{"id":461,"date":"2015-10-13T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-13T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tandt-blog.cah.ucf.edu\/?p=461"},"modified":"2017-10-09T13:12:56","modified_gmt":"2017-10-09T13:12:56","slug":"what-is-tt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/textstech\/2015\/10\/13\/what-is-tt\/","title":{"rendered":"What is T&T?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a common question posed to students of the UCF T&T Ph.D. Program.\u00a0 The misinterpretations of our family and friends are often quite humorous. One student\u2019s mother thinks she only programs cell phone apps. Often, misunderstandings of the program stem from these extremely narrow assumptions about our fields of research, spurring comments ranging from, \u201cOh, you hate books now?\u201d to \u201cSo you think the internet will save us all, huh?\u201d to \u201cExactly how is technology ruining society?\u201d I once had to correct a Modeling & Simulation postdoc before he began to ask specific questions about my research in \u201cSex & Technology\u201d\u2014I have since learned to overemphasize the initial \u201cT\u201d in \u201cTexts.\u201d<\/p>\n

While discussing our program of study is an easy Thanksgiving conversation topic, it can also be frustrating to work so hard for a degree that few people have even heard of. The unique nature of the T&T degree poses extra challenges for the job search. Ph.D.\u2019s in English or even Digital Media don\u2019t need to explain their particular degree program in cover letters or introductory email to perspective employers. My favorite aspect of T&T, the fact that students are able\u2014and expected\u2014to tailor the program to fit their own scholarly interests can become a drawback. The T&T job-seeker must define the program well and explain its similarities to whatever traditional degree the job posting requests while also demonstrating that the differences of the T&T degree are advantageous.<\/p>\n

So, what is T&T and how can it best be described to potential employers? The department website<\/a> describes the program as \u201cpart of a growing interdisciplinary field combining scholarly study, creative production, and assessment of digital media texts. The curriculum emphasizes theory and practice in new media supplemented by historical grounding in pre-digital media studies.\u201d<\/p>\n

The choice of \u201ctexts\u201d over the more specific terms \u201cwriting\u201d or \u201ccommunication\u201d is a clear asset. The T&T student has a unique understanding of the term \u201ctext\u201d that is not defined solely<\/i> as writing but also extends to images, music, video games, webpages, and more. This can provide a fresh perspective for nearly any corporation or traditional field of study.<\/p>\n

Interdisciplinarity, too, is marketable\u2014universities now appear to lament the rigid department structure without being able to completely eliminate it (yet), and corporations never really bought into the value of single-subject expertise anyway, favoring employees who are knowledgeable about many topics and possess a variety of practical skills. Understanding the theories and practices of a variety of scholarly fields provides the T&T student with a robust toolkit of knowledge and skills with which to tackle any problem.<\/p>\n

The combination of \u201cscholarly study, creative production, and assessment of digital media texts,\u201d is also desirable to future employers. More traditional degree programs are not typically expected to produce graduates who are strong scholars and <\/i>producers and <\/i>critical evaluators of technology. We are the complete package employers seek. We are able researchers, developers, and critics; we are versed in both theory and practice; we deftly navigate early and emerging media.<\/p>\n

So, what is Texts and Technology?<\/p>\n