Required Texts:
Kennedy, George E., and Tracy T. Montgomery. Solving Problems through Technical and Professional Writing. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2002. (TPW)
Kennedy, George E., and Nancy P. McKee. Correcting Common Errors in Writing. 3rd ed. Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt, 2002. (CCE)
Raimes, Ann. Keys for Writers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. (KFW)
Longman. Dictionary of Contemporary American English.
Note: You will also need a floppy disk, three manila folders, and a large envelope. top
Course Description: This course will introduce you to technical writing skills to help you participate in the discourse(s) used by professionals in your field. We will focus on reading, research, and writing assignments that will give you practice in recognizing, defining, and solving problems on the job. We will produce a variety of professional documents, including memoranda, letters, proposals, and web pages paying close attention to English usage and conventions. We will spend time on class discussions and activities that make use of your varied professional specialties, focusing on the significance—in this classroom and beyond—of strong written and verbal skills. top
Course Objectives:
At the end of this course you should be able to:
1. Solve problems at work through technical and professional writing.
2. Write short technical and professional reports and projects for a variety of situations.
3. Analyze a variety of technical and professional writings and evaluate their efficiency.
4. Edit, rewrite, and simplify different types of technical and professional writing.
5. Use technical and professional writing to communicate clearly. top
Course Policies:
If you do not understand these policies, you must ask me for clarification now; your success in this class is dependent on your comprehension of them. By staying in this class, you are showing your acceptance of and compliance with these guidelines.
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All assigned readings should be completed before class in preparation for class discussion and reaction papers on the reading material.
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All assignments must be typed and follow common business format.
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No late assignments will be accepted; please plan accordingly.
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Plagiarism is grounds for failing this class. For further information, please consult the section on Plagiarism at the end of this syllabus.
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Timely attendance in class is a requirement for all students in English 403. Two late arrivals will count as one absence!
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Students with more than four absences will earn an F for the course.
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All students need to have a WSU e-mail account. Hotmail and Yahoo are not acceptable. You can, however, link your WSU account to a Hotmail or Yahoo account if you prefer using those.
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All students must be on the International Student Services (ISS) listserv. Send Kevin Emerson (iss@wsu.edu) an e-mail from your WSU account with the message: “Sign me onto the ISS listserv.” All students need to be on the listserv by the end of week 1! top
Note: This class is run in accordance with the general ESL program policies found at www.wsu.edu/~gordonl/ESL (You will have to go to this link during the first week of class, read the general ESL course policies carefully, and sign them electronically. This is important, so please do not forget to do so!!) top
Portfolio Assignments:
To start you off on your quest, you will be asked to find a company of your interest and locate a need within that company which you might be able to fill.
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Your first portfolio will contain a short profile of this company as well as a brief explanation of the problem you have identified and your approach towards solving it.
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The second portfolio will consist of your professional résumé and a letter of application to this company.
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Your third portfolio will contain an annotated bibliography and a formal proposal.
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The fourth portfolio is a Web Portfolio; it consists of all your other portfolios.
All of these assignments are connected and all of them require intensive research, so start to work on them early on in the semester. It is impossible to complete any of these assignments over night or even over the weekend. Please, plan ahead and pay close attention to deadlines. The summer term is too short to lose focus. Detailed instructions for and samples of all the individual assignments are available on the Bridge. top
Group Presentations:
The ability to work and write collaboratively is an important technical communications skill. To familiarize you with this technique and to allow you to become more comfortable with it, we will complete four short group projects this semester:
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The first project will test the usefulness of the search engine Lexis/Nexis for your area of profession. How helpful is it? How easy is it to use?
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The second project will analyze the Camas Prairie Winery homepage. What is its purpose? Who is the intended audience? What problems do you see?
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The third project will ask you to apply our research of the Challenger disaster and to re-design a statistical chart. How can you make the data more accessible?
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The fourth project will require you to write a formal memorandum in an attempt to solve a business problem. What’s the best way to approach the issue? top
All of these projects will be introduced and worked on in groups of three or four in the computer lab. The completed group projects will be presented the following day in class, so some extra time outside of class might be needed. Each group will have 5-7 minutes to share the results of their work with the rest of their colleagues. top
Conferences: You are required to sign up for a conference with me to discuss your writing and your progress on the final project. Tuesday and Wednesday of Week 5 have been reserved for this purpose. Attendance is mandatory; if you do not sign up for a conference, or if you do not show up, you will earn two absences. When you attend, remember to bring along the project you have been working on as well as a completed Self-Evaluation worksheet (will be handed out in Week 4; also available on the Bridge). top
Readings:
In addition to the four portfolio assignments, you will need to do daily readings from Kennedy's and Montgomery's Solving Problems through Technical and Professional Writing, henceforth referred to as TPW. It is important that you complete the reading prior to class time, as class will often begin with a short write-up in response to this reading. Occasionally, additional reading (in preparation for the Challenger project, for example) will be necessary. I will announce these readings in class and post reminders and detailed instructions on the Bridge. top
The Bridge:
The Bridge (http://www.bridge.wsu.edu) is an online learning environment. There will be an introduction to the Bridge on Tuesday and Wednesday of week 1; you don’t want to miss this day! Be sure you ask questions about anything and everything that is not clear to you about the Bridge during these introductory presentations. We will be using the Bridge on an almost daily basis throughout the course of the summer semester; it is essential that you comprehend how to navigate and utilize it.
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All of your assignments and exercises, as well as general class announcements will be available there.
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Be sure to familiarize yourself with the environment, and check it often for new postings. top
II will not announce everything during class time or pass out handouts for every assignment. The Bridge is the place where you will find the extra information you might need to successfully complete your projects and to keep track of your responsibilities.
Grading
Introductory Portfolio
Brief Company Profile (1-2 Pages) 50 Points = 50 Points
Proposal Abstract (1-2 Pages) 50 Points = 50 Points
Professional Portfolio
Résumé (1-2 Pages) 100 Points = 100 Points
Letter of Application (1-2 Pages) 100 Points = 100 Points
Formal Proposal Portfolio
Annotated Bibliography (2-4 Pages) 150 Points = 150 Points
Formal Proposal (3-6 Pages) 150 Points = 150 Points
Web Portfolio (Dreamweaver) 200 Points = 200 Points
In- and Out-of-class Assignments 200 Points = 200 Points
TOTAL ………………………………………..………………………….. 1000 Points
Helpful Tips:
Help is available to you in at least three ways: First, ask me! Come to my office hours or e-mail me if you have concerns or questions. Second, use the Writing Center on the Third Floor of the CUE. Third, be sure to bring any questions, drafts you are working on, and problems that you have encountered to class on Fridays. Fridays are our “open lab” days, on which you are encouraged to work—collaboratively and under my guidance—on your projects in class.
In letter grades this means:
A: 1000-950 Points
A-: 949-900 Points
B+: 899-875 Points
B: 874-835 Points
B-: 834-800 Points
C+: 799-775 Points
C: 774-735 Points
C-: 734-700 Points
D+: 699-675 Points
D: 674-635 Points
F: 634- 0 Points
To sum it all up:
Attendance is important. This course contains a lot of in-class activities; in order to get points for these activities, you need to attend class. You cannot make up these assignments. You will have to come and talk to me if you miss more than three class periods. Absences will affect your final grade for the class!
No late assignments will be accepted. Contact me if you anticipate problems meeting the deadline. One letter grade will be deducted from each project for every day the assignment is late. Problems with your printer, computer or floppy disk should not be used as an excuse for a late paper; consult me and/or the AML staff prior to class and due dates. And remember: All assignments need to be typed or word-processed. You are here to practice technical and professional writing; handwritten papers are not considered professional and will not be accepted.
Plagiarism is grounds for failing an assignment and the course; you are expected to provide evidence of significant invention and revision if requested to do so. The ESL program expects you to know and adhere to the rules on academic honesty as outlined in the WSU Student Handbook, WAC 540-25-015 Scholastic Dishonesty:
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All incidents of plagiarism or collusion will result in the student receiving a failing grade for the course, and all incidents of plagiarism and collusion will be reported to the Office of Student Affairs for further university action. Whether intentional or unintentional, plagiarism is illegal and is not acceptable in this or any other class at Washington State University.
Students with special learning needs should consult with the instructor about these needs at the beginning of the semester. Also, let me know if you need specific accommodations because of a disability. Please, contact the Disability Resource Center (335-1566) for verification. |
