Communications Studies (COMS) 363 - Lecture 02
Professional and Technical Communication

Winter 2008
Tuesday & Thursday, 9:30 - 10:45

ES054 (classroom) or SS018/SS020 (computer lab)

 

Instructor:	Julie Vouri
Office Location:	SS209 (Shared office)
Office Phone:	(Shared phone with no voice mail. Contact via e-mail instead.)
E-mail:	jvouri@ucalgary.ca
Office Hours:	By appointment

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to professional and technical communication, including both writing and oral presentation. Students will learn the rhetorical dimensions of communication in workplace settings as well as the processes involved in planning, composing and delivering professional technical documents and presentations for a variety of audiences. Guided practice and peer review will help students develop expertise in visual, electronic, print and face-to-face communication.

Objectives of the Course

This course aims to equip students with fundamental knowledge and skills to write and speak more effectively and ethically in a variety of professional contexts. Students will learn:

• Rhetorical principles regarding how to construct and adapt information for different audiences, purposes and genres.
• Basic knowledge of some current social, organizational and technological contexts in which professional and technical communication are used.
• Critical thinking, critical reading and textual-rhetorical analysis skills.
• Individual and collaborative research, drafting, document review, revision and presentation skills.
• Professional and technical conventions regarding professionalism, common genres, document design, organization, style, grammar and diction.

Textbooks and Readings

This course has two required sources of information:

• Alred, G. J., Brusaw, C. T., & Oliu, W. E. (2006). Handbook of Technical Writing (7^th ed. or 8^th ed.). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. Available at the bookstore.
• Additional information as posted in Blackboard or handed out in class.

Assignments and Evaluation

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each assignment submitted. All assignments are to be completed individually, except where noted.

 

NOTE: Submit your assignments at the start of class (unless otherwise directed). If it is not possible to do so, a daytime drop box is available in SS110; a date stamp is provided for your use. A night drop box is also available outside SS110 for after-hours submission. Assignments will be removed the following morning, stamped with the previous day's date, and placed in the instructor's mailbox.

 

• Personal goal memo - 2% <Jan 22>
• Project proposal and team contract (team) - 10% <Feb 7>
• Rhetorical analysis (team) - 8% <Mar 4>
• Editing project - 12% <Mar 13>
• Interpersonal communication memo report - 15% <Mar 20>
• Email status report - 8% <Apr 3>
• Research & recommendation report (team) - 15% <Apr 15>
• Presentation of research area (team) - 10% <Apr 15, Apr 17>
• Participation (in-class individual & team exercises) - 5% <various>
• Pop quizzes - readings and lecture - 15% <throughout the term>

 

NOTES:

• Satisfactory completion of individual work is a requirement to pass the course.
• Satisfactory participation on the team project work is a requirement to pass the course.

 

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination

No

 

Policy for Late Assignments

Assignments submitted after the deadline may be penalized with the loss of a grade (e.g., A- to B+) for each calendar day late, and assignments more than five calendar days late may be given a grade of "F" and no feedback can be expected.

 

To appeal for extensions, students must promptly submit an acceptable form of documentation for the illness (or other extenuating circumstance) to the instructor.

 

Writing Skills Statement

Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc.) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented.

 

If you need help with your writing, you may use the Writing Centre. Visit the website for more details: http://www.efwr.ucalgary.ca/.

 

Grading System

The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

 

A+/A (4.0); A- (3.7); B+ (3.3); B (3.0); B- (2.7); C+ (2.3);
C (2.0); C- (1.7); D+ (1.3); D (1.0); F (0)

 

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.

 

You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people's words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in nontraditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

 

Please consult the instructor or the Effective Writing Centre (SS105, http://www.efwr.ucalgary.ca/) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources. For help with APA style, you can also refer to http://www.efwr.ucalgary.ca/efwr/files/efwr/apa.pdf or the textbook.

 

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with the instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union

For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture, see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/su.

 

"SAFEWALK" Program - 220-5333

Campus Security will escort individuals day or night. Call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Ethics

Whenever you perform research with human participants (i.e. surveys, interviews, observation) as part of your university studies, you are responsible for following university research ethics guidelines. The instructor must review and approve of your research plans and supervise your research. For more information about your research ethics responsibilities, see the U of C Research Ethics "Information for Applicants," sections 3.0 to 9.0, inclusive: http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/research/html/ethics/info_undergrad.html.

 

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

See Blackboard for the schedule of lectures and readings.