ENGL 2030 Introduction to Technical Writing

Catalog Description

Prerequisite:  ENGL 1005B, ENGL 1010, or equivalent.  Introduction to the methods of and practice in critiquing, organizing, developing, and expressing technical information and ideas to a variety of audiences; emphasis on understanding the rhetorical situation and developing a clear style. 

Credit Hours: 3 lecture hour(s) per week.
Grading: ABCDF.

Course Description

ENGL 2030, Introduction to Technical Writing, offers instruction in designing effective print and digital technical documents, with particular emphasis on common genres, such as instructions, procedures, definitions, descriptions, specifications, reports, and manuals. In addition, this course provides students with the opportunity to develop further their rhetorical skills and to refine their composing and revision practices and their development of a clear and effective style.

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate an understanding of their own writing processes;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of how people read, use and respond to documents;
3. Analyze specific audiences and situations and translate that analysis into effective communication strategies;
4. Demonstrate an understanding of how text organization and the overall design of a document contributes to its effectiveness;
5. Demonstrate techniques for communicating specialist (often technical and scientific) material to non-expert audiences;
6. Demonstrate techniques for improving the clarity and concision of their prose;
7. Write in a variety of genres common in technical writing, such as instructions, procedures, definitions, descriptions, specifications, reports, and manuals
8. Demonstrate an understanding of the writing process as it occurs in professional settings, including:
   1. Working collaboratively with experts, editors, and other writers
   2. Revising documents in response to feedback from experts, editors, and other writers
   3. Testing documents with actual users of those documents
   4. Arriving at meetings and submitting work on time
9. Understand and practice principles of ethical communication

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