COMS 363 W08 L06

University of Calgary

Faculty of Communication and Culture

Communications Studies (COMS) 363 - Lecture 06

PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION

Winter 2008

Lecture: TH 18:30-21:20 ST 125

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

 

Instructor:	Helen Lansdell
Office Location:	N/A
Office Phone:	N/A
E-Mail:	hclansde@ucalgary.ca
Office Hours:	by appointment only

Contact

Send me your questions, comments, and/or concerns about the course by e-mail. Expect a response by the following business day.

Conduct

Classroom conduct will be discussed during the first class. Minimally, courtesy is expected (e.g., cell phones turned off during class time) and participation is required (e.g., laptops used only for work on COMS 363 during class time).

Course Description

COMS 363 provides an introduction to professional and technical communication, both written and oral. 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.

Course Objectives

Students will learn to write and present effectively in a variety of professional contexts.

• Rhetorical principles regarding how to adapt and present information for different audiences, purposes and genres.
• Basic knowledge of the contexts in which professional and technical communication are used.
• Critical thinking, critical reading and rhetorical analysis skills.
• Individual and collaborative research, writing, editing, and presentation skills.
• Professional and technical conventions for common genres, including 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 Blackboard and/or handed out in class.

Assignments and Evaluation

You are responsible to retain a copy of your 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	Weight	Due Date
Participation & Quizzes during Class	15%	Ongoing
Rhetorical Analysis	15%	Feb 7
Project Proposal (Team)	10%	Feb 28
Interview and Instructions	15%	Mar 13
Status Report (Memo)	15%	Mar 27
Final Presentation (Team)	10%	Apr 10/17
Final Project Report (Team)	20%	April 17

Assignment Details

Complete assignment descriptions will be available on Blackboard and distributed during class. The grading criteria for each assignment will be discussed in class well before the assignment due date and posted for reference on Blackboard.

It is your responsibility to be informed of the assignment scope, criteria, due date, and submission requirements. Avoid the disappointment of unnecessary grading deductions. Ask questions and clarify your understanding well before the assignment is due.

Grading

Contact me by e-mail to arrange a meeting to discuss questions or concerns with graded assignments. Be prepared to support your argument for a better grade with ethos and logos; pathos will not suffice.

Referencing

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

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 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 the mechanics of grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc., and the stylistic considerations of clarity, organization, and voice. Research papers must be properly documented.

If you need help with your writing, use the Writing Centre (SS 106). Details of the help available can be found at the Writing Centre website (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

To be discussed during the first class and posted on Blackboard.