SYLLABUS FOR ENGLISH 303
Fall Quarter 2009-2010
Instructor: Dr. Bruce R. Magee

English 303-008
Room: GTM 211B 
Time: 12:00-1:50 TR
Home Page:
http://www2.latech.edu/~bmagee
Http://garts.latech.edu/bmagee
E-mail:
bmagee@LaTech.Edu 
Office: GTM 222 
Phone: 257-5494
Hours: 8:30-9:30; 3:50-5:00 MW
2:00-4:00 TR
1:45-3:25 F
or by appointment
303 Links: http://www2.LaTech.edu/~bmagee/303/303_links.htm
Textbooks
  • Johnson-Sheehan, Richard.  Technical Communication Today.  3rd ed.  New York: Longman, 2010.  ISBN 978-0-205-63244-2.
  • Magee 303 Packet.
  • Technical Writing Course Packet.

Course Description

Catalog Data.  ENGL 303. 0-3-3. Preq. English 102. Development of technical writing skills and styles; various technical writing assignments, including a technical report.
Goals.  Acquaint students with a variety of forms of writing in science and technology; develop research skills; discuss and apply writing and formatting techniques; review grammar and revision.

Prerequisites
 

  1. Basic writing skills; knowledge of sentence structure, grammar, and organization. (English 101 & 102).
  2. Basic knowledge of a scientific or technical field.


Nature and Purpose.  The purpose of English 303 is to teach technical writing skills to a diverse group of students. This course requires a different set of criteria from that used in English composition courses, both in teaching and in the evaluation of the students' work. This course emphasizes writing that is focused on scientific and technical topics, that is clear and concise, and that is geared toward a targeted audience by the appropriate choice of format and technical writing style.

English 303 is a demanding course. Be sure to arrange you schedule so you can spend adequate time for class preparation, researching, and writing.

Topics to be Covered

  1. Discussion of types of technical writing, audience analysis, and persuasion.
  2. Discussion of definition writing and analysis of material.
  3. Discussion of description of mechanisms and processes.
  4. Discussion of library resources, research techniques, and proposal writing.
  5. Discussion of collecting notes, writing outlines, and writing rough drafts.
  6. Discussion of the elements of the formal research report.
  7. Discussion of graphic aids in technical reports.
  8. Discussion of grammar, technical writing style, and paper revision.
  9. Discussion of the job application procedure, including application letters and resumes.
  10. Discussion of plagiarism and professional ethics.
Computer Usage
Students are encouraged to use word processing facilities on campus to write the formal report. Students have access to a 62-station computer laboratory in the English Department. Our class will also be working on a World Wide Web project.
Departmental Writing Requirements
  1. Each 303 section must teach the job application letter and resume that accompanies the letter. Most teachers find that the instruction or process paper and a technical description paper help develop basic technical writing skills.
  2. The long research report is a necessary ingredient for each 303 class; it develops research, analytical, and writing skills that the students' major fields expect us to help develop in their students. These assignments for this paper, including the proposal for the report, the outline of the report, and the 2000 word report itself, are not optional and must be done, individually, by each student in each section of English 303.
General Requirements
Turn in your paper in class on time. A paper not submitted in class on the due date is late. SUBMIT YOUR ESSAYS ON TIME. YOU MUST SUBMIT ALL FIVE ESSAYS TO PASS THE COURSE. YOU MUST PASS THE FINAL TO PASS THE COURSE. COMPLETE ANY MAKE-UP WORK BEFORE FINALS WEEK.
Attendance Requirements Bring a 9" x 12" manilla folder to class for me to file your work in.

Conferences

Conferences are encouraged during the quarter. They will be used to discuss specific writing strengths and/or weaknesses.
Guidelines for a paper's form
  1. OUT-OF-CLASS papers MUST be typed. Handwritten papers will be returned ungraded. I encourage you to learn to use a computerized word-processing program. It can save time, aid proofreading, and improve the appearance of an essay. This requires foresight since the computer lab closes at 4:30 and on weekends.
  2. In-class papers MUST be written in ink.
  3. Use one side of the paper only.
  4. Use standard 8 1/2" by 11" white paper. Loose leaf or typewriter paper please--no frazzled edges ripped from notebooks.
  5. Use margins of at least an inch on each side of the paper. Leave a 1.5" margin on the right-hand side.
  6. Papers (except for the long report) should be folded vertically with the following information on the outside cover: name, section, theme assignment, instructor's name, and date.
  7. KEEP A PAPER COPY OF THE FINAL DRAFT IN YOUR OWN FILES. It's the cheapest insurance you can buy.
Assignments
Grading Criteria
Assignment
 Software to Use*
 Value
In-Class Persuasion (Group sales presentation)
 Powerpoint 10%
The Long Report (Required by the English Department)
 Word      

10%
10%
30%
Application Letter & Resume (Required by the English Department) Word  15% 
In-Class Process (WWW Manual; done by groups) HTML editor
 15% 
Attendance    10%
Total   100%
*Use this software or its equivalent.
The grading scale is A: 90-100%, B: 80-89%, C: 70-79%, D: 60-69%, F: 0-59%.
 
Late Work
Your paper is due BY the due date.  It is due in class by the beginning of the period.  In an emergency, send it by a friend or upload it to my Blackboard drop-box.  You can turn it in any time until the due date.  After that, the grade drops 5 points per calendar day (including weekends and holidays), regardless of the reason for its being late.
Plagarism Statement
You must sign the plagiarism statement for English 303 (located at the beginning of the departmental Technical Writing Course Packet) and turn it in by the second day of class.  Your work will not be accepted or graded until I receive the signed plagiarism statement.  These statements go to the English department.  If you still have not turned in the statement, the department will place a hold on your registration for next quarter until you have turned it in.
Graded Material
In the event of a question regarding an exam grade or final grade, it will be the responsibility of the student to retain and present graded materials which have been returned for student possession during the quarter. 
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Students needing testing or classroom accommodations based on a disability are encouraged to discuss those needs with me as soon as possible. 
Honor Code
In accordance with the Academic Honor Code, students pledge the following: Being a student of a higher standard, I pledge to embody the principles of academic integrity.
The Emergency Notification System
All Louisiana Tech students are strongly encouraged to enroll and update their contact information in the Emergency Notification System. It takes just a few seconds to ensure you're able to receive important text and voice alerts in the event of a campus emergency.  For more information on the Emergency Notification System, please visit: http://www.latech.edu/administration/ens.shtml.
HOC OPUS, HIC LABOR EST.
Period
READING
WRITING
Registration Week: September 10-11
Initial assignments
Period 1
  •  Chapter 1: Communicating in the Workplace
  • 9" x 12" manilla folder (letter, not legal size)
Week 1: September 14-18
Period 1
  • Chapter 3: Readers and Contexts of Use
  • Chapter 16: Preparing and Giving Presentations
  • Packet 11: Memo from the CEO
  • Packet 34: Cats & Frogs
  • Packet 75: Veal Calf
Period 2
  • Chapter 14: Designing Websites
  • Chapter 7: Researching and Managing Information
  • Turn in preliminary topic.  (You should have some photocopied material from a bibliography such as Info-Trac and the Applied Science and Technology Index to accompany the topic.)
Week 2: September 21-25
Period 1
  • Chapter 8: Organizing and Drafting
  • Chapter 13: Using Email and Instant Messaging
  • Chapter 17: Letters and Memos
  • Group progress report. Use good memo form (Markel 501). You may use e-mail, but still turn a printout. Tell:
    1. Who was at the meeting.
    2. What each member had done before the meeting.
    3. Who contributed what in the meeting (minutes).
    4. What you accomplished in the meeting.
Period 2  
  • Turn in Proposal.
  • Turn in a memo with a list of what's available on my WWW site .
Week 3: September 28 - October 2
Period 1
  • Chapter 21: Proposals
  • Chapter 23: Analytical Reports
  • Purchasing presentation--In-class
Period 2
  • Discuss long report topics; 
  • Introduce Government Document
  • Turn in a memo comparing & contrasting the mad cow paper in your packet & on the web site. What are the advantages & disadvantages of each medium?
Week 4: October 5-9
Period 1 Chapter 10: Designing Documents and Interfaces
  • Sentence Outline due.  Include:
    • Sentence Outline
    • Report dummy
    • Audience analysis
    • Notes (15 note cards accompanied by photocopies of 5 pages from 5 sources used for the note cards.) 
  • Continue going over the long report sections.
Period 2 Chapter 4: Working in Teams
  • Group progress report.
Week 5: October 12-16
Period 1
  • Chapter 11: Creating and Using Graphics
  • Chapter 20: Instructions & Documentation
  • Begin going over the sections of the long report. 
  • Group progress report.
Period 2  
Week 6: October 19-23
Period 1

  • Group project rough draft.
Period 2
  • Long Report is due, with
    1. the Long Report itself
    2. audience analysis
    3. photocopies 
    4. note cards
    5. the original graded proposal
    6. the original graded sentence outline.
Week 7: October 26-30
Period 1 Chapter 18: Technical Definitions

Period 2  
  • Packet 77: Go over the jargon exercise. Answer the questions.
  • Group progress report.
Week 8: November 2-6
Period 1 Chapter 5: Ethics in the Technical Workplace
  • Print out an internet job search. Try the Online Career Center at http://www.occ.com
  • Turn in an opening for an actual job with your letter, audience analysis, & resume next period.
Period 2 Chapter 15: Starting Your Career
  • Resume due.  Include:
    1. Letter of Application
    2. Resume
    3. Job Description 
    4. Audience Analysis
Week 9:  November 9-13
Period 1    
Period 2
 
Week 10: November 16-19
Period 1   Group web project due
Period 2    
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Grading Criteria  1
Audience Profile Sheet  3
Guidelines to papers  4
Turabian format guidelines  9
Email from the Chairman 11
Obtaining and Using a VM Account 14
Saving & Printing WWW documents on VM accounts 18
Obtaining and Using a Unix Account  20
UNIX account form  22
A Beginner's Guide to HTML  23
Creating Your Own Home Page  33
Cats & Frogs  34
Teacher Award Exercise  35
American Express Exercise  36
Letter & Memo Formats 36A
Mad Cows & Englishmen  37
Mad Cows in Cyberspace  58
Job Hunting on the Internet  68
Sample Resume in HTML format  69
Sample Resume--HTML code  70
Cathy  73
Veal Calf  75
Jargon Exercise 77
Proposal Example  80
Craig Smith Resume--Before 82
Craig Smith Resume--After  86
Craig Smith Resume--Original HTML  88
Craig Smith Resume--Revised HTML  91
Sentence Outline Example  95
MLA Guidelines for Citing WWW Sources  117
Conclusion 121