Instructor: Joe Law
Office: 027 Paul Laurence Dunbar Library
Office phone: 775-2155
E-mail: joe.law@wright.edu
Office hours: 8:30-9:50 T, Th and by appointment
Note: Because my responsibilities as Coordinator of Writing Across the Curriculum often require me to be away from the office, it would be wise to call ahead even during my regular office hours. However, I’m usually on campus until 5:00, so it shouldn’t be hard to arrange a time to meet.
This syllabus and the policies outlined here are also available through the English department web page: http://hypatia.wright.edu/dept/eng/law/lawj.htm
COURSE PREREQUISITE:
English 102
REQUIRED TEXT:
Markel, Mike. Technical Communication: Situations and Strategies. 5th ed. New York: St. Martin’s, 1998.
A Web site for this text is located at <http://www.smpcollege.com/technical/>.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
English 333 surveys the fundamental principles and skills used in scientific and technical writing.
POLICIES AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Course Grade: Your grade will be determined on the basis of your written work. Writing assignments 1-6 (outlined below) will constitute 60% of your grade; the fourth-hour project will be 20%; exercises done in class will make up the remaining 30% of your grade. Please note that attendance will affect your final grade as well (see below). FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS: Assignments 1-5 will constitute 45% of the grade and the additional assignments another 15%.
Late Work: As a rule, I do not accept late assignments. Late work will be accepted only in the case of a documented illness or if you have made arrangements with me in advance of the absence.
Attendance: Much of the work in the course will be carried out in class. Missing a class means that you cannot benefit from the comments of other students and that other students cannot benefit from yours. I will take attendance at the beginning of each class. Missing more than 15% of the classes (over 4 class meetings) will lower your grade. After the fourth absence, I will deduct 2.5 percentage points per absence from your final grade.
Tardiness: Class will begin as scheduled. Late arrivals disrupt class, so please be on time. Students who arrive late will not receive additional time to complete any activities already begun, such as a reading quiz. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of class; if you are late, it is your responsibility to see that my record is corrected that same class period.
Editing skills: This course presupposes mastery of standard edited American English and will not cover grammar per se; however, grammatical and other errors will affect grades on assignments. It is the responsibility of all students to proofread and edit their own work before it is submitted. Any student who does not exhibit proficiency in editing throughout the semester should not expect to pass the course.
Academic honesty: All work submitted must be your own, with outside sources properly acknowledged. Academic dishonesty includes copying another's work, turning in someone else's work as your own, allowing a tutor to write part or all of your paper, or allowing someone else to use your work in this same manner. If you are unsure about this matter, talk to me before you submit the paper, not after.
Special accommodations: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please see me as soon as possible. We should make any necessary adjustments at the beginning of the course.
University Writing Center: Writing Consultants in the Writing Center (031 Library) are available to assist you as you work on your papers. Be sure to take a copy of your assignment with you when you go. The Writing Center also has a cluster of networked computers available for student use. (Computer assistance is also provided.) The service is free to all WSU students. To get more information about summer hours and the services provided, call 775-4186
Reading and Assignment Schedule
All readings should be completed by the date they are scheduled for class discussion. Class time will be used to apply the concepts in the chapter, not restate them.
01/03/00 Introduction to course
01/05/00 Chapter 1 ("Introduction to Technical Communication")
01/07/00 Chapter 5 ("Analyzing Your Audience")
01/10/00 Assignment 1 due; in-class work on editing
01/12/00 In-class work
01/14/00 Chapter 4 ("Using Electronic Communication Tools"); work with Word templates
01/17/00 Martin Luther King, Jr., Day (no class)
01/19/00 Chapter 6 ("Determining Your Purpose and Strategy"); Assignment 2 due
01/21/00 No class meeting; last day to drop a class without a record of W
01/24/00 Chapter 8 ("Developing the Argument"); Last day for all but freshmen to drop class with record of W
01/26/00 Continue Chapter 8 ("Developing the Argument")
01/28/00 In-class work; Assignment 3 due
01/31/00 Chapter 9 ("Drafting Definitions and Descriptions")
02/02/00 In-class work
02/04/00 Chapter 11 ("Integrating Design Elements"); Assignment 4 due
02/07/00 Chapter 12 ("Integrating Graphics")
02/09/00 In-class work with Graphics
02/11/00 Discussion of Assignment 5; Graduate students—prospectus due
02/14/00 Assignment 5 due; begin in-class work with Assignment 5
02/16/00 Continue in-class work with Assignment 5
02/18/00 Conclude in-class work with Assignment 5
02/21/00 In-class work for Assignment 6
02/23/00 In-class work for Assignment 6
02/15/00 In-class work for Assignment 6; Graduate students—progress report due
02/28/00 Part 1 of Assignment 6 due; begin group presentations
03/01/00 Part 2 of Assignment 6 due; conclude group presentations
03/03/00 Individual conferences about fourth-hour project
03/06/00 Individual conferences about fourth-hour project
03/08/00 Individual conferences about fourth-hour project
03/10/00 Fourth-hour project due; final version of project due from graduate students
Final Exam Wednesday, March 15, 2000, 8:00-10:00 a.m.
NOTE: The above schedule is subject to change according to the needs of the class. If you have to miss a class, you are still responsible for keeping up with any changes made for the following class meeting.
Writing Assignments
Note: Budgeting time is critical in a writing course of this kind.. These general descriptions are meant to help you in that respect. In particular, Assignment 6 calls for group work and should be planned well in advance. More details about each of these assignments will be provided in class.
Assignment 1: Locate two articles on the same topic, one intended for a general audience and the other for an expert audience. For example, you might compare an article in The New England Journal of Medicine with the report of that same topic in a popular news magazine like Time or Newsweek. What features in each article indicate the sort of audience it is intended to serve? Summarize your findings in a memo to me and attach photocopies of the articles. Memo format is covered in Chapter 16, pages 494-98.
Assignment 2: Interview a professional in the field you plan to enter and find out what sort of writing he or she does in connection with that job. Address an informative memo to me summarizing your findings.
Assignment 3: First, revise the memo you wrote for Assignment 2—in terms of both content and style (including mechanics). Once you’re satisfied with that, put it into two different Word memo formats (there are three formats for memos in Style Gallery). Identify the style as part of the subject line. Then, in a new memo to me, tell me which format you think is more effective and explain why. Also, discuss any changes you made or would recommend making to the Word template. You will be turning three memos altogether.
Assignment 4: Describe a relatively simple object, such as a desk stapler or a coffee maker. Remember to review Chapter 9 ("Drafting Definitions and Descriptions").
Assignment 5: Write a set of instructions for a simple procedure that can be carried out in class. Bring a second copy of the finished instructions for in-class work.
Assignment 6: Before you begin this assignment, review Chapter 3 ("Writing Collaboratively"). The assignment itself has two parts. Part 1: For the first, you will work in small groups. Evaluate all elements of a technical publication, including graphics, text, layout, etc. You will report your findings to the whole class, and your group will submit a single memo summarizing them. Be sure you work out individual responsibilities for everyone. You will have some class time for working on this project, but plan ahead so that you can coordinate your efforts outside of class as well. Part 2: For the second part, each of you will submit a memo summarizing your experience working in the group and evaluating that experience.
Fourth-Hour Project: More detailed information about this project will be provided in class, but here’s a general description so you can be thinking about it. Compile a portfolio of all the work you have done for the class this quarter. For the purpose of this assignment, the most important part of the portfolio will be a memo evaluating these documents as a whole. I’ll provide you a set of guidelines for the memo well before the portfolio is due.
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
General Assignment: Prepare a report that provides a solution for a specific problem you have identified. Recommend one of at least three alternatives and explain your choice in such a way as to persuade your reader of the soundness of your choice. Be sure your reader understands the importance of the problem, the relative advantages and disadvantages of the potential solutions, and the reasons for your recommendation. The format you use will depend on the problem and your approach to it. Select a fairly simple problem than can be handled adequately in around 10 pages. I’ll provide examples in class.
Prospectus: In a memo to me, describe the problem you will address in the report described above. Be sure you identify the nature and extent of problem (including its importance). The memo should also respond to the following questions: What are your qualifications for dealing with this topic? What difficulties can you anticipate? How will you solve them? What is your timeline for completing this project?
Progress Report: In a brief memo to me, describe your progress on the project. How much is completed? What remains to be done? Have unexpected problems arisen? If so, how have you dealt with them?