WR 227Z Technical Writing
Lecture Hours: 4
Credits: 4
WR 227Z introduces students to producing instructive, informative, and persuasive technical/professional documents aimed at well-defined and achievable outcomes. The course focuses on presenting information using rhetorically appropriate style, design, vocabulary, structure, and visuals. Students can expect to gather, read, and analyze information and to learn a variety of strategies for producing accessible, usable, reader-centered deliverable documents that are clear, concise, and ethical.
Prerequisite: WR 121Z , WR 122Z , or BA 214 ; or consent of instructor. (All prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.)
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Apply key rhetorical concepts through analyzing, designing, composing, and revising a variety of deliverable documents for technical/professional contexts.
- Engage in project-based research, applying appropriate methods of inquiry for clearly defined purposes (e.g., user experience research and client/organization research).
- Collaborate with various stakeholders to develop and apply flexible and effective strategies for managing projects.
- Develop and adapt document design and composition strategies to meet the demands of diverse clients, organizations, and multicultural audiences.
- Examine and respond to individual and professional ethical responsibilities across organizational contexts.
- Navigate norms of format, style, citation, and other context-specific conventions
Statewide General Education Outcomes:
- Read actively, think critically and write purposefully and capably for academic and, in some cases, professional audiences.
- Locate, evaluate and ethically utilize information to communicate effectively.
- Demonstrate appropriate reasoning in response to complex issues.
Content Outline
Introduction to Technical Writing
- Definition of technical writing
- Objectivity versus subjectivity
- Ethical considerations
- Practicality - essential, accurate, timely information
- Purpose: information, recommendation, instruction, definition, process analysis
- Collaboration
- Document design and format
Document Design and Usability - Making Effective Use
- Computer technology
- Specific, concise language
- Lists (bullets, numbers)
- Parallel constructions
- Appropriate diction
- Organizational and sequencing techniques
- Visual elements (tables, figures)
Avoiding Common Technical Writing Errors
- Ambiguity
- Redundancies
- Offensive or inappropriate usage
Report Writing
- Instructions, narration, process
- Description
- Definition
- Summaries/abstracts
- Proposals/feasibility studies
- Research with documentation
- Formal
- Informal (including email)
Research and Information Literacy
- Determine nature and extent of information needed
- Access relevant information (print and electronic)
- Evaluate information and its sources
- Integrate research with appropriate documentation
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