Technical & Report
Writing
Nature
of the Course | Goals | Writing | Class
Involvement | Evaluation |
Late
Papers | Writing After College | Percentages | Conferences | Tools |
Expectations | Plagarism | Prerequisites
"Lucidity is the sovereign
politeness of the writer. I do my best to achieve it." --J. Henri Fabre
"Clarity, clarity, surely
clarity is the most beautiful thing in the world." --George Oppen
THE NATURE OF THIS COMPOSITION
COURSE
No matter your areas of academic
and personal interest, you are--and always will be--a writer. This
course is designed to help to make you a better one: more thoughtful,
more persuasive, more clear. It's best to see this course as an opportunity
to practice writing in the company of other writers.
We'll start with a premise:
A writer is an individual who uses language to discover meaning in
experience and communicate it. And we'll consider another premise:
Careful attention to language and its persuasive capabilities is central
to effective technical writing.
In this student-centered class
we will spend our time writing, speaking, reading and listening. Together,
we will try to develop a sensitivity to language and ideas by responding
to each others' writing and speaking. We will also discuss professional
and student writing, and the many issues that will no doubt arise during
the course of the term.
Your main job as a student
is to actively engage in class activities. Since the class is run primarily
as a collaborative workshop, we will spend a great deal of time talking
about your writing in groups or in conference.
THE GOALS OF THE COURSE
- Understand
the special characteristics of technical communication within workplace
settings.
- Increase writing,
speaking, and visual design skills as appropriate to workplace settings
and organizations.
- Plan and write communications
that solve technical problems or help readers make decisions about
technical problems
and solutions.
- Analyze and address the
audiences, purposes, and situations involved in all writing acts.
- Appreciate and address the
social nature of technical communication.
- Communicate
ethically and with sensitivity to diverse audiences.
- Prepare documents
that are well planned, researched, drafted, and designed.
- Plan,
draft, revise, and edit workplace documents either individually or
collaboratively.
- Read and critique the technical
communication of others.
- Understand the persuasive
nature of technical communication and be able to frame an effective
argument.
- Increase
understanding of proper grammatical structure and learn style of
technical documents.
- Learn how to display data
visually, design and package a document, or present technical information
orally.
THE WRITING
Unless otherwise indicated, follow
this basic, extremely simple format for all papers:
Leave a
1 inch margin on both sides of the page, number pages (top, right-hand
corner, starting with
page two--please do not hand write the numbers, it's easy to format
on any computer), left justification only, and double space. Use a
12-point font (New Times Roman is fine). "Spell and grammar check" take
about a minute per page, and will likely be beneficial.What
I ask you for in your work is a good effort, a thoughtful effort, an
honest effort.
Plagiarism: using the
words or ideas of anyone (writers, friend, parent, significant other,
etc.) other than yourself, and pretending those words are your own
constitutes serious academic dishonesty and will not be tolerated.
(We will discuss ways that you can avoid inadvertent plagiarism by
using paraphrasing and documentation.) The idea behind this course,
after all, is to get you to come to understand communication better
through language and interaction.
CLASS INVOLVEMENT AND ITS
RELATION TO EVALUATION
I am required to evaluate
your work, and so I want to challenge you to do your best work. You
are taking a class not just writing papers. To take the class is to
become involved. Consistent and rigorous involvement in class discussions
is expected, vital, necessary.
An infrequent cut is your
business, but more than one absence is a problem and prevents you from
becoming an organic, functioning part of the class. If you miss a class
for any reason, you are responsible for the material discussed in class,
the class assignment and for the prompt submission of any requirement
due that period.
What you say in class, ways
that you help energize the class with your presence and your participation,
seem to me to be as important a factor in arriving at a final grade
as the work you do on paper.
WRITING AND EVALUATION
I am interested in your individual
pieces of work, but also in the entire work you've done over the course
of the semester, your development as a student and your overall performance
in class activities. The following is meant to give you general criteria
for evaluation.
The "A" paper
Meets and exceeds all standards.
Is free from grammatical errors. Conveys a superior understanding of
audience, situation, and purpose analysis. Has a special quality--for
example, uses particularly engaging or persuasive style. Contains thorough,
complete, and accurate information. Has a good visual display. Is well
developed and organized. Contains appropriate examples and citations.
Shows excellent development through the composing process.
The "B" paper
Is a very good paper that
meets the standards for the assignment and engages the reader. May
contain some minor flaws, small departures from the standards that
can be fixed or overcome without much trouble. Well-written and well-produced
with a solid understanding of audience, situation, and purpose. Contains
proper citations and examples and is sufficiently well developed and
organized. Shows good development through the composing process.
The "C" paper
Is adequate in meeting standards
but may contain several flaws. A paper that does the job but does not
engage the reader or stick in the reader's mind. May fail to answer
one or two major questions about the topic. May contain errors in logic
or miss important sources. Sources may be handled awkwardly. May contain
serious grammatical errors. May not be sufficiently developed.
The "D" paper
Forces the reader to do too
much work to understand or read the paper because of serious grammatical
problems or incomplete information. Fails to meet an important requirement
of the assignment.
The "F" paper
Work not completed or paper
does not address the assignment.
Here's another way to think
about grades in terms of job expectations in the working world: A =
Supervisor would be very impressed and remember the work when a promotion
is discussed. B = Supervisor would be pleased with the job but not
exactly impressed. C = Supervisor would be partially satisfied and
ask you to revise or rewrite sections before allowing anyone outside
the department to see it. Some doubts about your communication abilities
may arise. D = Supervisor would be disappointed by the poor quality
of your work and may seriously reconsider your future with the company.
F = Supervisor would start looking for someone to replace you. (There's
always McDonald's.)
Remember: it is your work
that is being evaluated not your potential or your past performance
in other English classes.
To do well
in the class, you will need to be active, and to initiate, and to push
yourself, rather
than passively to receive information, doing only what is "required," and
expecting me to motivate you.
The most important requirement
for this class is that you stretch yourself, consistently participate,
test your capabilities, and that you are honest. I will expect you
to take an active part in evaluating your own strengths and the areas
where you think that you need to grow. If you are unfamiliar with doing
this, come talk to me.
Since this is a course in
writing, it will take a lot of your time, and the work cannot all be
done at the end of the term. To help you with your writing, I will
spend a lot of time writing comments on your papers or talking with
you in conferences, and I will expect you to take time to read what
I have written.
The best way to read my comments
is to start at the beginning of your essay, reread what you have written,
and stop to read my comments along the way. My marginal comments show
my reactions/suggestions at a given moment as I read your work.
The final comment is where
I will make a summary statement about your essay. I will expect you
to consistently and successfully proofread all papers, including first
drafts. I know my handwriting can be a problem. I will not be embarrassed
if you ask me to decipher what I have written. I will, however, be
heartbroken if you simply skip over what is hard to read.
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LATE PAPERS, ABSENCES AND
EVALUATION
Deadlines are a reality of
life, something like death and taxes. You cannot get around them. Because
late drafts and papers are impediments to your and my progress and
well-being in the course, only in the most extreme cases are late papers
accepted (a computer/printer malfunction, car/family/roommate trouble
and minor illnesses that do not require hospitalization are not extreme
cases and are not acceptable excuses. If you have an emergency, please
speak to me or leave a message for me before the assignment is due.)
If the
paper is not ready when I ask for papers in class, it will be reduced
by one letter grade.
A paper that is more than two days late cannot receive a grade higher
than a "C." Papers must be given to me in class at the beginning of
the period the day on which they are due. Self-evaluations are often
required and a paper that does not have the requisite self-evaluation
is not complete.
Papers
placed in my mailbox are considered one day late and will be reduced
one letter grade. (I
reserve the right to grade late papers at my convenience, which may
mean I may not grade them until the very end of the semester.) Failure
to submit a paper for peer evaluation when preliminary drafts are due
will be penalized a letter grade and you will earn an "F" for the day's
participation grade.
People who come regularly
to class and do all required work on time invariably do well in this
course. In order to be a functioning, aware and attentive member of
the class, you should come to all classes.
Because
this is a "performance
course" (not a lecture class), everything we do "counts." If you are
not in class and we do peer-editing, collaborative work, in-class writing,
or some other group or individual activity, you will receive an "F" for
the day.
This is a writing course,
meaning it is a collaborative course, so your participation is fundamental.
Showing up prepared to engage in class activities is essential to your
well-being in this course.
IS THERE WRITING AFTER
COLLEGE?
A recent study looked at a
sample of 200 individuals which adequately fit the U.S. Department
of Labor statistics on the distribution of college-educated people
in the American work force. Over three-fourths (3/4) of college trained
people are employed in technical, professional and managerial occupations,
and fully half of all college-educated people are in technical and
professional occupations.
For all the 200 respondents
the average total work time spent writing was over 23 percent, or over
one day in a five-day week. Nearly three-fourths (3/4) of the college-educated
people sampled claimed to spend 10 percent or more of their work time
writing. Only four people claimed never to write while on the job.
All of the people in technical
and professional occupations wrote on the job, spending on the average
29 percent of total work time writing--a figure higher than for any
other occupational group.
Writing is clearly an important
and frequently used skill across all major categories of occupations
that college graduates are trained to enter. (From Stephen Witte and
Lester Faigley, Evaluating College Writing Programs. Urbana: NCTE 1990,
p. 72).
EVALUATION PERCENTAGES
I will adhere to the following
percentages in determining your final grade:
- TWO REVISED PAPERS: 15% and
20% respectively
- LETTER/RESUME: 10%
- INFORMAL
WRITING (which includes in-class writing, rough drafts and daily
writing): 10%
- PROFESSIONAL
CONCERNS PAPER: 20%
- FINAL IN-CLASS WRITING: 5%
IN-CLASS PERFORMANCE (including
group presentation): 20% -- Everything counts. This
category includes group work (collaborative work and group presentations),
contribution to and involvement in class discussions.
The "IN-CLASS PERFORMANCE" category
involves the significant day to day activities of the course. Every
time we meet you will be asked to complete some task, and you will
be evaluated, in part, on how consistent you are in completing assigned
tasks.
Almost every time we meet,
you will be asked to do some sort of writing (either individually or
collaboratively)--if you come to class and do the writing you get full
credit; if you don't do the writing you get no credit. Consistent involvement
is essential to your doing well in this course.
INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES
I will meet with each student
in conference to talk about the work-in-progress that you are doing.
In addition, I would be happy to meet with you to discuss your work
and the class whenever you would like: we can talk about what you're
doing well, what you need to devote more attention to, etc.
I encourage you to approach
me anytime you have questions about assignments, about my comments
on your work, about the movement of the course, about anything. Since
this course is about communicating, I certainly want to keep all the
channels open between you and me. If at any point in the semester you
do not know what is expected of you, please let me know.
THINGS YOU'LL NEED
1) Please bring your text
to class each time we have a reading assignment.
2) A notebook and pen, which
you should always bring to class.
3) If you don't have a writers'
handbook, get one. It will come in handy at school and at work.
(NOTE:
This is not a course in spelling, punctuation, or grammar. We will
deal with these elements
of writing by asking the following kinds of questions: "How are these
conventions useful in the production of clear, meaningful writing.
Do lapses in these areas prevent the writer's message from being understood?" and
so on. "Mechanics," therefore, will be viewed within the entire rhetorical
context.)
EXPECTATIONS AND GRADES
Following is a list of all
the things I see as fundamental, basic, necessary for you to do well
in this course. These are some of the things I see as leading to learning.
If you do them all, you are likely to do well in the course.
- come to class
- come to
class on time
- turn in all work on time
- substantively revise all
major papers
- good copy editing on all
final revisions (no more than a very few grammar, usage, or typographical
errors)
- good effort
on peer feedback and collaborative work
- substantial
effort and investment on each writing assignment
- read every
reading assignment carefully,
marking passages and reflecting on the main features of each chapter
- think, engage,
revise, attend (not just show up).
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT STATEMENT
ON PLAGIARISM
"Plagiarism
means using the exact words, opinions, or factual information from
another person without
giving the person credit. Writers give credit through accepted documentation
styles, such as parenthetical citation, footnotes, or end notes; a
simple listing of books, articles and web cites is not sufficient.
Plagiarism is the equivalent of intellectual robbery and cannot be
tolerated in the academic setting."
PREREQUISITES:
The prerequisite for this
course is: 6 credits in composition, including ENGL 302, and 6 credits
of literature.
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