Phil Druker/Department of English/ University of Idaho

 

TECHNICAL WRITING SYLLABUS: SPRING 2009
English 317-02/04

* = new assignment , à = rough draft due, è = final draft due  Blue = changes

Week

Tuesday

Thursday

1

 No class

1/15 NO CLASS

 

2

1/20

· Introduction to the course

· Introductory email

1/22
·  The research project for the course.
·  The objectives, nature, and style of                         technical writing.
·
         Audience

3

1/27

 ·  Audience.

*  Assignment: Résumé, letter of application,                        thank-you letter.

·    Final report topics

1/29

à  Due: rough draft, résumé

·  Writing letters: tone and style

·   Paragraphs. 

·    Punctuation
è Pre-proposal for final report (email assignment) Feb 4, 10 am

4

2/3

à Due: rough draft, letter of application and thank-you letter

· Sentence style: punctuation

·  Avoiding Passive Sentences

 

2/5

 è DUE:  Résumé, letter of application, and thank-you letter ç

· Punctuation

·  Style analysis.  An approach to technical writing tasks.

 *Assignment: library assignment

5

2/10

èDUE: Library Assignment

DUE by 12::00 noon

no class

2/12 

**Assignment: Progress Report I on

preliminary research  

·     Writing proposals: RFPs

·     Start discussing Proposals

·     Revision of cover letters...

6

2/17

·    Proposals:

·   Proposals.  Problem identification and solving.

·     Objectives and approach in writing proposals.

·     Proposal objective section

2/19

·     Proposals: background section/level of technicality.

à Due: Rough draft, proposal: objective section  
à Due: Rough draft, proposal: problem section

·         Paraphrasing, quoting, and citing sources.  Avoiding plagiarism.

·         Writing abstracts/summaries

·         Methods sections

7

2/24
è Due: Progress Report I  ç

à Due: Rough draft, proposal: methods section
·         Definitions//audience
·         Paragraphs, key terms

2/26
Conferences.  Sign up on 2/24

NO CLASS

à Due: Rough draft, proposal: background section.  Bring the draft to your conference.

 

8

3/3

Proposals

·   Some basics on graphics

à Due:  Rough draft, proposal: all sections

 

3/5

 Proposal: all sections

 

9

3/10

 è Due: Proposal Final Draft

3/12

NO CLASS

 

 

3/17 Spring Break

3/19 Spring Break

10

3/24

Final Reports and analysis

*"Wiki" for the section of the final report assignment

·  Definitions and descriptions

*Assignment:  Section of final report
*Assignment:  Final report

3/26
è Due: "Wiki" for section of the final report

·    Work on section of final report.

·   Analysis in the final report and section of the final report

11

3/31

·    Work on section of final report.
· No Class

4/2

·         Work on section of final report

Completion reports, objectives, and approach.

·   Analyzing information    
·
   Graphics.

-->  Rough draft of section of final report

12

4/7

à Due: Section of final report, rough draft

·   Analyzing information.

·    Format

4/9

è Due: Rough draft Section of final report

·    Memo introducing section of final report (in-class assignment)

·    Sentence style analysis

·     Progress report II

·      Final reports

4/10 Friday

è Due: Section of final report by 4:00 PM

Bring your draft (in folder) to Brink 200 or my office, Brink 204

13

4/14

 

No class

4/16

è Style Check II Due

*   Progress report II

·   Elements of the final report

·  Final report introductions (revising the proposal sections that fit in the final report)

 

14

4/21

èDUE: Progress Report II --by 4PM

Email this assignment to me. Place the progress report in the email (not as an attachment)

 

·   Work on elements of final report

·     Editing the final report

Conclusions and recommendations

 

4/22 (Wednesday)

Office hrs: 1 -5

4/23

NO CLASS (office hours)

Office hours:

9- 12, 3:30-5

15

4/28

·         Elements of the final report: front matter

·        Final reports: end matter

·         Criteria for evaluating the final report

 à Due: rough draft of other sections of the final report (optional but encouraged) – by 4/30

Office hrs 3:30-5:00 

4/29 (Wednesday)

Office hrs: 10-4

      4/30

     No Cass

    Office hrs:

    9-12, 3:30-5

5/1 (Friday)

Office hrs:

11-1:30

16

5/4 (Monday)

Office hrs:

10-2

5/5

 

è Due: Final Report, 5/5 by 5PMç

 

Folder 1:

Deliver final report to Brink 200 drop box.

Folder 2:

Provide proposal, section of final report, 2 or 3 pages of sources

 

 No class

 

5/7
·
          No Class