Activity theory is a psychological meta-theory, paradigm, or framework, with its roots in the Soviet psychologist Vygotsky's cultural-historical psychology. It seeks to understand human activities as complex, socially-situated phenomena and go beyond paradigms of psychoanalysis and behaviorism.
#25687
The action of thought is excited by the irritation of doubt, and ceases when belief is attained; so that the production of belief is the sole function of thought.
Peirce, Charles Sanders. Marxists.org (1878). Articles>Communication>Theory
#30501
How We Communicate: A Grand Unified Theory of Communication with Heuristics for Designers 
Advances in electronic media and computer systems have created a dilemma for technical communicators. Who knows enough about writing, illustration, animation, music, video, and interactivity to design hypermedia? Are we doomed to design by committees of specialists? Are word-only writers obsolescent? Fortunately the mental and social processes that underlie communication are few, simple, and universal. These principles apply to all media: audible and visual, verbal and iconic, passive and interactive, artistic and functional. Authors who understand these principles can apply what they have learned about one medium to the design of others. This workshop reveals and demonstrates these universal principles of communication and shows how to apply them now.
Horton, William K. III. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Communication>Theory
#31792
Identity and Cross-Cultural Communication
In this project special attention is given to legal, commercial, political and institutional discourse used in specific workplaces, analysed from an intercultural perspective. In particular, through an exploration of the international ‘image’ suggested by major social and economic actors, our project aims to improve the understanding of identity-forming features linked to ‘local’ or professional cultures, as communicated by contemporary English in various specialised domains among native and non-native speakers.
Gotti, Maurizio. Association for Business Communication (2007). Articles>Language>International>Cultural Theory
#29030
The syntactic aspect of semiotic theory, especially its "aesthetic principle," is very influential in document design theories and practices. It has its roots in Burke's and Lessing s gender-related theories of images. Thus, it is laden with ideologies: it embodies our patriarchal attitudes and our iconophobia. Employing the semiotic theory in document design, we are making choices to reinforce the gender-related ideology in Burke's and Lessing's theories. It is time for us to re-conceive the "aesthetic principle" by de-emphasizing it and to adopt the reconciliation approach to design effective documents targeted at various rhetorical situations.
Ding, Daniel D. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2000). Articles>Document Design>Visual Rhetoric>Theory
#22249
I want to try to explain how I came to think about technology and people ecologically through my interactions with reference librarians. And I want to mention some of the touchstones that led to the concept of information ecologies. In looking at the library, what struck me as an outsider and anthropologist studying the work practices of reference librarians, was first, the very congenial mix of human and technical resources. Second, I was very impressed with the way libraries are run through a very clear application of values. So, for example, values such as service to clients, cost effectiveness, the timely delivery of information, open access to information. And finally, I was really struck by the attention that reference librarians pay to the specifics of clients' situations and needs.
Nardi, Bonnie A. Library of Congress (1998). Articles>Information Design>Cultural Theory
#28704
Inside Your Users' Minds: The Cultural Probe
Theoretically, usability testing is a great way of finding out what is wrong with the products and services we design. We sit the users down in the lab and ask them to perform certain tasks, to 'tell us what you think--give voice to your stream of consciousness.' And on the whole, it works. But...
Stalker-Firth, Ruth. List Apart, A (2007). Articles>User Centered Design>Cultural Theory
#14463
Institutional Critique: A Rhetorical Methodology for Change
We offer institutional critique as an activist methodology for changing institutions. Since institutions are rhetorical entities, rhetoric can be deployed to change them. In its effort to counter oppressive institutional structures, the field of rhetoric and com-position has focused its attention chiefly on the composition classroom, on the de-partment of English, and on disciplinary forms of critique. Our focus shifts the scene of action and argument to professional writing and to public discourse, using spatial methods adapted from postmodern geography and critical theory.
Porter, James E., Patricia Sullivan, Stuart Blythe, Jeffrey T. Grabill and Libby Miles. CCC (2000). Articles>Rhetoric>Theory
#31380
Institutionalizing English: Rhetoric on the Boundaries
Liberal historians tend to seek the disciplining of English in terms of the English department, as in Graff's account of people talking past each other while all finding shelter under the umbrella of a "humanist myth." While both these stories are useful (and in many ways, complementary), I want to examine disciplining of English into composition and literature by looking in relations English had with other disciplines, both within the new university, in that most defining feature of it, he specialization of disciplinary activity, and, indirectly, beyond the new university, in various social practices with English and its neighboring those disciplines interacted. Composition, I will argue, mediated those interactions in such a way that English was quite successful in its professionalization, but because composition was marginalized in crucial ways, its success was very limited.
Russell, David R. SUNY Press (2002). Articles>Rhetoric>Theory
#14129
Instructional Design and Learning Theory
To students of instructional design the introduction and subsequent 'sorting out' of the various learning theories and associated instructional design strategies can be somewhat confusing. It was out of this feeling of cognitive dissonance that this site was born. Why does it seem so difficult to differentiate between three basic theories of learning? Why do the names of theorists appear connected to more than one theory? Why do the terms and strategies of each theory overlap? The need for answers to these questions sparked my investigation into the available literature on learning theories and their implications for instructional design. I found many articles and internet sites that dealt with learning theory and ID, in fact, it was difficult to know when and where to draw the line. When I stopped finding new information, and the articles were reaffirming what I had already read, I began to write.
Mergel, Brenda. University of Saskatchewan (1998). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Theory
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Interpretation Within Audience Analysis Theories and the Crusade for True Empiricism
Audience analysis frameworks do not address an important aspect of communication in writer/audience relationships. This element is the humanistic aspect of cognitive processing, which encompasses emotional and cultural aspects. These elements exist on behalf of the writer as well as the reader, which without taking either into account lead us to a less than full understanding of how we can progress in our studies around this issue. We continue to study and theorize about how to improve interactions between writer and audience. Although current theories seem to add considerations important in the audience analysis process and the writer/audience relationship, there remains a need to find ways to address the truly empirical aspects of human interpretation.
Wolfe, Melissa. Orange Journal, The (2001). Articles>Rhetoric>Theory>Audience Analysis
#15070
An Introduction to Genre Theory
The word genre comes from the French (and originally Latin) word for 'kind' or 'class'. The term is widely used in rhetoric, literary theory, media theory, and more recently linguistics, to refer to a distinctive type of 'text'*. Robert Allen notes that 'for most of its 2,000 years, genre study has been primarily nominological and typological in function. That is to say, it has taken as its principal task the division of the world of literature into types and the naming of those types - much as the botanist divides the realm of flora into varieties of plants. However, the analogy with biological classification into genus and species misleadingly suggests a 'scientific' process.
Chandler, Daniel. University of Wales, Aberystwyth (1997). Articles>Rhetoric>Theory
#28036
Politics is commonly thought of as the activities of political organizations--from which the majority of designers (if not majority of people) feel disassociated. But there is a missed opportunity here: at base, politics is about values, and design is nothing if not a means of embodying values.
Winhall, Jennie. uiGarden (2006). Articles>Graphic Design>Cultural Theory>Politics
#13907
Is There a Place for Technical Communication in the Public Sphere? 
Programs in technical communication have, at least in their recent history, emphasized the preparation of students for corporate positions. We claim the ubiquity and relevance of our work to all areas of life, and indeed it is easy enough to find examples of 'technical communication' everywhere. But this observation is not the same as observing that there is a role for technical communicators everywhere.
Rude, Carolyn D. CPTSC Proceedings (2002). Presentations>TC>Cultural Theory
#29076
The connection between language and empiricism is a central issue in technical writing and communication, more so than in other fields. Our field deals with technical and scientific knowledge which is oftentimes very definite and objective, yet there has been increasing recognition over the past few decades that this knowledge is socially constructed and rhetorically negotiated. Debates have ensued over the rhetoricity of technical communication in contrast to its empirical and instrumental aspects. W.V. Quine, one of the most influential American philosophers of the twentieth century, however, rejected the distinction between empirical knowledge and knowledge stemming from language and social negotiation. Understanding technical writing and communication through the lens of Quine's theory ameliorates the tension between instrumental and rhetorical/humanistic views of technical discourse by recognizing the validity of both views and integrating the two. This understanding in turn will facilitate our pedagogical interactions with technical and scientific majors.
Dombrowski, Paul M. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2002). Articles>Language>Theory
#14423
Language as Vision: The Ocularcentrism of Chomskyan Linguistics
References to vision pervade Chomsky’s work. They are a key component of the figures he uses, the examples he provides, the analogies he makes, and the argumentative warrants supporting his central claims. When dealing with opponents Chomsky repeatedly exploits the rhetorical potential of visual analogies and metaphors in order to construct rebuttals. References to vision and to spatio-visual phenomenon constitute a key component of the most characteristic rhetorical moves Chomsky makes, and are central to the way Chomsky defines the project of linguistics. From Syntactic Structures to his most recently published texts, Chomsky’s writing is permeated by a constellation of terms centered on space, vision, optics and form. This is perhaps not altogether surprising, given that Chomsky is a thinker who identifies so strongly with Descartes, and who describes his theoretical project as “Cartesian”. In Modernity and the Hegemony of Vision David Levin argues that Descartes is the modern philosopher most obviously indebted to the metaphor of knowledge as spatio-visual, a writer whose work most clearly exemplifies a discourse that is dominated by an ocular metaphoric. While a range of figurative expressions characterize generative discourse, ocular metaphors are assigned a place of particular importance.
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Leaders or Leadership: Alternative Approaches to Leadership Studies 
It is unnecessary and impossible for any one perspective to cover all the ground, although it is necessary that a perspective have a clear and distinct view, be it narrow or broad, of the subject matter, of the domain that it belongs to, and of the level of analysis that it entails. With respect to the study of leadership as a communication phenomenon, holism may just be the response necessary for knowledge advancement and for the field of communication to grow
Chen, Ling. Management Communication Quarterly (2008). Articles>Management>Theory
#28873
Subject matter experts, under the influence of modernist notions of authorship, often view technical writers as mere grammar and punctuation specialists and marginalize them as their ignorant 'other.' Technical writers, on the other hand, as rhetoricians occupying a liminal space between different disciplines, can understand different disciplinary rhetorics. If subject matter experts, instead of marginalizing technical writers, would view them as liminal subjects who are knowledgeable in different disciplinary rhetorics, then technical writers, through liminal practice, may be able to use their knowledge of audience and rhetoric to improve the quality of documentation.
Jeyeraj, Joseph. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2004). Articles>TC>Theory>Collaboration
#31376
Looking Beyond the Interface: Activity Theory and Distributed Learning 
Activity theory (AT) has for many years been used in studies of human computer interaction, such as computer interface design and computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) (Nardi, 1996). In the last five years it has begun to be used to understand distributed learning, as technological innovations in education have often "seemed to be designed to exploit the capabilities of the technology rather than to meet an instructional need," to be technology-driven rather than theory-driven.
Russell, David R. Iowa State University (2001). Articles>Education>Theory>Activity Theory
#20156
Marshall McLuhan's Message for Multimedia
Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) was more than the person of his times who coined the famous popular term 'the medium is the message.' He was also an influential thinker whose views on media are even more relevant today than they were in the 1960s. McLuhan’s ideas about 'hot' and 'cool' technologies, the power and limitations of various media, the psychological landscape of communication, and the global village are very relevant for today’s technical communicators. They contribute important ideas to the historical roots of multimedia, and as such, they are part of an evolving theoretical foundation for technical communication.
Shirk, Henrietta Nickels. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Multimedia>Theory
#28868
A Mathematical Theory of Communication
The article entitled 'A Mathematical Theory of Communication', published in 1948 by mathematician Claude E. Shannon, was one of the founding works of the field of information theory. Shannon's paper laid out the basic elements of any digital communication.
Shannon, Claude E. Bell System Technical Journal (1948). Articles>Communication>Theory>Minimalism
#30701
Mode, Medium, and Genre: A Case Study of Decisions in New-Media Design
Recently, scholars of new media have been exploring the relationships between genre theory and new media. While these scholars have provided a great deal of insight into the nature of e-genres and how they function in professional contexts, few address the relationship between genre and new-media theories from a designer's perspective. This article presents the results of an ethnographic-style case study exploring the practice of a professional new-media designer. These results (a) confirm the role of dynamic rhetorical situations and hybridity during the new-media design process; (b) suggest that current genre and new-media theories underestimate the complexity of the relationships between mode, medium, genre, and rhetorical exigencies; and (c) indicate that a previously unrecognized form of hybridity exists in contemporary e-genres.
Graham, S. Scott. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2008). Articles>Multimedia>Genre>Theory
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Modeling a New Rhetorical Architecture
Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) and Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) are based in document architectures. They work in part because documents can be defined by type. Yet that basis in types gives us opportunity to free information from those traditional types. But this freedom imposes upon us a need to re-define our approaches to communication models.
Coggin, William O. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Rhetoric>Theory
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With special attention to the rhetor-audience relationship, the course studies history and practice of modern rhetorical theory. The main idea is that you learn the classical elements of rhetoric in some detail and then practice applying them to contemporary texts, whether they are the ones you are writing or analyzing. I think you should use this course so you can better understand not only rhetoric, but other areas of study that you are interested in, whether it be technology, popular culture, or a discipline outside of English. Make this course work for you.
Applen, J.D. University of Central Florida. Academic>Courses>Theory>Rhetoric
#31781
The New Atlantis is an effort to clarify the nation’s moral and political understanding of all areas of technology—from stem cells to hydrogen cells to weapons of mass destruction.
New Atlantis, The. Journals>Technology>Cultural Theory>Ethics
#19015
Jakob Nielsens hypotese må enten være baseret på hypertekst som et teoretisk felt, eller i relation til HTML. Dette bliver der ikke taget stilling til fra Nielsens side, så umiddelbart må det ses som en personlig vurdering af Nielsen. Man kunne lige så godt sige at computere eller http protokollen var vigtigst. At links er vigtige for navigationen i et hypertekst dokument er der ingen tvivl om. Hvis der ikke forekom links i en hypertekst ville det blive overordentligt svært at forestille sig Internet som det ser ud i dag.
Quark, The (2002). (Danish) Design>Web Design>Theory>Usability
