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CM 445: Technical Writing for the Professions Unit 1: Audience, Purpose, Context

CM 445: Technical Writing for the Professions Unit 1: Audience, Purpose, Context. Christine Danelski, Ph.D. Unit 1: Seminar Agenda. Course outcomes Course activities Course expectations Questions. CM445-1: Apply the unique characteristics of writing in various professional fields

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CM 445: Technical Writing for the Professions Unit 1: Audience, Purpose, Context

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  1. CM 445: Technical Writing for the ProfessionsUnit 1: Audience, Purpose, Context Christine Danelski, Ph.D.

  2. Unit 1: Seminar Agenda Course outcomes Course activities Course expectations Questions

  3. CM445-1: Apply the unique characteristics of writing in various professional fields CM445-2: Evaluate various professions for technical writing opportunities CM445-3: Integrate stylistic and visual devices to make technical information accessible to general and expert audience CM445-4: Critique the writing of peers GEL-1.1: Demonstrate college-level communication through the composition of original materials in Standard American English GEL-2.2: Interpret various data formats Course Outcomes:

  4. The Syllabus • READ YOUR SYLLABUS!It is your map to success in this course and contains important information such as: • Your instructor’s office hours, IM and email address • When seminars take place • Any materials you will need • A description of the course, course outcomes and an outline • Grading rubrics used to assess sand grade your work • Grading scales • Course policies • Discussion Board (DB) information • Project due dates • Late work policies • Attendance policies • Plagiarism policies

  5. Course Activities Discussion boards: Unit 1: There are two db’s for this unit. The introductions db requires a 200-word professional biography. Include who you are, your education, background, experience, and areas of expertise (or strengths) in the field of technical writing. For the second db, students find a document that is a technical description, a technical process, or a set of instructions. Using information from the reading this week, analyze the document for its effectiveness in meeting its purpose for its intended readers, as well as the document design. Unit 2: Post a plan for your final project using the material on pages 58-62 of Writing for the Professions. Unit 3: There are two parts to this db. First post about business writing opportunities that interest you, and then answer one of the nine questions listed in the prompts for Part II. Unit 4: Respond to the two parts of the prompts on science writing. Unit 5: Respond to the two parts of the prompts on medical writing.

  6. Course Activities Discussion boards: Unit 6: Respond to the two parts of the prompts on legal writing.. Unit 7: Respond to the two parts of the prompts on technical writing. An assessment of the CLA “Apply the unique characteristics of writing in various professional fields” is part of the evaluation of this assignment. Unit 8: Summarize an article from a reliable source you have found on document review and post it to the db. Unit 9: Discuss which field or fields of professional writing best suits you. Unit 10: Discuss your particular strengths as a professional writer. Post any questions you may have about CM 450 or other questions about the BS in Communications Program.

  7. Course Activities Reading Journal Entries: In Units 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 you will write a response to the unit’s reading assignment. You will choose a topic from a variety of bullets to respond to in relation to the unit’s reading. Your response will be written for others to read and respond to as well.

  8. Course Activities Projects: Unit 2: Write an actual query letter to the editor of the magazine or journal to which you are going to submit your article. Unit 4: Pick two articles as specified in the directions and interpret the data in them. Unit 5: Part I: Write an 3 – 5 page informative paper on ulcers. Part II: Write a 1-2 page reflection on your writing challenges and process. Unit 6: Part I: Do the compare and contrast activity on the last page of Chapter 10 in Writing for the Professions. Part II: Write a 1-2 page reflection on your writing challenges and process.

  9. Course Activities Projects: Unit 7: The draft of an article for the journal that students wrote query letters for in the Unit 2 Project. Unit 8: Peer review of a peer’s Unit 7 Project. Unit 9: Final Project. A rewrite of the Unit 7 Project so as to include feedback from the instructor and peers along with the other three parts mentioned in the project description.

  10. Course Expectations • All written work for discussion boards, exercises and projects will be closely edited for paragraph and sentence construction, spelling, punctuation, and grammar.  Any borrowed information should be cited as an in-text citation in the text (in APA format) and include a full citation (in APA format) at the bottom of the post. • Extenuating circumstances regarding late work should be communicated as soon possible. • Read the assigned readings before the live seminar if that is possible.

  11. Unit 1 Definitions: Deductive Order: “Begin with the main point, then give details” (Writing for the Professions, 2008, 7).

  12. Discussion Question: Why is audience important in technical writing?

  13. Discussion Question: Why is purpose important in technical writing?

  14. Discussion Question: Why is context important in technical writing?

  15. Discussion Question: What are the benefits of organizing technical information in a deductive fashion?

  16. Discussion Question: When might you want to deviate using a deductive organization?

  17. Unit 1 Assignments • Read the first two chapters of Writing for the Professions. Read the Final Project Information pdf found in the doc sharing section of this course. • Write a professional autobiography for the Introductions discussion board. • Find a document that is a technical description, a technical process, or a set of instructions. Using information from the readings this week, analyze the document content and design for their effectiveness in meeting their purposes for their intended readers.

  18. Looking ahead to Unit 2: Pitching Ideas & Conducting Research • You will read chapter 3 in the class textbook and these two articles found in the Kaplan Library: • Castles, S. (2002). Show and tell. Writer. • Weinberg, S. (1996). The all-important query letter. Writer. • You will plan your final project using the organizational format found in Chapter 3 of Writing for the Professions. • You will compose an actual query letter to the editor of the magazine or journal to which you are going to submit your article.

  19. Thanks for attending. Feel free to contact me during the week with any questions or concerns. I usually answer all email within 24 hours (cdanelski2kaplan.edu). Also I keep my AIM icon on while I grade on Wednesday, Thursdays and Fridays. My AIM name is CDanelski2. Chris D.

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