Technical/Professional Writing I

Dr. Carla Kungl | email: ctkung@ship.edu | office: DHC 007; 477-1716 ; DHC 216 (CASA) | Office hours at CASA: MW 9:oo-12:00 and by appointment

Helpful links: d2l.ship.edu | Learning Center | English Department

TEXT

Markel, Mike. Practical Strategies for Technical Communication. 3rd ed. Bedford/St Martins, 2018.
Book companion website (if you have the launchpad version; not needed!): https://www.macmillanhighered.com/launchpad/ps3e/12598247#/start

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This technical writing course is designed to help you learn how to read and analyze academic material; how to write formal, research‑based documents; how to conduct primary and secondary research; how to work collaboratively to finish a project; how to deliver an effective oral presentation; how to use technical writing conventions; and how to use advanced features of Microsoft Office. The overall goal of the course is to help you become a more capable and more confident reader and writer as you learn to create documents that are appropriate for a specific audience and purpose.

Among the tasks you will complete in this course are: memos, business letters, a status report, and a resume and a cover letter. You will also learn how to work collaboratively and to deliver your findings orally in front of your colleagues. Your major project for the course, a researched Recommendation Report, will bring together all the aspects of a long technical document, including appropriate graphics, front and back matter, correct documentation style, and effective document design.

Below you will find very basic overview of my course policies, some of the univerity's policies, and your grade distribution. Please take the time to read the complete version as well.   

COURSE POLICIES

COVID Risk Mitigation: Students must wear a face mask at all times in class and in the campus classroom buildings. More information about individual’s responsibility to protect the health and well-being of the entire campus community can be found on SU’s website. 

Attendance: Your attendance and participation are essential. Be prepared, have something to say about each chapter, listen attentively to one another, and respond honestly and helpfully to the written work of others. Collaborative work requires 100% effort from all group members, though you may divide work as you see fit. Be on time. Turn everything in on time. 

If you need to miss class for a day or two, please feel free to do so; I don’t need an excuse, but it would be nice to get a heads-up so I know you’re ok. If you have more than four or five absences, I will begin to wonder if I can grade you by the same standards as other students and if you therefore ought not to pass. If you miss more than 6 classes--which works out to nearly 1/3 of the class--you will not pass. I will take attendance each class period. If you need to be late to class, please take your seat quietly when you arrive and be ready to contribute. 

Regardless of the reason, if you miss or are late to a class you are nonetheless responsible for obtaining handouts or assignment, turning in homework or other assignments, for finding out about any changes in the syllabus (check our website), and for arriving prepared for the next class. Contact a classmate or me to get caught up.

SPRING 2022 caveat: If you are ill, please do not come to class. Your health and well-being are important to me, and not coming to class is also the best way to protect others around you. If I get notification on your need to quarantine, such absences obviously don’t count against you. But your attendance except for this period of time should be exceptional, so you can keep up overall.  

If you are out for quarantine, you need to email me immediately. I will work with you to make sure you don’t fall behind. I won’t record class sessions that you can watch later, since I don’t usually lecture and it is hard to capture a broad-based class discussion. But I will let you know if the schedule has changed and where to find handouts and homework if not specified on the website; you should also email me with questions--in fact, I’ll expect it. If you like, we can meet over Zoom during office hours. Otherwise, you should be able to follow along and turn in work. That said, it can be extraordinarily hard to stay caught up if you are ill or in quarantine, and I have a very broad policy concerning make-up work that is due during the time you are out. We’ll make it work.  

Participation: Participation consists of: promptness, taking part in discussion, completion of in-class work and homework, preparation, readiness on editing workshop days, and responsible group collaboration on larger projects. This offers you a broad base for achievement.

Handing in Work:  This semester I've created a “time bank” for assignment due dates: you can either hand in one assignment 2 days late or two assignments 1 one day late. Declare your intention beforehand! Otherwise, grades on late assignments will fall one letter grade for each day late (but mostthings can be turned in on d2l as opposed to in- person, so I feel you should be okay) Time banks don't apply to collaborative work.

Reading Quizzes: Unless I specify otherwise, the self-study quizzes found at our book’s site are to be taken the Tuesday before each class, for that week’s chapters. You will log into d2l to find these quizzes (either under "Content" or under "Quizzes"). There is no time limit, and you can take them again, and these are open book, so…do well!

Conferences/Help: Please do not hesitate to see me during student support office hours or to set up a conference. You are also strongly encouraged to seek help from the tutors in the Elnetta G. Jones University Center for Student Success and Exploratory Studies, located in Mowery Hall. See Student Success Center for more information. If you are a student with a disability and would like to discuss special academic accommodations, contact me during my office hours.

Campus Policies and Support Services

Plagiarism: plagiarism is the submission of work done by another with the intent that it be evaluated as one's own. Plagiarism is against university policy and is a very serious transgression. If a student is caught intentionally plagiarizing, that student will fail the course and I will take appropriate action at the university level. Please SEE ME if you have any questions concerning what consititutes plagiarism or academic dishonesty.

Title IX mandatory syllabus statement: Shippensburg University and its faculty are committed to assuring a safe and productive educational environment for all students. In order to comply with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the University’s commitment to offering supportive measures in accordance with the 2020 regulations issued under Title IX, the University requires faculty members to report incidents of sexual violence shared by students to the University's Title IX Coordinator at title9@ship.edu or by calling 717.477.1161. The only exceptions to the faculty member's reporting obligation are when incidents of sexual violence are communicated by a student during: 1. a classroom discussion; 2. in a writing assignment for a class; 3. or as part of a University-approved research project. Faculty members are obligated to report sexual violence or any other abuse of a student who was, or is, a child (a person under 18 years of age) when the abuse allegedly occurred to the person designated in the University protection of minors policy found at Equity, Inclusion and Compliance. Information regarding the reporting of sexual violence and the resources that are available to victims of sexual violence is set forth at the following Equity, Inclusion and Compliance.

GRADE DISTRIBUTION:

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