Syllabus

TEXTS

Required

• Burnett, Rebecca E. Technical Communication (fifth edition)
• Williams, Robin and John Tollett. The Non-Designer’s Web Book

• Tufte, Edward R. “Visual and Statistical Thinking:  Displays of Evidence for Making Decisions”

• Bang, Molly. Picture This

• A good dictionary and a grammar handbook (the Heath handbook is especially good) are also strongly recommended.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

English 393, Technical Writing, is designed to teach students with diverse backgrounds and interests how to effectively communicate technical information. Specifically, it helps students learn how to report technical information to a non-technical audience in both oral and written formats. This class is based on collaboration with the goal of creating a community of writers. Ours is a computer-assisted writing environment. We will work to better understand and develop our writing process, composing with word and image.

POLICIES

Attendance in class and at conference is mandatory, as this is a participatory rather than passive learning experience. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. When you write or speak, present your own work and not the effort of another writer. Plagiarism is easily avoided by using quotation marks when you quote directly, by citing the author whose ideas you are using when you paraphrase, and by never taking credit for writing or for ideas which are not your own. Students who plagiarize will automatically fail the course. Students are required to complete all assignments. Papers are due on assigned dates. Late papers will not be accepted. All papers must be word-processed and must demonstrate a mastery of page design and audience awareness.

My grading system follows:

A=4, A-=3.8, B+=3.5, B=3, B-=2.8, C+=2.5, C=2, C-=1.8, D+=1.5, D=1, D-=.8

Assignments:

• class per
• work [includes in-class exercises, discussion, participation on 'listserv', journals, quizzes, design exercises]
• collaborative web project
• definition pa
• proposal
• oral presentations
• analytical report 
• resume and cover letter

Remember:  revision grades are averaged with all prior grades per paper to determine that paper's final grade. 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

All papers will be submitted in a labeled folder with all prewriting, an outline, a rough draft and a final, camera ready draft. Revisions will be accepted no later than one week following the return of the initial graded paper. When revisions are exceptional, the grade may be raised by as much as one letter grade. Only the in-class essays and the final analytical report are exempt from the revision policy, as they may not be revised. Students must be prepared for and participate in workshops.