TC Talk

Abi is a professor of technical communication and rhetoric; Benton... is not. Abi reads scholarly articles; Benton reads science fiction. And they are both connoisseurs of mixed drinks and bad puns. Listen in as they connect the academic to the everyday, spanning topics like misinformation, science communication, digital rhetoric, and health and medical writing. Go to http://faculty.mnsu.edu/tctalk/ for transcripts and show notes.

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Episodes

Vax comm part 3: Can we persuade our way out of this pandemic?

Short answer: Not entirely. But there is still a role for rhetoric. We talk about the book Vaccine Rhetorics by Heidi Lawrence, and how her theory of material exigence might apply to the COVID vaccine situation. We also discuss the potential of gamifying and "pre-bunking" to counteract medical misinformation. Stay to the end for bonus Schwarzenegger and Picard impressions by Benton.

Nov 04, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Vax comm part 2: Enthymemes of deception

We pick up our last vax comm chat by addressing historical reasons for vaccine skepticism, the split between personal experience and scientific data as evidence, and Andrew Wakefield's infamous journal article. We discuss highlights of the book The Panic Virus by Seth Mnookin.

Oct 21, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 4

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TC Talk

Episodes

Vax comm part 3: Can we persuade our way out of this pandemic?

Vax comm part 2: Enthymemes of deception

Vax comm part 1: Feelings don't care about your facts

What can aliens teach us about technical communication?

How to read (as an academic)