ENGL 393H, Blended

Crane ENGL 393H

ENGL 393H, Blended Technical Writing (honors) Fall 2015

Instructor: Dr. Christopher “Chip” Crane Section: BL01 Meeting time & place: MON: 3:30 – 4:45, EGR 1110 (Glen L. Martin Hall) WED: Online work, TBD Office: Tawes Hall (TWS)1204 (main entrance and down the right-hand hallway) Office Hours: Mon 2:00-3:15 (basically before class) or by appointment Email: [email protected] Cell phone: 410-507-6938

Course Description The primary purpose of this course is to prepare you to write technical material clearly when you enter the workplace. What is technical material? What is technical writing? You might be surprised at the wide range of documents we consider “techincal writing.” During this course we will examine and practice creating some of those.

The course will involve some lecture, a lot of dicsussion, a good bit of reading, and several writing assignments.

Course Objectives If you engage fully with the material and assignments in this course, you should learn to  design sentences, paragraphs, sections, chapters, visual components, and entire documents for clarity and accessibility for a specific audience, purpose and context  understand how writing contributes to your future career in a technical field;  analyze the various roles that documents play in your particular field;  research some genres and styles particular to their intended career field;  design projects that exemplify a particular genre and style;  collaborate with others in evaluating and improving one another’s work;  integrate visual rhetoric into documents;  develop documents for employment and professional school applications;  understand moral and ethical issues as they relate to health writing and research;  customize the design and development processes for a document project in accordance with professional standards, specifications, and style guides.

Technical Proficiencies In order to succeed in this course, you will need the following skills: [Type text] [Type text] [Type text]

• exchanging email, including file attachments • downloading files from the Internet (with proper attribution) • completing files in a word processor, including the insertion of graphics files • creating a formatted résumé and brochure • giving computer-based presentations

Assignments and Grading All PWP courses require six graded assignments totaling at least 25 pages of writing, not including rough drafts. The following summarizes the Major Writing Assignments (MWA) in the course and their respective proportions of the overall course grade, along with the proportions of other components of your grade:

MWA# 1. What Is It?: Definition and Desription Assignment – 10% 2. How Do You Do It?: Process or Procedure – 10% 3. Science vs. the Media: Using and Evaluating Sources –10% 4. Proposal Executive Summary– 10% 5. Major Document (i.e. Final Project), including several graded elements – 30% Note: The Major Document is a course requirement; you must complete it to pass the course. You cannot just take a 0 on it an hope to pass. 6. Job or Internship Application Materials: Resume & Cover letter – 10%

Other graded components  Discussion posts, reading quizzes, and other short writing exercises – 10%  Class participation – 10% (includes attendance, online participation, peer review exercises, in-class activities, class discussion contribution, assembly of final portfolio, and general professionalism)  Plan to turn in A Final Portfolio of all your work during the semester must be turned in alongside your Major Document (MWA5). Besides the grades you have received on individual assignments, the appearance and turning in of this portfolio is a course requirement and will also contribute to your class participation grade. Crane ENGL 393H

Grading Scale For all numerically graded assignments

A+ = 100 C = 73- 75 A = 93-99 C- = 70-72 A- = 90-92 D+ = 66-69 B+ = 86-89 D = 63- 65 B = 83- 85 D- = 60-62 B- = 80-82 F = 59 or below C+ = 76-79

Note: Short writing assignments, reading quizzes, and peer review worksheets will usually receive a √ , √ +, or √ -. These indicate that your work was at, above, or below my expectations, respectively. These marks, the initiative you take with revisions, and actual improvement you show will count toward your homework and class participation grades.

Course Policies Professionalism With few exceptions, attendance is required. No excuses. If you miss a session, including one of our scheduled conferences, you are expected to explain your absence in an email to me; you must also stay current with the class by contacting another student. We will often cover essential material in class for which you are responsible whether absent or not. Tardiness to class is unprofessional and unacceptable.

Late work is also unacceptable. Unless I specify otherwise, assigned work must be turned in to me in class on the due date. I will occasionally extend a deadline for special circumstances, but you should discuss your circumstances with me at least a week in advance. The penalty for late work submitted without prior arrangement is a letter grade (10 points) for each work day (M-F) past the due date it is late. Also, missing required draft submissions or workshops may result in a reduction in the final grade for the project.

Timeliness (of your attendance and your assignments): is really an element of the overall high level professionalism I expect from you. You are far enough along in your academic careers to be training for (or at least looking ahead to consider) a specific profession. I expect, therefore, that you will conduct yourselves in class and in your work like the professionals you aspire to become.

Attendance: I expect you to inform me in advance of medically necessary absences and present a self-signed note documenting the date of the missed class(es) and testifying to the need for the absence. This note must include an acknowledgement that (a) the information provided is true and correct, and (b) that the student understands that providing false information to University officials is a violation of Part 9(h) of the Code of Student Conduct. The university’s policies on medical and [Type text] [Type text] [Type text]

other absences can be found at: http://www.umd.edu/catalog/index.cfm/show/content.section/c/27/ss/1584/s/1540

Prolonged absence or illness preventing attendance from class requires written documentation from the Health Center and/or health care provider verifying dates of treatment when student was unable to meet academic responsibilities.

Absence due to religious observance will not be penalized; however, it is the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor within the first 3 weeks of class regarding any religious observance absence(s) for the entire semester. The calendar of religious holidays can be found at http://faculty.umd.edu/teach/attend_student.html#religious

Class Participation Class participation is essential. Contribute constructively to the course, even if by simply asking good questions. All of you have had experiences from which other students in the class can benefit. Professional communication includes a set of crafts that are practiced differently in different fields; therefore, you add to one another’s fields by working together. Even if you are just beginning to take courses in your major, you have knowledge that neither I nor the other students in the class possess. Even if you are more advanced in your major studies, you still need to be exposed to other fields.

I will consider the following classroom activities as detrimental to class discussion and class participation and therefore detrimental to your grade: • computer use unrelated to the course, including unauthorized emailing or messaging • use of a cell phone for conversation or text messaging • misuse of computer equipment during course activities

I may, from time to time, remind the class or specific individuals of the unprofessionalism of these activities; however, I may choose not to disrupt class with a comment and yet still make a note in my records. If you do these things in class, it should not surprise you if at the end of the semester your grade is significantly lower than the sum of just your assignment grades.

Office Hours / Contacting Me / Conferences My office hours and contact information are at the top of this syllabus. Normally I will be in my office during these times, though I may occasionally be out. I encourage you, therefore, to schedule an appointment with me during these times so I will know to expect you. If these hours will not work for you, we may be able to find another time to meet or else confer via phone or email.

If you email me with a question, I will normally get back to you within one working day (24 hours during the week) and at the most within 72 hours. I usually do not check my UMD email account over the weekend. As part of participation and attendance, you will confer with me on your Long project twice during the semester. Being absent from a Crane ENGL 393H scheduled conference counts as a class absence.

Writing Center I encourage all of you to make use of the Writing Center. Through an interactive consultation, a tutor can help you at any stage of the writing process. The Writing Center will not turn a D quality paper to an A paper for you, but the staff can help you develop the skills you need to successfully move your paper to the next step in the process. The Writing Center is located near the entrance to Tawes across from the PWP Office and provides appointment and walk-in hours during the week. Although the staff will not “correct” or “proofread” your papers, they can help you review and improve your English composition skills. Your visits to the WC are documented and forwarded to me.

Career Center Students may wish to make use of the resources of the Career Center, particularly in preparing job, internship, graduate school, or professional school application materials. If you do use the center, please be aware that their approach to some job application materials may differ from what we cover in the course assignments. Our work together will focus on the rhetorical situation between writer and reader, which may differ from the more practical criteria in vogue in one or another job market.

Pre-Professional Office The pre-professional office (health) provides information and support on the application process for graduate and professional schools.

Academic Integrity Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are not acceptable in this or any course. Please visit the website of UMD’s Professional Writing Program for more information on these policies, as you will be held strictly to them. The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. As a student you are responsible for upholding the standards of the Code for this course. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit http://www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/whatis.html.

The student-administered Honor Code and Honor Pledge prohibit students from cheating on exams, plagiarizing papers, submitting the same paper for credit in two courses without authorization, buying papers, submitting fraudulent documents and forging signatures. For every writing assignment not specifically exempted by me, students must write by hand and sign the following pledge: I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this examination (or assignment). Allegations of academic dishonesty will be reported directly to the Student Honor Council: http://www.shc.umd.edu . [Type text] [Type text] [Type text]

Course Evaluations At the end of the course, I will ask you to complete two evaluations. One is the standard university produced evaluation that you can complete on-line. The second is a departmental evaluation at the end of the semester. You cannot complete this on-line. It is a paper evaluation that must be done in class. Your participation in this official system is critical to the success of the process, and all information submitted to CourseEvalUM is confidential. (Instructors can only view group summaries of evaluations and cannot identify which submissions belong to which students.)

Students with disabilities: The University of Maryland is committed to providing appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities. Students with a documented disability should inform the instructors within the add-drop period if academic accommodations are needed. To obtain an Accommodation Letter prepared by Disability Support Service (DSS), a division of the University Counseling Center, please call 301- 314-7682, e-mail [email protected], or visit the Shoemaker Building for more information.

Copyright notice Class lectures and other materials are copyrighted and they may not be reproduced for anything other than personal use without written permission from the instructor.

In Case of Inclement Weather or Emergency which closes the University or otherwise causes the cancellation of class, you should continue with all reading assignments and other work as scheduled unless you hear otherwise from me via email or ELMS/Canvas posting.

Academic Accommodations for Students Who May Experience Sexual Misconduct The University of Maryland is committed to providing support and resources, including academic accommodations, for students who experience sexual or relationship violence (as defined by the University’s Sexual Misconduct Policy). To report an incident and/or obtain an academic accommodation, contact the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct at 301-405-1142. If you wish to speak confidentially, contact Campus Advocates Respond and Educate (CARE) to Stop Violence at 301-741-3555. Disclosures made to faculty are not confidential and must be reported to the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct. For more information visit www.umd.edu/Sexual_Misconduct/.

Diversity The University of Maryland values the diversity of its student body. Along with the University, I am committed to providing a classroom atmosphere that encourages the equitable participation of all students regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Potential devaluation of students in the classroom that can occur by reference to demeaning stereotypes of any group and/or overlooking the contributions of a particular group to the topic under discussion is inappropriate. (See Statement on Classroom Climate, http://www.umd.edu/catalog/index.cfm/show/content.section/c/27/ss/1584/s/1541). Crane ENGL 393H

This syllabus is subject to change. Students will be notified in advance of important changes that could affect grading, assignments, etc.

Required Texts Markel, Mike. Technical Communication, 10th ed., Bedford/St Martins, 2012. • ISBN-10: 0-312-67948-3 ISBN-13: 978-0312-67948-4

Blum, Deborah, ed. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2014. Mariner Books, 2014. • ISBN-10: 054400342X ISBN-13: 978-0544003422

Columbia Accident Investigation Board Report (CAIB), NASA, 2003. Available for free download in a few places, including  http://caib1.nasa.gov/news/report/pdf/vol1/full/caib_report_volume1.pdf  http://history.nasa.gov/columbia/CAIB%5Freportindex.html Note: You will need to bring a copy to class on days when we discuss readings.

Readings in these texts are listed below. You should complete all reading prior to class on the day assigned. Other required readings may be in the form of handouts (in hard copy or on ELMS) or web-based articles and other links as assigned during the semester. [Type text] [Type text] [Type text]

Course Reading and Major Assignment Schedule (Changes will be promulgated via email and Canvas as well as in class)

Markel = Mike Markel, Technical Communication CAIB = The Columbia Accident Investigation Board report Blum = Deborah Blum, ed. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2014 Week 1 Aug 31  Course Intro  Definition exercise  Begin self-reflective essay #1

Online Discussion post: CAIB Intro & Ch. 1 Self-reflective essay #1 due 3 Sept Week 2 Sept 7 – LABOR DAY, no class

Online Online discussion: Markel Ch 1, 3 & Ch 20, Definitions and descriptions Discussion post: CAIB Ch 2 Discussion post: Blum, “Why the Brain Prefers Paper” by Ferris Jabr Week 3 Sept 14 Very rough draft of MWA1 due--Practice peer review in class Discussion: CAIB sections 3.1-3.1 (pp 49-55) & skip p.54 Discussion: Blum, Jabr article(from last week)

Online  Discussion post: Blum, “The Great Forgetting” by Nicholas Carr  MWA1: Definition/Description Draft DUE Wed  Peer Review online DUE Thurs  MWA1: Definition/Description DUE Fri Crane ENGL 393H

Week 4 Sept 21 Markel Ch 5 & 7 Audience & Organization Discussion: Blum, “O-Rings” by Sarah Stewart Johnson

Online Discussion post: CAIB Sections 3.4-3.6 (pp 59-73) Discussion post: CAIB Sections 5.1, 5.3, 5.5, 5.6, 5.8 (assigned by group) Week 5 Sept 28 Writing Procedures and Instructions (revisit Markel Ch 20) Markel Ch 11 Document and Page Design Markel Ch 12 Graphics and Other Visuals Discussion: CAIB Ch 6 (6.1-6.2, pp 121-139) Discussion: Blum, “Under Water” by Kate Sheppard

Online MWA 2: Process or Procedure Draft DUE Weds Peer Review DUE Thurs MWA 2: Process or Procedure DUE Fri Discussion post: “The Social Life of Genes” by David Dobbs

Week 6 Oct 5 Markel Ch 8 & 9 Persuasion and Coherence Markel Ch 10 Effective Sentences Discussion: CAIB – Assorted visuals (TBD) Discuss MWA 3

Online  Discussion post: CAIB visuals TBD  Discussion post: Blum, “A Race to Save the Orange by Altering Its DNA,” by Amy Harmon  [Type text] [Type text] [Type text]

Week 7 Oct 12  Discuss Major Project Proposal Memos  Markel Ch 6 Research and Evaluating Sources  Discussion: CAIB, opening summaries of o Ch 4 (p 85), o Part Two (p 97), o Ch 5 (p. 99), o Ch 6 (p. 121), o Ch 7 (p 177), o Ch 8 (p.195, 1st paragraph), and o Ch 9 (p. 207)

Online  MWA 3: Evaltuating Sources: Experts vs. the Media Draft DUE Wed  Peer Review DUE Thurs  MWA 3: Evaltuating Sources: Experts vs. the Media DUE Fri

Week 8 Oct 19 Major project Conference #1 MWA 5 Major Project Proposal Memo DUE (at conference)

Online Discussion post: Blum, “What Our Telescopes Couldn’t See” by Pippa Goldschmidt Self-reflective Essay #2 due Week 9 Oct 26 Email and Other Workplace Correspondence Markel Ch 16 Proposals Executive Summaries

Online Discussion post: Blum, various selections by group MWA 4: Proposal & Executive Summary Draft DUE Weds Peer Review DUE Thurs  MWA 4 Proposal with Executive Summary DUE Fri Crane ENGL 393H

Week 10 Nov 2 Discussion: CAIB Ch 7 (assigned sections by group) Markel 17-19 (Skim)—Different kinds of reports Discuss Long Project

Online  Discussion Post: CAIB Ch 8 (all of it) Week 11 Nov 9 Long project Conference #2 MWA5 Major project outline & annotated bibliography due at conference Online  Discussion post, TBD Week 12 Nov 16  Effective Oral and Visual Presentations Markel Ch 21 Oral Presentations

Online MWA 5 Major Project Rough Draft DUE Wed Peer Review DUE Fri Week 13 Nov 23 Effective Oral Presentations, cont’d Resumes and Cover Letters Bring resume draft to class  MWA 5: Major Project DUE

Online MWA6 Rough Draft of Resume & Cover Letter DUE Wed [Type text] [Type text] [Type text]

Week 14 Nov 30 Peer review for MWA6 DUE Mon Oral Presentations

Online  MWA 6 Resume & Cover Letter DUE Wed  TBD

Week 15 Dec 7 Oral Presentations Online  TBD