expressed skepticism toward the pharmaceutical industry and has advocated for environmental causes, which may influence his interpretation of scientific data. His commitment to these perspectives could lead to a confirmation bias, where he gives undue weight to information supporting his views while dismissing opposing evidence. This underscores the importance of critical thinking and information literacy in evaluating research claims, especially when public figures disseminate potentially misleading information.​

Recognizing the human tendency toward subjective interpretation highlights the necessity for robust education in research methodologies and critical analysis. By fostering these skills, individuals can better navigate complex information landscapes, discern credible research from misinformation, and make informed decisions that contribute positively to public discourse and health outcomes.

Political discourse is increasingly untethered from reality. The gamification of public discourse and the rise of AI-generated misinformation have fractured our sense of shared reality. Large language models, trained on vast but often flawed datasets, can fabricate sources, distort scientific findings, and flood the information ecosystem with narratives that feel persuasive but lack verification. This is compounded by political leaders and corporate interests who manipulate or suppress research to serve ideological or economic agendas. As Jon Askonas (2022) argues, reality itself is now experienced like a game—where people “score points” by reinforcing the narratives of their chosen ideological teams, rather than engaging in genuine inquiry.

Thanks to social media and the preponderance of false news sites, misinformation can spread at unprecedented speed. The ability to conduct research or to distinguish authoritative research from sophistry is not just an academic skill—it is a fundamental tool of self-defense. Without the ability to critically evaluate sources, fact-check claims, and distinguish between credible research and ideological distortion, individuals risk becoming passive consumers of propaganda. Whether confronting AI-generated misinformation, politically motivated historical revisionism, or corporate-driven disinformation campaigns, your capacity to engage in rigorous research determines whether you participate in the conversation of humankind as an informed thinker or as an unwitting player in someone else’s narrative.

[ More on Misinformation ]

FAQs

In order to critically assess information claims or to create knowledge claims that particular research communities deep autoitative, you need to understand the following research terms/concepts.

What is Research?

Research refers to a systematic investigation carried out to discover new knowledge, test existing knowledge claims, solve practical problems, and develop new products, apps, and services. (More)

What is Professional Writing?

Professional and Technical Communication is an academic field that focuses on creating clear, effective, and usable information for specific audiences in workplace and public settings. It involves researching, writing, designing, and delivering complex information across various media to help users understand and act on that information.

Professional Writing—a term used synonymously with workplace writing or technical writing—may also refer to

1. communication that accomplishes job-related tasks
2. a style of writing that emphasizes information visualizations, visual language, design thinking, scanability, information design and architecture, deductive organization and reasoning, as well as clarity in communications and the practice of   brevity, coherence, flow, inclusivity, simplicity, and unity
3. an academic discipline, a community of practice (aka discourse community), concerned with the study of writing, document design, the usability of documents and products, and project management in workplace contexts.
4. an undergraduate writing course at the University of South Florida, ENC 3250

What Are Research Methodologies?

Research Methodology refers to the philosophical framework, the epistemology that informs the research methods used in a research study. Researchers may use the same methods to investigate a research question and yet disagree with one another about the kind of knowledge the method produces. Researchers could interview the same subjects and even ask the same questions, maybe even get the same answers, and yet have entirely different ideas about what the results mean. For example, a researcher endeavoring to contribute to a methodological community that favors positivism may assume the interview reveals universal insights about human behavior that transcend time and place. In contrast, a researcher with more of a post-positivistic, subjectivist position might suggest the results are not generalizable, that the results are nothing more than one person’s point of view. (More)

What is the Difference Between Research Methods and Research Methodologies?

Researchers distinguish between research methods and methodologies:

• Research Methods are tools and techniques used to collect and analyze data. For example, an Interview or Survey may be referred to as a tool or technique.
• Research Methodologies are the justification a researcher provides for using particular methods and asserting the authenticity of a knowledge claim. A researcher’s methodology is the rationale for using particular tools/methods. It is the philosophical framework, the epistemology that informs a research project.

In other words, methods can be compared to screwdrivers, hammers, nails, etc., while methodologies can be compared to the architectural plans for a building. Methods refer to how data is collected and methodologies refer to what the data mean (in the perspective of an investigator or methodological community.

How Can I Become an Effective Researcher?

To excel as a researcher, you need to have a growth mindset, be intellectually open, be ready to dig into a problem space, engage in strategic search, consider counterarguments, and assess the best methods for understanding a phenomenon or designing a process or service. Researchers need

• to posses the necessary drive, the self regulation, to engage in robustly in writing and creative processes
• to understand the epistemologies that inform research methods, such as Expressivism, Constructivism, Hermeneutics, Positivism, or Post-Positivism
• to be capable of engaging in rhetorical reasoning (especially rhetorical analysis, textual analysis, and citation analysis) to ascertain
  • the genres of particular research communities (annotated bibliographies, research studies, ethnograpies, case studies, surveys, pitches, presentations, literature reviews, or recommendation reports
  • the rhetorical moves and discourse conventions research communities (e.g., The Creatives, The Designers, The Interpreters, The Scientists, The Synthesizers, The Scholars) expect them to employ in order to develop or test knowledge claims — or create new products and processes: Research Question, Literature Review, Methods, Results, and Conclusions sections of research studies
• to understand the information literacy conventions that inform the interpretation and production of meaning, especially how to critically evaluate information
• be aware of the different methods knowledge workers use to create new knowledges, products, or services, including
  • Creative Methods
  • Design Research Methods
  • Empirical Research Methods
    • Qualitative Research Methods
    • Quantitative Research Methods
  • Mixed Research Methods
  • Scholarly Research Methods
• be capable of communicating in the writing style expected by the audience (e.g., an academic writing style or a professional writing style). To attract readers, they must present the research question, literature review, results, and conclusions with clarity, brevity, coherence, flow, inclusivity, simplicity, and unity 

First-Day Attendance Mandatory Assignment

Assignment Prompt

USF’s First Day Attendance Assignment requires that I call attendance during our first course meeting. Because this is an online course and we don’t meet face-to-face, I’ve set this written assignment as your confirmation of attendance. Per USF’s mandatory first-day policy, you must complete this assignment to remain registered in the course. See Canvas for the assignment due date.

After reading all five of the Writing Commons articles listed below, write a 500-word post that defines research and explains why research is a rhetorical concept. Your goal is to demonstrate that research is not a one-size-fits-all process. Researchers in any given discipline—including Professional and Technical Communication (PTC)—select different methods depending on their topics, audiences, and rhetorical goals. These choices reflect each field’s epistemological assumptions (what counts as knowledge) and the values of its methodological community.

1. Applied Research, Basic Research
2. Research – Introduction to Research Methods and Methodological Communities
3. Research Community – Methodological Community
4. Epistemology – Theories of Knowledge
5. Research Methods

Requirements

• List word count at top of page
• Include one in-text citation and one direct quotation from the readings.
• Provide a reference list in APA 7 at the bottom of your post.
• Use paragraphs to maintain logical flow, coherence, and unity.
• Write in your own words—avoid AI-generated phrasing or generic definitions.
• Proofread for clarity, conciseness, and accuracy.

Evaluation Rubric