Approximate
Schedule
| Date |
Assignment or Topic (Note that JW=Joseph Williams,
Style; O&H=Olsen and Huckin, Technical Writing and Professional
Communication |
Writing Due |
| 1-14 |
Introduction, overview, and exhortation. Special attention to CAC's
web accounts and procedures for class communication and collaboration.
Discussion of five major assignments. For next period, read O&H, ch.
1; ch. 10; and read JW, ch. 1. |
|
| 1-16 |
Intensive workshop on HTML |
|
| 1-21 |
Elements of successful proposals; kinds of proposals (O&H, ch.16)
and study carefully the NEH proposal on Irish melodrama.
Special problems of feasibility and credibility. |
|
| 1-23 |
JW, ch. 2. Workshop on first assignment. |
Draft of Project 1 |
| 1-28 |
What is a problem? what is a problem statement? O&H, ch. 2, 5 and
exercises. |
Project 1 due; assignment of Project 2 |
| 1-30 |
JW, ch. 3. Further discussion of problems and persuasion (O&H,
ch. 4). |
|
| 2-4 |
Exercises and analysis of work in progress. |
|
| 2-6 |
JW, ch. 4. Signals, markers, and structures. Ornamental vs. structural
elements. Roles of readers, responsibilities of writers. |
|
| 2-11 |
Workshop |
Draft of Project 2 due |
| 2-13 |
JW, ch. 5. Overview of teams' responsibilities and projects. O&H,
ch. 21 ("readability") and style (O&H, ch. 22-24). |
Project 2 due; assignment of Project 3 |
| 2-18 |
Style exercises; elements of tact. |
Assignment of Project 4 |
| 2-20 |
|
|
| 2-25 |
Graphics workshop I (O&H, ch. 8-9); O&H, 18. JW, ch. 5. Please
bring a copy of a JOURNAL article (if you're using that topic) and a sample
of an excellent and a poor graphic. JTH will provide the world's best graphic. |
|
| 2-27 |
No class -- Harwood is in Ann Arbor. |
|
| 3-4 |
JW, ch. 6; O&H, ch.13. Formal Report Structures |
|
| 3-6 |
O&H, ch. 13. Electronic communication: new sources of information,
new kinds of audiences. |
Project 3 due |
| 3-18 |
JW, ch. 7. Abstracts & Summaries. |
|
| 3-20 |
Harwood is in Chicago -- no class. |
|
| 3-25 |
Pieces of Formal Reports -- making sure that all the parts are present
and functional. Figures, tables, graphs, budgets, bibliographies. JW, ch.
8 |
|
| 3-27 |
Letters of transmittal -- and dealing with the review process (blind
submission, readers' comments, production costs) |
Revision of Project 2 due |
| 4-1 |
Workshop on Project 4 |
Draft of Project 4 Due |
| 4-3 |
Conferences |
Project 4 Due |
| 4-8 |
JW, ch. 9 |
|
| 4-10 |
Communicating with non-specialists: the oral report (O&H, ch. 19) |
|
| 4-15 |
Oral reports I and feedback; style and revision exercises |
|
| 4-17 |
Oral reports II and feedback; style and revision exercises |
|
| 4-22 |
Panel discussion with Penn State experts on the role of communication
in research: case studies |
|
| 4-24 |
Workshop |
Draft of Project 5 due |
| 4-29 |
Conferences |
|
| 5-1 |
Peroration; discuss of final examination questions and procedures for
completing the examination |
Project #5 |