University of Calgary
Faculty of Communication and Culture

 

Communications Studies (COMS) 363 - Lecture 05
PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION
Winter 2008

Lecture: TU 18:30-21:20 SS 105

 

Reading Week (No Classes): Feb 17-24, 2008

 

Instructor:	Stephanie Rakowski-Reid
Office Location:	N/A
Office Phone:	N/A
E-Mail:	reidsL@telusplanet.net
Office Hours:	by appointment only

Additional Information

Students are welcome to contact the instructor by e-mail with any questions, comments or concerns about the course. Responses will be made within 24 hours. If a response has not been received in 24 hours, please send another e-mail to ensure the communication was received.

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 discussion will help students develop knowledge and experience 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:

Graves, H. & Graves, R. (2007).  A strategic guide to technical communication. Peterborough: Broadview Press.

Additional readings and resource materials will be posted on the course Blackboard site.

Assignments and Evaluation

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.

Note: All assignments must be submitted electronically through Blackboard no later than 17:00 on the assignment due date. No paper copies will be accepted, with the exception of the final project.

 

Assignment	Weighting	Due Date
Presentation	10%	Various
Instructions	10%	Feb 5
Project Proposal (Group)	15%	Feb 12
Rhetorical Analysis	15%	Mar 4
Writing in the Workplace Memo	15%	Mar 25
Final Presentation (Group)	10%	Apr 8/15
Final Project Report (Group)	20%	April 18
Attendance and Participation	5%	Ongoing

Assignment Details

Complete assignment descriptions will be available on Blackboard. A copy of grading criteria pertinent to each assignment will be posted in Blackboard and discussed in class prior to each assignment's due date. It is each student's responsibility to be informed of assignment criteria that is posted in Blackboard and is discussed during lectures. This will ensure no unnecessary grading deductions need to be applied for missing or misunderstood elements in assignments.  

Grade Concerns and Disputes

Students are welcome to contact the instructor to discuss questions or concerns about graded assignments. All disputes over graded assignments must be submitted through e-mail to the instructor with ample explanation justifying why a raised grade is warranted.

Note: Students must wait for 24 hours after a graded assignment is handed back before submitting any grade disputes.

Referencing

All assignments must follow proper APA referencing style unless otherwise indicated by the instructor.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination:   No

Please note: If your class is held in the evening, the Registrar's Office will make every attempt to schedule the final exam during the evening; however, there is NO guarantee that the exam will NOT be scheduled during the day.

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 day late. Arrangements for late submissions must be made prior to the due date in order for any late penalties to be waived.

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. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. 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: www.efwr.ucalgary.ca

Grading System

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

A+ (96-100); A (92-95); A- (86-91); B+ (81-85); B (77-80); B- (71-76);
C+ (65-70); C (62-64); C- (59-61); D+ (55-58); D (50-54); F (0-49)

 

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 non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS 106, efwr.ucalgary.ca) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

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 your 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.  Your 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

 

A list of the assigned weekly readings schedule will be available on Blackboard.