RWS 305W
Spring 2014
Writing for Engineers
Dr. Steve Merriam
smerriam@mail.sdsu.edu
Office: SH 120B / 619-594-6331
Office Hours: M/W 1:00-2:00pm
Course Description
RWS 305 builds on the rhetorical models that students discover and practice in earlier 100- and 200-level
courses, such as attention to audience, purpose, presentation, evidence, research and language. As an
intermediate writing course, this specific section of 305 offers you the opportunity to develop, compose and
evaluate the forms of communication you will encounter in your lives as professional engineers (i.e., memos,
manuals, proposals, presentations, reports). In other words, you will respond to academic tasks and practice
communication in a wider variety of genres that require research methods and communication styles specific to
the engineering profession. As writing engineers, you will also be asked to reflect on the effectiveness of your
own styles within rhetorical contexts. Our goal is to aid your success both as a student and as a working
engineer once you graduate.
Rhetoric and Engineering
Because engineers communicate information to non-engineering audiences as well as other engineers, they
must understand the communication requirements for different groups. For example:
 What does an engineer understand in a technical report that an executive might not?
 Why do managers and engineers look at proposals differently?
 Why is it important to understand the role of technical content in formal and informal presentations?
These questions suggest that your audience for engineering communication will likely have its own motivation,
goals and level of expertise. The better you understand this, the better your chances of communicating
important ideas successfully. Throughout the semester, we will address the “rhetorical triad”—the concepts of
audience, purpose and context—as a way of improving all of the engineering documents and presentations you
create and evaluate.
Verbal Communication
We will also emphasize verbal communication. In job postings and performance reviews, managers always
stress the importance of an engineer’s ability to speak well in varied situations. Your “verbal confidence” can be
your career’s catalyst—or its hindrance. Throughout this course we will incorporate verbal communication
strategies into exercises, short presentations and group work. By the end of the course you should be more
comfortable speaking to individuals and groups.
Collaboration
This course assumes that engineers never work alone. They refer to precedents, they connect with other
engineers and lead design teams. They explain complicated information to executives, technical writers,
marketing professionals and interested members of the public who have no background in engineering (like
me). You will discover very quickly—during our first project, in fact—that the most highly valued engineers are
those who work effectively in varied teams. The course will provide a theoretical framework for writing-ascollaboration, and follow with a practical application in the final course project: an engineering Failure
Investigation Report (FIR).
Required Texts
Beer, David and McMurrey, David. A Guide to Writing as an Engineer. 4th ed., Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2013.
Assignments and Grading
Assignment
Resume, Cover Letter, Job Posting
Instructional Text (group)
Proposal Memo (group)
Presentation (group)
Failure Investigation Report (group)
Reading Quizzes (individual)
Participation (group/individual)
Total
Points
15
15
10
10
20
20
10
100
Course Policies
Course Culture
This is a course in collaborative written and verbal communication, so you should endeavor to participate in our
meetings as much as you can. I assume that you are strong students and budding professionals, and I run this
course like a series of professional business meetings. As such, I expect your attention and engagement while I
am leading discussions. Typically, I present information for a portion of our meeting, then break everyone out to
work on projects together, usually case studies. These case studies relate directly to material we discuss each
time we meet, and will often contribute tangibly to your final project. In our meetings, you should share
appropriate ideas and observations from both your academic and professional life as an engineer.
Attendance
It is imperative that you attend our meetings; three or more missed meetings without excuse (missing over
one week) will reduce your participation grade by two points, with each successive absence reducing by one
point. We also begin on time, often by taking a quiz, so be punctual. Finally, please come to each meeting
prepared to discuss the day’s work as indicated on the calendar and readings. This is a case of mutual
preparedness and respect, not only for me, but more importantly, for your colleagues. In general no meeting
work can be made up.
Course Readings
Complete all reading assignments before our meeting. Even though we may not discuss the readings directly,
you are responsible for understanding information in the Beer text.
Quizzes
You will take nine quizzes this semester. All quizzes will be given at the beginning of the meeting and will
cover reading in the Beer text for that week. Near the end of the semester, you will be allowed to take/retake
one quiz. You may either (a) retake one quiz that you have taken before, or (b) take one quiz that you missed
earlier in the semester. The score you earn on these makeup quizzes becomes the final, definitive score for that
quiz. See the calendar for the quiz retake date. Quizzes will only be given during our meetings.
Writing Assignment/Project Requirements
We will review specific requirements for case studies, assignments and projects in class, and you’ll find project
descriptions, handouts, samples and other supplemental material for each deliverable on Blackboard. Submit
written work on the date indicated on the calendar. All documents (resumes, memos, reports, manuals) must be
prepared with appropriate software and must conform to the conventions of the genre. In particular, I may ask
you to resubmit any memo that varies significantly from the specified class format.
Evaluating Your Work
I make every effort to evaluate formal written assignments quickly, but I will review your resumes and cover
letters especially carefully. I may take extra time assessing those documents for reasons I will discuss during
an early meeting. Plan on submitting most of your work both in hard copy and via Turnitin. Also, as the semester
progresses, please place a copy of all group projects in your group’s file share folder on Blackboard.
Late Work
Submit all deliverables for the course on time and in the conventions of the genre. Try to avoid late work.
However, you can receive an extension for good cause if you (a) contact me before the project is due by means
of a formal memo in which you explain the reason for the delay and (b) propose a reasonable deadline in the
memo (less than one week), which you then keep. The memo is a contract. Failure to keep the new deadline
breaks the contract, and I won’t accept your work. You can use this option no more than once in a semester.
Grades
Each document or presentation you prepare reflects your knowledge and establishes your professional image.
Grades are determined by total points acquired, course ranking, and my judgment. I will provide a grading scale
that describes evaluation criteria for each project and assignment. I have also created a weighted column in
Blackboard’s Grade Book so you may see your course standing at all times. There is no other curve other than
the standards generated locally and the standards made explicit and implied through my presentations and
assignments. Note: If you are taking RWS 305W for C/NC, you must complete all projects for credit in the
course.
Group Work
Around the fifth week of class, I will place you in groups of three. Group work constitutes a significant portion of
your final grade. If you are not prepared to devote time outside of our meetings to group work, you should not
attempt this course. I have reserved meeting time later in the semester for your group to work on the final
project, and I will be available for consultation during that time. If you have any problems within your group that,
after patient travail, you cannot resolve, please see me. Coping with the challenges of collaboration helps you
become a better engineer.
Texting and Laptop Use
Please refrain from texting during our meetings, and use your laptop only for course work during our time
together. If I notice that a student is not honoring this request, I will, after one warning, mark that student absent
and may ask the student to leave. Remember, train yourself to think of this course as a series of recurring
professional meetings within your particular engineering field. You may never again have the opportunity to
practice skills you learn here.
Students with Disabilities
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your
responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any delay in the receipt of your
accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that
accommodations are not retroactive, and that I cannot provide accommodations based upon disability until I
have received an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services.
Plagiarism
While plagiarism is unlikely due to the individualized nature of the assignments, any writing suspected of
plagiarism may result in a failing grade, withdrawal, or in extensive revisions. Plagiarism is a violation of Title 5,
California Administrative Code, Part 5, Section 4130(a) and is to be taken seriously. See Academic Honesty on
Blackboard.
Come See Me for Help
I have dedicated office hours for this course. I encourage you to make an appointment to see me (to ensure that
you receive enough individual attention), or you can email me with any question or comment.
Final Grade Breakdown
Below you will find the final grade point breakdown for RWS 305. To determine your grade at any time during
the semester, check the Weighted Total column on the Blackboard Grade Book. If the number after the decimal
point of your weighted grade falls between the whole numbers below, I will round up to the next whole number
(e.g., if your weighted total is 86.68%, I will round that score up to 87.00, not 89.00%).
93.33 - 100.00%
90.00 - 93.00%
86.66 - 89.99%
83.33 - 86.33%
80.00 - 83.00%
76.66 - 79.99%
73.33 - 76.33%
70.00 - 73.00%
60.00 - 69.99%
50.00 - 59.99%
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
Note: As the instructor, I reserve the right to examine and reconsider individual grades in terms of attendance,
collaborative effort and punctuality.