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This may seem dumb, but how about writing done as part of one's professional practice? Of course, that still leaves the questions, what is writing and what is a profession? Presumably the answers to those questions are not too different in this context than in others. Or is the question, how is professional writing different from academic writing, literary writing, political writing, etc.? Or, to put it another way, what is the purpose of your question? what do you expect to accomplish in the seminar by posing this question? As Burke emphasizes, abstract terms are defined only dialectically, i.e., only in contrast with other abstract/dialectical terms. So until we know what contrary you have in mind for "professional writing," we will have multiple and varying responses to this query. But if we agree, for instance, that in this seminar the point is to distinguish professional writing from, say, academic and literary writing, then we can probably reach something approaching consensus. Rick At 01:43 PM 8/12/1998 -0500, Graham Smart wrote: >Folks, > >I'm teaching a graduate seminar in Professional Writing Theory at Purdue >this fall. One of the first issues I want to look at in the seminar is the >question of how to define "Professional Writing." As grist for the mill, I >thought I'd ask a number of people in the field to define what they mean >by the term. I wonder whether you'd like to venture taking a stab at >describing in a sentence or two (or three or four) what "Professional >Writing" means, as you see it? Thanks a lot. I'll be happy to share the >results of the exercise with you. > >Apologies to anyone receiving multiple copies of this message. > >Graham > >********************************** >Graham Smart >Assistant Professor >Department of English >324 Heavilon Hall >Purdue University >West Lafayette >Indiana 47907 > >Office phone: (765) 496-1593 >Home phone: (765) 496-2373 >e-mail: [log in to unmask] >********************************** > (Prof.) Richard M. Coe English Department, Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC CANADA V5A 1S6 email: [log in to unmask] office phone: (604) 291-4316 English Department FAX: (604) 291-5737 President Phone: (604) 291-5535 Faculty Association Fax: (604) 291-3452 Simon Fraser University Association Homepage: Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 http://www.sfu.ca/sfufa/