English 3100 Spring Syllabus

Course Description
This course will help you to understand the significance of technical writing in a professional setting of your choice. That means, we will focus on the context (audience, purpose, and rhetorical as well as cultural aspects) of your professional setting; also, we will focus on good technical writing skills you should have to perform well in that setting. This course will present you the complexities of written and oral communication within the context of a workplace. This course will introduce you to, and provide practice in, various genres of technical writing. You will be able to write--as well as orally present--an argument clearly, concisely, and persuasively to a specific audience for achieving a specific purpose. As a result of this course, you will be able to hone your writing, speaking, critical thinking, and problem solving skills.

Textbook
Paul Anderson, Technical Communication, 6th Edition. New York: Thomson, 2007.

Recommended Texts
1. A style manual such as The Chicago Manual of Style.
2. A desk dictionary such as The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
3. A handbook of grammar and usage.

Assignments
1. Major Project......................... 10% A. Assignment B. Prospectus C. Revision Guideline	4. Major Project..................... 10% A. First draft B. Revision Guideline
2. Major Project.......................... 20% A. Proposal B. Outline C. Revision Guideline D. Proposal for Class Critique	5. Major Project.......................... 20% A. Final Document B. Revision Guideline
3. Major Project.......................... 10% A. Progress Report B. Outline C. Revision Guideline D. Report for Class Critique	6. Oral Presentation.................. 20% A. Assignment B. Feedback Sheet
	6. Exercises............................... 10%

Grading Scale
	B+ = 88	C+ = 78	D+ = 68
A = 95	B = 85	C = 75	D = 65
A- = 90	B- = 80	C- = 70	D- = 60
			E = 59 and Below
Attendance & Rewrite Rewriting your assignments gives you an opportunity to focus on the writing issues you need to take care of and also to improve your grade. However, I would like to extend this opportunity to only those who attend all classes and take time to meet with me for a brief conference before undertaking the rewrites.
Due Dates You are expected to hand in work on due dates announced in class. Let me know in advance if you have any difficulties in completing any of the assignments.
Weekly Schedule Week 1: Jan. 5-9 Reading: Introduction to the course. Ch.1: Communication, Your Career, and This book. Ch. 19: Managing Client and Service-Learning Projects. Writing: Exercises. Begin Prospectus.
Week 2: Jan. 12-16 Reading: Ch. 20: Writing Reader-Centered Correspondence: Letters, Memos and E-mail. Ch. 22: Writing Reader-Centered Proposals. Writing: Exercises. Write Prospectus. Class Critique of a Prospectus.
Week 3: Jan. 19-23 Jan. 19 King Holiday Reading: Ch. 17: Creating and Delivering Listener-Centered Oral Presentations. Ch. 3: Defining Your Communication's Objectives. Writing: Exercises. Prospectus due. Begin Proposal.
Week 4: Jan. 26-30 Reading: Ch.4: Planning for Usability. Ch. 5: Planning Your Persuasive Strategies. Writing: Exercises. Write Proposal.
Week 5: Feb. 2-6 Reading: Ch. 13: Designing Reader-Centered Pages and Documents. Ch. 12: Creating Reader-Centered Graphics Writing: Exercises. Write Proposal.
Week 6: Feb. 9-13 Reading: Ch. 21: Writing Reader-Centered Reports. Ch. 18: Creating Reader-Centered Web Pages and Websites. Writing: Exercises. Proposal due.
Week 7: Feb. 16-20 Feb. 16 President's Day Holiday Reading: Ch. 23: Writing Reader-Centered Instructions. Ch. 6: Conducting Reader-Centered Research Writing: Exercises. Research for Final Document. Begin Final Document.
Week 8: Feb. 23-27 Reading: Ch. 7: Drafting Paragraphs, Sections, and Chapters. Writing: Exercises. Write 1st draft of Final Document.
Week 9: Mar. 2-6 Reading: Ch. 8: Developing an Effective Style. Ch. 21: "Progress Reports." Writing: Exercises. Write 1st draft of Final Document. Begin Progress Report.
Spring Break, Mar. 9-13 .
Week 10: Mar. 16-20 Reading: Ch. 9: Beginning a Communication. Ch. 10: Ending a Communication. Writing: Exercises. Progress Report due. Write 1st draft of Final Document.
Week 11: Mar. 23-27 Reading: Ch. 11: Writing Reader-Centered Front and Back Matter. Writing: Exercises. Write 1st draft of Final Document.
Week 12: Mar. 30- Apr. 3 Reading: Ch. 14: Revising Your drafts. Ch. 15: Testing Drafts for Usability and Persuasiveness. Writing: Exercises. 1st draft of Final Document due.
Week 13: Apr. 6-10 Reading: Ch. 16: Creating Communications with a Team. Writing: Exercises. Revise Final Document.
Week 14: Apr. 13-17 Reading: Ch. 2: Overview of the Reader-Centered Communication Process: Obtaining a Job. Writing: Exercises. Conduct Usability Testing of Final Document.
Week 15: Apr. 20-24 Oral Presentations. Final Document due.
Week 16: Exam Week Oral Presentations continue.
Week 17 and on:

Instructor: Mahalingam Subbiah	Office: Elizabeth Hall 464
Off. Phone: 626-6335	Off. Hrs: TR 10:00-11:00 AM
Email: msubbiah@weber.edu	&by appointment

English 3100 Professional and Technical Writing Spring 2009

Assignments

Grading Scale

Weekly Schedule

English 3100 Professional and Technical Writing
Spring 2009