W. Earl Britton's and Merril D. Whitburn's views on freshman English and technical writing are not as much in conflict as the titles of their recent articles may suggest. The two courses are solutions to two different problems, namely the communicative skills required by undergraduates and by graduate engineers.
Experience at the University of the Witwatersrand indicates that two courses, one given at the beginning of the undergraduate course and one at the end, would be an ideal solution. Where a crowded curriculum permits only one course, the compromise solution requires elements from both types of courses.
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References
1.
BrittonW. E., “The Trouble with Technical Writing is Freshman English,”J. Tech. Writing & Comm., 4:2, pp. 127–131, Spring 1974.
2.
WhitburnM. D., “Against Substituting Technical Writing for Freshman English,”J. Tech. Writing & Comm., 5.1, pp. 47–51, 1975.
3.
WilcoxS. W., “Engineering Communication,”The Journal of Communication, 20, pp. 387–394, December 1970.
