Mel A. Topf

Dr. Topf teaches several professional writing courses including technical writing and seminars on writing issues in the workplace, and writing on legal issues for non-lawyers. He helped develop the English literature and communications programs, and taught a variety of courses in British and American literature, media law and ethics, corporate communication, and business and technical writing. His research, publications, and conference talks include technical writing, the political philosopher Hannah Arendt, and state constitutional and legal history. His public service includes two terms on the Rhode Island State Ethics Commission. He has held several administrative positions, including Acting Provost (1988) and chair of the Department (2007-2013).

Course Offerings:

Technical Writing (WTNG 235): Technical writing is everywhere. While it certainly is an important tool in fields like engineering, it is also vital to a wide range of fields and jobs—from education to healthcare and even cooking. In this course, students will examine how to use technical writing to help audiences solve problems. It highlights effective technical writing through case studies focused on addressing real problems, such as RWU's advising system, Bristol's bike path, and Rhode Island's Washington Bridge breakdown. Throughout the semester, students will explore how technical writing can be meaningful to them; they will also consider how to use its concepts to strengthen their writing to set them up for success in future jobs and internships. All majors are welcome!

Writing about the Law for Non-Lawyers (WTNG 479): This course requires no prior knowledge of the law. It is based on the principle that you, like all citizens, should be able to engage in civic discourse about legal issues. Do you want to influence how a legislative committee in your state will vote on a new gun-control bill, or on a voting rights bill, or on funding for assisted suicide? Is your town's school committee considering a regulation banning certain books from the town's public library? (These are all actual topics students in the course have chosen." You'll investigate the role that writing and rhetoric plays in civic discourse on law-related controversies. Such controversies arise from exigencies such as public policy debates that shape a proposed law. You'll learn how to research and argue persuasively on public policy. The main project for this course is a "white paper" on a live (currently pending) bill or regulation, written for the actual law-making audience considering the bill or regulation.

Writing for Business Organizations (WTNG 240): Why do business communications fail? When are they effective? In this course students study the theory and practice of business-world communications as a mean of accomplishing goals, problem-solving, and creating actual change in policies and standards. The course takes a case-based approach, so that students, as employees of a fictional corporation, will work individually and collaboratively on a series of related professional reports addressing a problem or crisis confronting the corporation. The exigencies may involve ethical, social, or other considerations.

Advanced Topics in Workplace Writing (WTNG 340): This course explores the role of writing in dealing with issues and controversies that are affecting the workplace today. Emphasis will be on the rhetorical situations that characterize writing on "in-house" problems. Students will select their own issue from a group of "live" controversies that are currently "in the headlines," perhaps ethical, social, legal, political, or economic. They'll develop a series of reports and talks leading to a formal position paper on their selected issue. Topics may include: diversity and equity in the workplace; social media and the workplace; employee nondisclosure agreements; remote-work issues; disability and religious workplace accommodation; customer discrimination such as "redlining"