SYLLABUS FOR ENGLISH 303

INSTRUCTOR: DR. BRUCE R. MAGEE

Texts

 Lannon, John. Technical Writing. 6th ed. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers, 1994.

 Magee 303 Packet

 A "good" dictionary

 Optional Text: Weiss, Edmond. 100 Writing Remedies: Practical Exercises for Technical Writing. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 1990.

MANUAL FOR TECHNICAL WRITING ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

Links to resources for this course

Student Projects

  1. How to Buy Tires on the Internet and Save Money
  2. How to Get Money to Go to College
  3. A Guide to Writing a Winning Resume
  4. Making Your Home Page Cooler: Four Simple Toys You Can Install
  5. Finding the cheapest airline tickets

Course Description

1995-96 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. Su, F, W, Sp.

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 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 toach 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.

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

I encourage you to use word processing facilities on campus to write the formal report. You 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 ESSAYS TO PASS THE COURSE. YOU MUST PASS THE FINAL TO PASS THE COURSE. COMPLETE ANY MAKE-UP WORK BEFORE FINALS WEEK.

Attendance Requirements

Class attendance is regarded as an obligation as well as a privilege, and all students are expected to attend regularly and punctually all classes in which they are enrolled.

I shall keep a permanent attendance record for this class. This record is subject to inspection by appropriate college or university officials.

Regular attendance will help you understand your assignments and complete them on schedule. I encourage you to attend unless you absolutely cannot avoid being absent.

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

Bring a 9" x 12" manilla folder to class for me to file your work in.

Conferences

I encourage conferences 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 should 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. All essays, whether hand-written or typed, must by DOUBLE SPACED.
  6. Use margins of at least an inch on each side of the paper. Leave a 1.5" margin on the right-hand side.
  7. Papers (except for the long report) should be folded vertically withthe following information on the outside cover: name, section, theme assignment, instructor's name, and date.
  8. KEEP A PAPER COPY OF THE FINAL DRAFT IN YOUR OWN FILES. It's the cheapest insurance you can buy.

    ASSIGNMENTS 

     
 In-Class Persuasion                    10%
 Proposal                               10% 
 Sentence Outline                       10% 
 Long Report                            30% 
 Application Letter and Resume          15% 
 In-Class Process (Manual)              15% 
 Homework                               10% 

TOTAL                                   100%

    The grading scale is A: 90-100%, B: 80-89%, C: 70-79%, D: 60-69%, F: 0-59%.

    Note for students with disabilities: Students needing testing accommodations or classroom accommodations based on a disability should discuss the need with me as soon as possible.

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