ENGL 406: Topics in Professional Writing
Prerequisite: ENGL 306
Three hours lecture (3)
Investigation of a professional writing topic of current or continuing interest not normally covered in regularly scheduled courses. Topic announced with each offering of the course.
Note(s): Humanistic or Artistic Expression designated course. May be taken twice for credit under different topic titles.
Detailed Description of Content of Course
The course builds on the content of ENGL 306 (“Professional Writing”) with additional instruction and assignments in writing for non-academic audiences. Though the topic will change depending on instructor preference, students will always prepare different types of assignments designed for different audiences. Students write a formal analysis of an article on a professional writing subject, analyzing rhetorical devices such as its opening and closing, its strategies in presenting material, its pace, and its use of graphics. In addition, students write software documentation to meet an actual need for user instructions. Students also write at least one article on professional writing designed for publication in a specific journal.
Some examples of topics include, but are not limited to
•Digital Literacies: understanding and evaluating the dynamics of networked environments and expression in digital spaces by examining their social, cultural, political, legal, ethical, and rhetorical dimensions
•Document Design: understanding and evaluating the best practices related to the design of professional documents, both printed and electronic, including print (posters and forms), audio (podcasts), audiovisual (videos), and digital (websites/content management systems).
•Usability and Accessibility: understanding the best practices of expressing professional documents in usable and inclusive ways and creative experiences to test for usability and accessibility
Students use a variety of texts, including a textbook on a professional writing topic, newspaper and magazine articles, government documents, and corporate publications. Students analyze print and online documents and read in the textbook, to prepare to discuss effective strategies for expressing information to the general public, such as how to write openings that encourage readers to read on and how to explain scientific and technical material to lay readers. The students may also research a newspaper's circulation, distribution, and coverage of science and technology, and share the information with the class. Or students may evaluate a complex website such as NASA’s that presents information to different kinds of audiences; this evaluation is shared with the class.
Peer review of the drafts of the writing assignments helps students develop their ability to offer substantive recommendations for revision of a document in a manner that is positive and supportive.
Each proposal for a new Topics in Professional Writing course is accompanied by an additional detailed description of the contents for that particular course. That description includes the primary and secondary readings that will be the central features of the course. The description will also include the nature and purposes of writing assignments as well as the nature and purposes of any projects, performances or field experiences that will be a part of the course.
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
Lecture, instructor-led discussion, peer review of the drafts of the writing assignments, and student-led discussion of technical articles and other documents.
Each proposal for a new Topics in Professional Writing course is accompanied by an additional detailed description of how that particular course will be conducted. This description details the kinds of instruction students will receive: student-instructor interactions as well as participation, if any, by a person or persons other than the instructor and enrolled students.
Goals and Objectives of Course
Students who have successfully completed this course will be able to:
•Develop effective discussions of professional writing subjects designed for different audiences and a variety of formats.
•Offer substantial constructive feedback on drafts of such documents.
•Present orally a critique of a document involving professional writing.
•Use visual design principles and graphics to enhance communication in documents designed for different audiences.
Additionally, students who have successfully completed this course will be able to meet the following goal and objectives from the REAL General Education Model:
•Learning Goal: To explore humanistic or artistic expression through inquiry or creativity.
oLearning Outcome 1: Students demonstrate understanding of diverse ideas, languages, products, or processes of humanistic inquiry or artistic expression.
oLearning Outcome 2: Students critically evaluate, synthesize, or create forms of human expression or inquiry.
Each proposal for a new Topics in Professional Writing course is accompanied by an additional detailed description of the course’s goals and objectives.
Assessment Measures
The user documentation, newspaper articles, article analysis, and the student-led discussion are graded to determine the student’s progress and his or her final grade for the course.
Each proposal for a new Topics in Professional Writing course is accompanied by an additional detailed description of how the students’ performances are to be evaluated.
Other Course Information
Specific topics for ENGL 406 do not replicate the content of established, regularly offered courses. Instead, they provide opportunities for students to study material not addressed in established courses.
Review and Approval
March 27, 2017
October, 2009
March 01, 2021