ENGLISH 468 & 568

Readings in Scientific and
Technical Communications

Instructor: Dr. Bruce R. Magee
Winter Quarter 2011-2012


English 468-084
Room: Online
Time: Online

English 568-084
Room: Online
Time: Online
 Home Page: 
http://www2.latech.edu/~bmagee
http://garts.latech.edu/bmagee

E-mail:

bmagee@LaTech.Edu
Office: GTM 222
Phone: 257-5494
Hours: 11:30-2:00 M-R
or by appointment

English Department Home Page
Tech SREC (Southern Regional Electronic Campus) Page

Course Description

ENGL 468: Readings in Scientific and Technical Communications.
Preq: ENGL 303. Study of the current material written about technical communication, with a reading and critical analysis of various technological journals.

ENGL 568: Seminar in Readings in Scientific and Technical Communication.
Preq: ENGL 303. Study of historical and current technical communication literature through the lens of gender, technology, and research methodologies.

Textbooks

Johnson-Eilola, Johndan and Stuart A. Selber.  Central Works in Technical Communication. New York: Oxford U. Pr., 2004. ISBN-13: 978-0195157055.
GRADES
Article Review 15%
Article Review 15%
Book Evaluation
 15%
Essay Exam
 15%
Research Paper
 25%
Participation 15%
Total 100%

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 period.
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.
Graduate Requirements
In addition to meeting the above requirements, graduate students enrolled in the course for graduate credit:
  • must write a substantially longer research paper than undergraduates. (12-15 pages for graduate students, 8-9 pages for undergraduates.)
  • may be asked to give presentations to the class.
  • should show leadersihp in class discussion.

Note - When the syllabus lists only the first page of a selection, read the whole selection.

HOC OPUS, HIC LABOR EST.
Period
Registration Week (November 30 - December 2)
Initial assignments
Period 1
  • Reading:
  • Writing:
Week 1 (December 5-9)
Period 1
  • Reading:
    1. Robert Connors, "The Rise of Technical Writing Instruction in America" 3 Note - When the syllabus lists only the first page of a selection, read the whole selection.
  • Writing:
Period 2
  • Reading:
    1. Russell Rutter, "History, Rhetoric, and Humanism: Toward a More Comprehensive Definition of Technical Communication" 20
  • Writing:
Week 2 (December 12-16)
Period 1
  • Reading:
    1. Katherine T. Durack, "Gender, Technology, and the History of Technical Communication" 35
  • Writing:
Period 2
  • Reading:
    1. Mary M. Lay, "Feminist Theory and the Redefinition of Technical Communication" 146
  • Writing:
Week 3 (December 19-20; January 4-6)
Period 1
  • Reading:
    1. Carolyn R. Miller, "A Humanistic Rationale for Technical Writing" 47
  • Writing:
Period 2
  • Reading:
    1. Robert R. Johnson, "Audience Involved: Toward a Participatory Model of Writing" 91
  • Writing:
Week 4 (January 9-13)
Period 1
  • Reading: 
    1. David N. Dobrin, "What's Technical about Technical Writing?" 107
  • Writing:
Period 2
  • Reading: 
    1. Johndan Johnson-Eilola, "Relocating the Value of Work: Technical Communication in a Post-Industrial Age" 175
  • Writing:
Week 5 (January 16-20)
Period 1
  • Reading: 
    1. Dale L. Sullivan, "Political-Ethical Implications of Defining Technical Communication as a Practice" 211
  • Writing:
Period 2
  • Reading: 
    1. Ben F. Barton and Marthalee S. Barton, "Ideology and the Map: Toward a Postmodern Visual Design Practice" 232
  • Writing:
Week 6 (January 23-27)
Period 1
  • Reading: 
    1. Davida Charney, "Empiricism Is Not a Four-Letter Word" 281
  • Writing:
Period 2
  • Reading: 
    1. Jack Selzer, "The Composing Processes of an Engineer" 317
  • Writing:
Week 7 (January 30 - February 3)
Period 1
  • Reading: 
    1. Nancy Allen, Dianne Atkinson, Meg Morgan, Teresa Moore, and Craig Snow, "What Experienced Collaborators Say about Collaborative Writing" 351
  • Writing:
Period 2
  • Reading:
    1. Tharon W. Howard, "Who 'Owns' Electronic Texts?" 397
  • Writing:
Week 8 (February 6-10)
Period 1
  • Reading:
    1. Stephen A. Bernhardt, "The Shape of Text to Come: The Texture of Print on Screens" 409
  • Writing:
Period 2
  • Reading: 
  • Writing: Research Paper Due
Week 9 (February 13-17)
Period 1
  • Reading:
    1. Cynthia L. Selfe and Richard J. Selfe, Jr., "The Politics of the Interface: Power and Its Exercise in Electronic Contact Zones" 428
  • Writing:
Period 2
  • Reading:
  • Writing:
Week 10 (February 20-28)
Period 1
  • Reading:
    1. Lee E. Brasseur, "Contesting the Objectivist Paradigm: Gender Issues in the Technical and Professional Communication Curriculum" 475
  • Writing:
Period 2
  • Reading:
  • Writing: