Syllabus

ENGLISH 461/561 Technical Writing for Publication (3 credits)

Dr. Dorothy Dodge Robbins                                                                           Spring Quarter 2008

Office: GTM 206                                                                                            Campus Phone: 318-257-5488

Office Hours: MWF 9:30-11:00 & 1:00-3:00                                                  Class Time: T/R 2:00-4:00

On-line classroom: (Blackboard or Web)                                                        

Email: drobbins@latech.edu

Course Description: Prerequisite ENGL 303. Write a research article (or annotated bibliography) for a scientific, technical, or scholarly journal, with emphases on audience analysis and appropriate style. Adapt article for a more general audience.

Course Requirements: I assume you are genuinely interested in this course and will read assignments in advance, attend E-lectures, fully participate in on-line discussions and workshops, and meet existing writing deadlines. For this class you will write two articles, both suitable for publication (see below). You will share your works-in-progress with classmates and respond to theirs in online workshops. Via PowerPoint software, you will give an E-presentation to the class on one of your articles. You are expected to check Blackboard regularly for announcements, lectures, quizzes, assignment criteria, and supplemental materials.

Writing Requirements: To fulfill the requirements of this course, you will research and write an article appropriate for publication in a scientific, technical, or scholarly journal within your field of study. Next, you will select a topic or idea from your article and prepare it as an entry in a reference work (encyclopedia, dictionary, or yearbook) associated with your field. For example, a biomedical researcher might prepare a formal article for publication in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) and then adapt a section for more general readers of the Encyclopedia of Medical Technology. An English scholar might submit a literary analysis to Studies in Short Fiction and then revise a portion as an entry appropriate for readers consulting the Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Literature.

Web Course Requirements: If you are a taking a Web course for the first time, it is important to know that self motivated and disciplined students do best in Web courses. To take this course, you must first email me at drobbins@latech.edu. If you do not contact me, it is unlikely you will be ready to begin when the course officially starts.

            • Do you have access to a computer and Internet service?

            • Can you find a web site?

            • Do you have an e-mail account?

            • Can you send and receive e-mails?

            • Can you attach files and open attachments?

If you answered "YES" to the above questions, you will likely have few problems with the technology in this course. Be forewarned, AOL and Yahoo conflict with our Blackboard delivery system and are not recommended. If you use those, then the problems and delays you may experience will be your own responsibility. An alternative is the Tech email system that provides all registered students with an account; make sure yours is active.

Hardware and Software Requirements: You will need a computer with a sound card. Your modem must be 28K or greater. You will need Microsoft Office Suite including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Explorer, PowerPoint, and WindowsMedia Player. You can download a free version of this operating system at openoffice.org. Additionally, WindowsMedia Player is available at www.Microsoft.com/mediaplayer. This link will take you to a page that will direct you to various download options. Select the media player that goes with the computer system you are operating.

Required Texts:

Course Format: English 463 will run on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule for eleven weeks for a total of twenty-one online classes, each class roughly two hours in length; additional time will be needed for reading, research, and writing. The class schedule outlines reading and writing assignments. Any assignments, quizzes, and/or discussions must be completed online prior to NOON of the day they are due. By 2:00 p.m. the same day, new lecture material will be available on Blackboard. You decide when to access the lecture. Certain days you will be expected to participate in online discussions with your peers; on others you will be required to read and respond to selected student drafts with written comments (also online).

Assessment: In my evaluation of your written work, I will consider both the process (your rough drafts) and the product (your final articles). I will evaluate your formal writing on a number of levels, including your ideas, their significance, the organization and development of your argument or findings, the clarity and style of your language usage and choices, and the degree and quality of your revisions. Publishing standards for correctness are extremely high: no more than one or two minor errors per page and preferably none at all. How closely your article resembles (in focus and quality) those found in periodicals in your respective fields will determine your letter grade for the assignment.

            • Is your article of publishable quality? (A)

            • Near publishable? (B)

            • Not yet publishable, but meets course requirements? (C)

            • Does it fall short of meeting requirements? (D)

            • Does it significantly fail to meet requirements? (F)

Proposal; annotated bibliography; abstract                             15%                                                 150 points possible

Scientific, technical, or scholarly article (peer audience)          40%                                                 400 points possible

Article adaptation (general audience)                                     20%                                                 200 points possible

PowerPoint presentation                                                       15%                                                 100 points possible

Quizzes                                                                                 5%                                                   100 points possible

Total:                                                                                                                                          1000 points possible

Scale for Written Assignments: A+ = 100, A = 95, A- = 90, B+ = 88, B = 85, B- = 80, C+ = 78, C = 75, C- = 70, D = 65, F= 50. Failure to submit an assignment is an automatic zero.

Scale for Course: A = 900-1000, B = 800-899, C = 700-799, D = 600-699, and F = below 600.

Guidelines for Submission of Written Work: All written work must be submitted electronically, typed, double-spaced, and in a 12-point font unless otherwise directed. The documentation format appropriate for your field of study is required. Specific criteria for each assignment will be provided in advance and posted on Blackboard.

Submission Policy: Written assignments are due by noon on the calendar date indicated on the schedule. You may expect a full letter reduction on tardy submissions. Only under exceptional cases will late material be accepted and receive full credit. Work will be accepted early if necessary.

Attendance Policy: Because this course follows the format of a professional writing workshop, attendance is crucial. Fellow students depend on your on-line presence to assist with discussions, peer response, and editing. You are expected to attend the electronic lectures in a timely fashion and to keep up with the course schedule. After the third absence, you will lose 5% of your total course grade with each additional absence. Attendance is strictly monitored using Blackboard.

Academic Honesty Policy: I adhere to and expect you to uphold the University Honor Code. Writers are expected to maintain the highest ethical standards. All work submitted for evaluation must be your own. Copying another person’s written work and claiming it as your own or not giving credit for material taken from other sources are both acts of plagiarism. A first offense will result in your failure of the assignment—an automatic zero. A second offense will result in your failure of the course.

I will respond to your email within 24 hours during the week (M-F). I will not check email on weekends (S/S). Do not expect replies to emails sent after three p.m. until the next business day. Technical support is your responsibility. If a document or lecture does not work, let me know. However, if the problem is on your end (your computer, your software, your modem), it is your responsibility to find someone to help you with the problem.

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