Technical Communication, unlike the academic writing that you are more used to, is the study of how professionals utilize their expertise and offer informed opinions to colleagues and clients in the professional world. And as such, this is a course that focuses on applied knowledge and the technical genres that make it usable.
Outside of the university setting, engineers, scientists, and other subject-matter experts (SMEs) are asked to regularly communicate technical details and precise findings to invested audiences through a variety of texts, formats, and genres. To do this, most SMEs have established a precise and structured style – with standardized conventions and expectations – to inform and influence a broader public. Through these genres and norms, technical writers are able to drive social change and empower others in the wider world. These conventions make things happen.