Ignoring Ethics with Style: Writing Sentences for "Non U.S. Persons"

Authors

  • Ryan Smith Madan Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Keywords:

writing, composition, literacy, education, ethics, style, politics

Abstract

Ignoring Ethics with Style: Writing Sentences for 'Non U.S. Persons'" argues for the importance of understanding the ethical dimensions of sentence writing. To illustrate I cite the stylistic features of a recent public exchange about the legality of government surveillance between Director of Intelligence James Clapper and U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Mark Udall. I also discuss my own experience teaching writing to college students in order to reflect on need for a new generation of writers to recognize the relationship between clarity and ethics.

Author Biography

Ryan Smith Madan, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Ryan Smith Madan is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Writing & Rhetoric at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), where he also directs the university's Writing Center.

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Published

2016-03-09

Issue

No. 15 (2016)

Section

Issue #15

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