Scientific and Technical Writing (Spring 2004)

January
February
March
April
May

Last Modified: May 7 / 2004


Instructor: Jonathan Bass

Final Office Hour

Abbreviations

    CB = Course Book (Scientific and Technical Writing, 3rd ed.)
    PTW = Portable Technical Writer

Office Hours: MW 1.30-2.30 in Loree 010

Course Description and Policies


Week One

Wednesday, Jan. 21

Introduction

  • Review of course method and requirements; structure; key terms
  • Buy books (before or after class)

    • Week Two

    Monday, Jan. 26

  • Read introduction (CB 1-7); skim sample resumes (CB 76-91)
  • Read PTW, chap. 14 on resumes and job letters

  • In class: discuss sample resumes and cover letters

    • Wednesday, Jan. 28

  • Due: Rough draft of resume and cover letter (bring three copies).
  • Refer to resume chapter in CB for assignment guidelines
  • Go to Business and Technical Writing Resume Page for helpful links
  • Bring two copies of ACTUAL job ad; one for me and one for peer-review group
  • Due: First tentative topic area and idea. You will be asked for this in class (verbal response). Be prepared to give some reasons for your choice. (You will be able to change your mind later)
  • Read the online course description with sample project topics. Go over the sample topics.
  • Read description of final assignment (CB); browse through the sample final proposals.

  • Peer review of resume and cover-letter drafts
  • Go over different kinds of sources (website, article in newspaper, article in prfessional or scholarly journal, book, etc.)


    • Week Three

    Monday, Feb. 2

  • Due: Final daft of resume and cover letter
  • Computer Session in Loree Computer Lab (room 23, ground floor)

  • This class will give you a chance to begin researching your topic so be sure to have a tentative topic idea to begin with.

    • Wednesday, Feb. 4

  • Discuss research and bibliography
  • Bring all the online information you found for at least four tentative sources to class -- two books via IRIS and two articles via the indexes and databases.
  • Read chapter on Research Your Topic (CB 92-104)
  • Read through sample proposal on forming a sex education class (CB 265-83) to get a sense of what you will be working toward (the selected proposal will be specified in class)


    • Week Four

    Monday, Feb. 9

  • Due: Initial topic proposal (250 words; bring THREE copies to class)
  • Due (with topic proposal): Bibliography of two tentative sources you mention and hopefully quote from in your initial topic proposal

  • Topic proposal workshop

    • Wednesday, Feb. 11

  • Second computer session in Loree: Follow-up research


    • Week Five

    Monday, Feb. 16

  • Due in class: Revised topic proposal
  • Topic proposal workshop II
  • Discuss midterm assignment and sample midterm

    • Wednesday, Feb. 18

  • Due in class: Six-item Bibliography, APA style, following the model in the Course Book (105).
  • Note: Four the six items need to be annotated (as described in class).
  • The annotation shd very briefly summarize the source and specify its value for your project.
  • Of these four, bring two to class, for in-class work.

  • Read PTW, "Tech Writing Style" (102-128)


    • Week Six

    Monday, Feb. 23

  • Read PTW, "Visuals" in PTW (162-184).
  • Bring three sample visuals to class: two different kinds of graph; one diagram. No illustrations.
  • NOTE: these are examples of kinds of visual and should not (necessarily) be from your project/research.
  • Locate visuals in books, periodicals, or online. Or be creative and make your own.
  • In the spirit of our lost childhoods, this will be a show-and-tell format class. So you'll need to be prepared not only to show your visuals but to say either why they work well or why they don't.

    • Wednesday, Feb. 25

  • Due: Midterm paper rough draft (at least 4 complete pages, excluding title/heading, using as many of your sources as possible [the FD will need to use at least 8 sources])
  • Bring THREE copies of rough draft

  • Peer revision workshop


    • Week Seven

    Monday, March 1

  • Read for class: the Germ Theory andPowerPoint articles in CB, chap. 2
  • We'll also go over some of the midterm rough drafts

    • Wednesday, March 3

  • Due: Midterm FD
  • Discuss Oral Presentation assignment
  • Sign-up for these

     


    • Week Eight

    Monday, March 8

    Oral Presentations dates: March 29, March 31, April 7, April 14, April 21, April 28, with May 3, the last day of class, as an emergency date.

    Email me your first and second choices for dates. I'll try to accomodate these as well as possible.

    Class on the Run

    Wednesday, March 10

    UPDATE: The computer scheduling problem's fixed; so we'll be meeting in the Loree 023 Computer Lab after all! Be sure to bring the CB. We need to go over some things in it in the first half of class; the second half will focus on additional research you'll need to do as you revise and expand your proposal.

  • Due in class: Fully revised 6-10 sentence passage from what you see as a key "paradigm" moment in your midterm. Each sentence should be rewritten for improved clarity and detail. Include both original passage and revised passage on the same page. Refer to the chapters on langauge and style in PTW. Single space.
  • Read carefully chapter on Oral Presentations in CB


    • (Spring Break: Saturday March, 13 - Sunday, March 21)

    Some people enjoying Spring Break

    Week Nine

    Monday, March 22

  • Midterms returned and discussed; technical style redux
  • Six Ps at the Halfway Point

    • Wednesday, March 24

  • Due in class (typed): 6 Ps of your proposal as you see them today (in wake of the midterm); 6-9 criticisms from the point-of-view of your intended reader(s): what would they say? what changes would they want to see?
  • Meetings


    • Week Ten

    Monday, March 29

    Finally got this working again.

  • Short discussion followed by in-class meetings

    • Wednesday, March 31

     Today's presentations: Hany, Sam  

  • Short meetings
  • In-class bibliography exercise (bring 10-item biblio to class)


    • Week Eleven

    Monday, April 5

     

    Wednesday, April 7

     Today's presentations: Christine, Joanne, Sorkristal, Melissa  

  • Due in class: first draft of proposal cover letter


    • Week Twelve

    Monday, April 12

  • Draft # 1 of Big Proposal due

    • Wednesday, April 14

     Today's presentations: Wendy, Lourdes, Mabel  

  • Draft 1 returned (with light commentary)


    • Week Thirteen

    Monday, April 19

     Today's presentation: Mike, Michelle  

    Meetings toward Draft 2

    Wednesday, April 21

  •  Today's presentations: David, Parmjit, Tiffany  


    • Week Fourteen

    Monday, April 26

  • Draft # 2 of Proposal due and meetings

     Today's presentation: Victor  

    • Wednesday, April 28

     Today's presentations: Kathleen, Khilan, Andrew  


    Week Fifteen

    Monday, May 3

    Last Day of Class

  • Due: Final Proposal (final draft).
  • Be sure to turn in all the parts (at the same time) -- esp. the WORKS CITED.

     Today's presentations: Rajni, Raj  

    • Final Office Hour

    Tuesday, May 11, 5.30-6.30 pm. Murray 032, CAC.

    Papers will be returned and discussed, grades revealed.

    Subsequent to this time, your final papers may be collected from a box in front of the office door.