Syllabus

ENGL 202C, Technical Writing, serves students who are studying and preparing for careers in the sciences and applied sciences, including engineering. This advanced course in writing familiarizes students with the discourse practices prized in their disciplinary and institutional communities--and helps them to manage those practices effectively in their own written work. In this way the course teaches those writing strategies and tactics that scientists, engineers, and others will need in order to write successfully on the job.

Accordingly, students in the course can expect to:

• Discover and understand the discourse features that distinguish their disciplinary and institutional communities from others.
• Discover and specify the purpose(s) of their writing.
• Develop a range of writing processes appropriate to various writing tasks.
• Identify their readers and describe the characteristics of their readers in a way that forms a sound basis for deciding how to write to them.
• Invent the contents of their communications through research and reflection.
• Arrange material to raise and satisfy readers' expectations, using both conventional and rhetorical patterns of organization.
• Reveal the organization of their communications by using forecasting and transitional statements, headings, and effective page/document design.
• Observe appropriate generic conventions and formats for technical documents.
• Design and use tables, graphs, and technical illustrations.
• Compose effective sentences.
• Evaluate their documents to be sure that the documents fulfill their purpose and to ensure that they can be revised if necessary.
• Collaborate effectively with their peers in a community of writers who provide feedback on each others' work and occasionally write together.
• Write several specific kinds of documents that recur in technical, scientific, and other communities.
• Employ computer technology effectively in the solution of communication problems.
• Learn to use the Blogs@PennState program to create an E-Portfolio
• Communicate in an ethically responsible manner.

 

Course Schedule

 

Week 1

 

		Topic	Due
1/13	T	Course introduction. Defining technical communication.	In-class activities.
1/15	R	Assignment #1: Basic Rhetorical Analysis.	Read Chapter 1 and take self-study quiz.

 

 

Week 2

 

		Topic	Due
1/20	T	Audience Analysis.	Read Chapter 5 and take self-study quiz.
1/22	R	The rhetorical situation.	Blog Post #1

 

 

Week 3

 

		Topic	Due
1/27	T	Looking at drafts.	Draft of Basic Rhetorical Analysis.
1/29	R	Assignment #2: Job Application Package	Basic Rhetorical Analysis due.

 

 

Week 4

 

		Topic	Due
2/3	T	Researching jobs.	Read Chapter 15 and take self-study quiz.
2/5	R	Writing resumes.	Bring job ads for approval.  Blog Post #2

 

 

Week 5

 

		Topic	Due
2/10	T	Looking at drafts. Communicating persuasively.	Drafts of both resumes. Read Chapter 8 and take self-study quiz.
2/12	R	Writing cover letters.	Read Chapter 7 and take self-study quiz.

 

 

Week 6

 

		Topic	Due
2/17	T	Writing effective sentences. Writing memos and editing.	Read Chapter 11 and take self-study quiz.
2/19	R	Looking at drafts.	Drafts of both cover letters.

 

 

Week 7

 

		Topic	Due
2/24	T	Assignment #3: Internet Resource Guide. Researching your subject.	Job Application Package due.  Read Chapter 6 and take self-study quiz.
2/26	R	Writing abstracts.	Blog Post #3.

 

 

Week 8

 

		Topic	Due
3/3	T	Understanding the writing process.	Three abstracts draft. Read Chapter 3 and take self-study quiz.
3/5	R	Designing Web Documents	Read Chapter 20 and take self-study quiz.

 

 

Week 9

 

		Topic	Due
3/10	T	NO CLASS	SPRING BREAK
3/12	R	NO CLASS	SPRING BREAK

 

 

Week 10

 

		Topic	Due
3/17	T	In-class design work.	Read Chapter 2 and take self-study quiz.
3/19	R	Looking at drafts. Ethics of Technical Communication	Full Internet Resource Guide draft.

 

 

Week 11

 

		Topic	Due
3/24	T	Assignment #4: Technical Definition and Description	Internet Resource Guide due.
3/26	R	Designing Documents Document Coherence	Read Chapter 9 and take self-study quiz. Blog Post #4 Due Saturday at Noon

 

 

Week 12

 

		Topic	Due
3/31	T	Writing definitions and descriptions.	Read Chapter 10 and take self-study quiz.
4/2	R	Looking at drafts.	Draft of Technical Definition/Description.

 

 

 

Week 13

 

		Topic	Due
4/7	T	Detail and design in your discipline
4/9	R	In-class revision.	Technical Definition/Description due Friday by 4pm.

 

 

Week 14

 

		Topic	Due
4/14	T	Assignment #5: Instruction Set. Writing instructions. Evaluating instructions.	Read Chapter 19 and take self-study quiz. Blog Post #5
4/16	R	Designing documents.	Read Chapter 12 and take self-study quiz.

 

 

Week 15

 

		Topic	Due
4/21	T	Designing and using graphics.	Read Chapter 13 and take self-study quiz.
4/23	R	Looking at drafts. Usability evaluations.	Draft of Instruction Set.

 

 

Week 16

 

		Topic	Due
4/28	T	Looking at drafts. Final editing.	In-class activities.
4/30	R	Course wrap-up.	Instruction Set due May 4th.

 

 

 

 

Required Texts

Technical Communication by Mike Markel. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007. Eight edition. E-book.

 

Conferences

See me when you have questions about an assignment, when you would like to try out some ideas before a document is due, or when you have questions about a comment. You should also see me to get help with particular writing problems, to resolve differences about grades, or to suggest ways to improve the course.

 

Attendance

You are expected to attend class every day and to have your work with you. Regular attendance is required, because course instruction depends on your active participation. Two or three absences will probably not affect your performance too much (unless you miss a rough draft session--a major problem); but try to limit it to that. Indeed, why not attend every meeting? Excused absences are appropriate, of course, but beyond that, let me repeat English department policy: A student whose absences are excessive "may run the risk of receiving a lower grade or a failing grade," whether some of those absences are considered "excused" or not. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to get assignments, complete any work, and submit any due papers.

It is particularly important for you to attend--and be prepared to participate in--in-class workshops on drafts of your documents. The more you have written before peer-review sessions, the more you will benefit from them. Although your drafts need not be "polished," in general they should be complete enough for you to receive substantial help from your peers. Under no circumstances will I accept a "final" version of a document unless I have seen rough drafts.

Finally, the presence of computers in the classroom creates a unique environment for learning, but it can also be a distraction.  Because of this, if you spend the time in class doing non-class activities, you will be counted as absent.  This includes, but is not limited to, surfing the internet, instant messaging, reading the news, etc.

 

Expectations

In this course, I will try to hold you to the professional standards that prevail in your field. For example, of the requirements listed below, your employer will take some completely for granted, such as promptness, neat appearance, and correct mechanics.

Promptness. In this course, as in the working world, you must turn in your work on time. All projects are due at the beginning of class on the dates indicated on the syllabus. Assignments turned in late will be penalized one letter grade for each day late unless you have made other arrangements with me in advance.

Appearance. All work should be neatly prepared, using margins and spacing and design techniques that are conventional for the genre. Whether it is a resume, memo, or report, your communication should exhibit complete and appropriate format. All writing for the course will be posted on the Blogs @ Penn State Web space assigned to each student, but I also reserve the right to ask you to turn in any assignment as a word processing file or in hard copy.

Grammar, Spelling, Proofreading. At work, even a single error in spelling, grammar, or proofreading can jeopardize the effectiveness of some communications (depending on the rhetorical situation). Grading will reflect the great seriousness with which these matters are frequently viewed in the working world. If you would like special assistance with any of these skills, I can recommend sources for extra help.

Back-up Copies. Always back-up your electronic files. And always prepare two legible copies of each major assignment. I will grade one copy and hand it back; the other copy will be for your own safe keeping and permanent records. Sometimes I will request a copy of one of your documents so that I can use it as a sample, to illustrate effective and problematic responses to assignments. Unless I completely obliterate any marks that might identify it as yours, I will never use your work in class without your permission.

Revisions. You will receive feedback on your writing at various stages of the writing process. You should try to apply the comments to improve not only the particular assignment you are working on at the time but also your strategies for writing in general.

Appropriateness.  When publishing text on the World Wide Web, you will need to consider the broad spectrum of possible audiences your writing may reach.  The blogging platform allows you a high level of personal control, and you should be creative in your design of that space; you should also be aware, however, of the public nature of Web texts.  Possible audiences for your blogging sites include, but are not limited to: potential or future employers, professors, and University administration.  Please restrict the content of your site accordingly.

In addition to the requirements outlined above, you are expected to work until the class period has ended; to complete all reading assignments on time; to help your classmates learn by your responses to their writing; to choose projects that require significant research and analysis; to spend at least six hours per week out of class for writing and class preparation; and to be courteous and considerate.

 

Grades

When grading each of your assignments, I will ask one overriding question: "Does this document do its job successfully?" That is, would your communication have the intended effect on the reader you are addressing. I will, of course, recognize the difference between a competent performance (a "C") and good and excellent performances ("B" and "A"). A competent performance is one that stands a chance of succeeding; an excellent performance is one that seems assured not only of success but also of winning praise:

A         superior; the work is of near professional quality. The document meets or exceeds all the objectives of the assignment. The content is mature, thorough, and well-suited for the audience; the style is clear, accurate, and forceful; the information is well-organized and designed so that it is accessible and attractive; the mechanics and grammar are correct.

B         good; the document meets the objectives of the assignment, but it needs improvement in style, or it contains easily correctable errors in grammar, format, or content, or its content is superficial.

C         competent; the document needs significant improvement in concept, details, development, organization, grammar, or format. It may be formally correct but superficial in content.

D         marginally acceptable; the document meets some of the objectives but ignores others; the content is inadequately developed; or it contains numerous or major errors.

F          unacceptable; the document does not have enough information, does something other than the assignment required, or it contains major errors or excessive errors.

 

Your final grade will be determined by the grades you receive on written and in-class assignments, according to the following weighting:

 

• Basic Rhetorical Analysis                     10%
• Job Application Package                       15%
• Internet Resource Guide                       15%
• Technical Definition and Description       15%
• Instruction Set                                     15%
• Reading Quizzes                                 10%
• Reflective Weblog Posts                       10%
• Class Participation                              10%

 

Please Note: you must complete all assignments to pass the course.  Students who do not complete will not receive a passing grade.

 

Instructions for each assignment will be explained in detail.

 

Plagiarism (Cheating)

Penn State defines academic integrity as the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest and responsible manner. All students should act with personal integrity, respect other students' dignity, rights and property, and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their efforts (Faculty Senate Policy 49-20).

Dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated in this course. Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. Students who are found to be dishonest will receive academic sanctions and will be reported to the University's Judicial Affairs office for possible further disciplinary sanction.

Talking over your ideas and getting comments on your writing from friends are NOT plagiarism. Taking someone else's published or unpublished words and calling them your own IS plagiarism: a synonym is academic dishonesty. When plagiarism amounts to an attempt to deceive, it has dire consequences, as spelled out in the English department regulations.

Nota bene

The Pennsylvania State University encourages qualified people with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities and is committed to the policy that all people shall have equal access to programs, facilities, and admissions without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation in this course or have questions about physical access, please tell me as soon as possible.