Room: Online
Time: Online


Room: Online
Time: Online


http://www2.latech.edu/ ~bmagee
http://garts.latech.edu/bmagee


BMagee@LaTech.Edu


GTM 222
(318) 805-2326
12:30-2:00 M-R
4:00-5:00 M-R
or by appointment


Tech English Department Home 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.


Textbook:

Johnson-Eilola, Johndan and Stuart A. Selber. Central Works in Technical Communication. New York: Oxford U. Pr., 2004. ISBN-13: 978-0195157055.


Objectives:

  • To introduce students to important articles in the evolution of technical writing.
  • To help students develop their research skills.
  • To help students develop their skills in technical writing.
GRADES
Article Review 15%
Article Review 15%
Book Evaluation
 15%
Essay Exam
 15%
Research Paper
 25%
Participation 15%
Total 100%
Presentation (G)
 10%

The grading scale is A: 90-100%, B: 80-89%, C: 70-79%, D: 60-69%, F:0-59%. 
Graduate students give a presentation  in addition to your other work.


Turning in Your Work
In face-to-face classes, I want a paper copy of your assignments AND an electronic copy submitted to the TurnItIn link on Moodle.  In online classes, submit your paper through Moodle to TurnItIn.  If you have trouble uploading it Moodle, you may email it to me at bmagee@latech.edu.  You may also bring a paper copy by my office.  You are still responsible for turning in the assignment by the due date, so plan ahead.

Late Work
Your paper is due ON or BEFORE the due date. You can turn it in any time until the due date.  After that, the grade drops 5 points per period.

Attendance
In a face-to-face class, I'll take role every period.  Your attendance grade is a straight percentage of how much you attended class.  For example, if you attend 17 times out of 20 periods, your grade will be 17÷20=85%.  An absence may be excused with proper documentation.

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."  If I determine that you have violated the Honor Code or the English Department plagiarism policy, you'll receive a '0' on the assignment, and I may refer you to the Honor Council if I think it appropriate.

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 leadership in class discussion.



HOC OPUS, HIC LABOR EST.


Registration Week (March 12-14)


Period 1


Week 1 (March 17-21)


Period 1

  • Reading
    • 1. Normal 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 
    • 2. Russell Rutter, "History, Rhetoric, and Humanism: Toward a More Comprehensive Definition of Technical Communication" 20
  • Writing 


Week 2 (March 24-28)


Period 1

  • Reading 
    • 3. Katherine T. Durack, "Gender, Technology, and the History of Technical Communication" 35
  • Writing 


Period 2

  • Reading 
    • 10 Mary M. Lay, "Feminist Theory and the Redefinition of Technical Communication" 146
  • Writing Article Review 1


Week 3 (March 31 - April 4)


Period 1

  • Reading 
    • 4 Carolyn R. Miller, "A Humanistic Rationale for Technical Writing" 47
  • Writing 


Period 2

  • Reading 
    • 7. Robert R. Johnson, "Audience Involved: Toward a Participatory Model of Writing" 91
  • Writing 


Week 4 (April 7-11)


Period 1

  • Reading 
    • 8. David N. Dobrin, "What's Technical about Technical Writing?" 107
  • Writing 


Period 2

  • Reading 
    • 12. Johndan Johnson-Eilola, "Relocating the Value of Work: Technical Communication in a Post-Industrial Age" 175
  • Writing Article Review 2


Week 5 (April 14-18)


Period 1

  • Reading 
    • 14 Dale L. Sullivan, "Political-Ethical Implications of Defining Technical Communication as a Practice" 211
  • Writing 


Period 2

  • Reading 
    • 16. Ben F. Barton and Marthalee S. Barton, "Ideology and the Map: Toward a Postmodern Visual Design Practice" 232
  • Writing 


Week 6 (April 21-25)


Period 1

  • Reading 
    • 19.  Davida Charney, "Empiricism Is Not a Four-Letter Word" 281
  • Writing 


Period 2

  • Reading 
    • 21. Jack Selzer, "The Composing Processes of an Engineer" 317
  • Writing Book Evaluation


Week 7 (April 28 - May 2)


Period 1

  • Reading 
    • 24. Nancy Allen, Dianne Atkinson, Meg Morgan, Teresa Moore, and Craig Snow, "What Experienced Collaborators Say about Collaborative Writing" 351
  • Writing 


Period 2

  • Reading 
    • 27.  Tharon W. Howard, "Who 'Owns' Electronic Texts?" 397
  • Writing 


Week 8 (May 5-9)


Period 1

  • Reading 
    • 28. 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 (May 12-16)


Period 1

  • Reading 
    • 29. 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 Essay Exam


Week 10 (May 19-23)


Period 1

  • Reading 
    • 32.  Lee E. Brasseur, "Contesting the Objectivist Paradigm: Gender Issues in the Technical and Professional Communication Curriculum" 475
  • Writing Graduate Presentations


Period 2

  • Reading 
  • Writing 


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