Textual Dynamics of the Professions

Book excerpt: Textual Dynamics of the Professions is a collection of fifteen essays examining the real effects of text on professional practices--in academic, scientific, and business settings. Charles Bazerman and James Paradis describe textual dynamics as an interaction in which professional texts and discourses are constructed by, and in turn construct, social practices. In the burgeoning field of discourse theory, this anthology stands apart in its treatment of a wide range of professional texts, including case studies, student papers, medieval letters, and product instructions, and in the inclusion of authors from a variety of disciplines. Invaluable to the new pedagogical field of "writing across the curriculum," Textual Dynamics of the Professions is also a significant intervention into the studies of rhetoric, writing theory, and the sociology of knowledge.