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Home My WebLink AboutWRT-202Bergen Community College Division of Arts/Humanities Department of English Course Syllabus WRT 202 (Section): Technical Writing Semester and Year Meeting Time and Location Instructor’s Name Office Location Phone Office Hours Email Address COURSE SYLLABUS Course Description: Technical Writing is a three-credit course that continues the emphasis of Composition I on expository/analytic writing, with a greater focus on critical thinking and writing. In this introduction to technical writing, students will explore the theory and practice of writing in a broad range of fields, such as the business, scientific, and industrial fields. Students will examine a variety of professional writing samples to gain an understanding of the skills needed to successfully communicate through professionally written e-mails, memos, business letters, and various types of reports and analyses. Students will learn to evaluate and respond to the ideas that they encounter within the selections. The course will aim to develop students’ writing skills, essential for the production of professional documents. A research paper is required for this course. Three lectures, 3 credits Prerequisite: WRT-101: Composition I. General Education Course for A.A.S. degrees. Student Learning Objectives: As a result of meeting the requirements in this course, students will be able to: 1. Use critical reading skills to summarize various technical documents, understand and evaluate these texts, and explain how technical writing techniques work to create clear, professional documents. 2. Write personal and academic responses to written works using appropriate terminology . 3. Use a process approach to continue the development of your writing style. 4. Justify the validity of your approach to technical assignments. 5. Employ quotations and paraphrases from primary and secondary sources in your writing and document them following MLA style. 6. Revise your essays to achieve unity and coherence. 2 7. Edit and proofread your writing for clarity and correctness. Course Requirements: Students will be required to do the following: 1. Write at least four multi-paragraph, technical documents of at least 500 words. (Meets student learning objectives 1-7) 2. Write at least two in-class documents. (Meets student learning objectives 1-4, 7) 3. Complete other writing exercises such as summaries, journals, reading responses, reading comprehension questions, quizzes on reading assignments, letters, etc. (Meets student learning objectives 1-4) 4. Read, interpret, and analyze a wide variety of technical works. (Meets student learning objectives 1, 4) 5. Comprehend and apply various technical terms to texts assigned by your instructor. (Meets student learning objectives 1-3) 6. Conduct independent research and write a 7-10 page research report using MLA style. (Meets student learning objectives 1-7) 7. Submit papers that adhere to MLA manuscript requirements and demonstrate effective proofreading and editing. (Meets student learning objectives 1-7) 8. Participate in class discussions and other in-class (individual or group) activities necessary to produce quality academic prose. (Meets student learning objectives 1-2, 4) Course Content: This course requires students to do a great deal reading, writing, and thinking. Student learn to think deeply about the ideas presented in the text, the ways in which these ideas are organized, and the way in which these words are put together to convey meaning. Students are given practice in writing about what they read in order to understand the material better. They also get used to reading what they write to make certain that words convey intended meanings. Students read many technical texts and write about these texts. Like Composition I, this class will continue to prepare students for the work that they will do in college, as well as for the professional world. Technical Writing continues to help students develop the skills needed need to write research papers. 3 Course Texts and Other Required Materials (Sample) Glenn, Cheryl et al. The Writer’s Harbrace Handbook. 3rd ed. Boston: Thomson, 2006. ISBN 1-4130-1032-6. Burnett, Rebecca E. Technical Communication. 6th ed. Boston: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2006. ISBN 1-4130-0189-0. College Dictionary Grading Policy: Evaluation of performance in WRT-202 is based on:  The four short papers (50 %)  The research report (25%)  Writing Journal, Exercises (15%)  Participation (which includes attendance and punctuality, in-class discussion, as well as all other required reading and writing activities and preparation for class) (10%) Technical Documents: All short documents (not including in-class essays) must be typed using MLA standards. Each short document should be between 500-700 words in length. The research report should be 1500- 2000 words in length. Any outside material used in your essay must be properly documented according to MLA standards. If electronic sources are used, you must submit a printed copy along with the paper. You must submit a printed and an electronic copy of each of your essays, along with any drafts, outlines and prewriting in a folder with pockets. (Electronic copies of your essays should be submitted through WebCT.) Late Documents: Late penalties of five points per day will be assessed for late papers (This includes all weekdays and weekends). Note: papers may be submitted to WebCT in order to avoid late penalties if you bring the physical copy to the following class. You must submit the Final draft of your essay and turn the hard copy in promptly or late penalties will still apply. Essays will not be graded until the physical copy has been received. Classwork/Homework: Throughout the course, there will be several in-class assignments and activities designed to improve your writing skills. These will include writing exercises, grammar exercises, peer editing assignments, and class discussion. Your participation in these exercises directly affects the participation segment of your grade. In-class participation exercises can NOT be made up if you are absent. Failure to participate in Peer Editing exercises will result in a 5 point penalty on the paper. Attendance Policy BCC Attendance Policy: “All students are expected to attend punctually every scheduled meeting of each course in which they are registered. Attendance and lateness policies and sanctions are to be determined by the instructor for each section of each course. These will be 4 established in writing on the individual course outline. Attendance will be kept by the instructor for administrative and counseling purposes.” Class Attendance Policy: Poor attendance will directly affect your grade. You must be in class regularly to benefit from class lectures, discussion, and other activities. Four or more absences will result in a one point deduction from the participation portion of your grade for each day you have missed. If you miss class, you miss vital information and preparation for course assignments and class work. If you are absent excessively, you can expect to fail the course. Arriving late to class can affect your grade, too. If you arrive to class late twice, I will count that as one absence. Statement on Plagiarism BCC Policy on Plagiarism: “Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty and it is a punishable offense. Plagiarism is the act of taking someone else’s words, opinions, or ideas and claiming them as one’s own. If a student commits an act of plagiarism, the instructor has the authority to assign a failing grade for the assignment or in some cases, the entire course. After two offenses, a student may be suspended from the college.” Class Policy: Take great care to avoid plagiarism. In academic writing, deliberate use of someone else’s ideas or words is considered dishonest and will result in failure for the specific assignment, or if this is a reoccurring offense, may result in failure of the course. See the attached statement on plagiarism and “Academic Integrity” and “Plagiarism” under “Academic Regulations” in the Bergen Community College Catalog. Statement on Learning Assistance Center LEARNING ASSISTANCE CENTERS English Language Resource Center (ELRC) Ender Hall 126 / 201-612-5292 The English Language Resource Center, located in Ender Hall Room 126 provides help to students whose native language is not English. The center assists students to become proficient in English through multimedia computer programs, cassettes, video tapes, and books as well as individual tutoring. The English Language Resource Center also offers ESL conversation groups and specialized language skill workshops. Tutoring Center L125 / 201-447-7489 http://www.bergen.edu/Tutoring Center/ The Tutoring Center, staffed with peer and professional tutors, offers free individual and group tutoring, supplemental instruction, and online tutoring for subjects offered at BCC. The Tutoring Center provides alternative approach to problem solving and organization skills. Writing Center L125 / 201-447-7136 http://www.bergen.edu/pages/1795.asp 5 The Writing Center is designed to serve the writing needs of the BCC community. Peer tutors, professional tutors, and English Department faculty serve as writing consultants who work with visitors to the Center in individualized sessions. Each session is organized to address the specific needs of the writer. Areas of support include help with research papers, written class assignments, college application essays, and grammar review. Visit the Writing Center early for help with essays, research papers, and even creative writing. Writing Center tutors can: Help identify strengths and weaknesses in your writing Teach strategies to help you get started Work with you on ways to organize research Help you clarify what you want to say and how best to say it Provide suggestions on how to improve your work Help identify and clarify key concepts in reading passages and work on reading comprehension of a variety of texts (including textbooks, poetry, and fiction) Work with you to overcome mechanical, grammatical, and word choice problems Suggested Course Outline Week 1 Course Introduction Communicating in the Work Place Week 2 Addressing Technical Audiences Preparing Correspondence: emails, memos, letters Week 3 Planning and Drafting a Technical Document Technical Description MLA format Week 4 Revising and Editing a Technical Document Peer Editing for Technical Description assignment Week 5 Ensuring Usability Designing Technical Information Week 6 Final Draft of Technical Description due Process Explanation Week 7 Using Research in Technical Documents 6 Documenting Sources in Technical Documents Peer Editing for Process Explanation assignment Week 8 Using Visual Forms Preparing Reports Week 9 Preparing Reports cont. Preparing Project Proposals Final Draft of Process Explanation due Week 10 Project Proposal due Designing Electronic Communication Week 11 Oral Communication and Presentation (Power Point) Week 12 Peer Editing for Research Report Understanding Culture in the Workplace Week 13 Collaborating in the Workplace Resumes and Cover Letters Week 14 Final Draft of Research Report due Drafting Resume and Cover Letter (in class) Week 15 Final Draft of Resume and Cover Letter due