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English 382: Advanced Technical Writing II
spring 2011
(revised-March 22)
class meeting time: T/Th 11:15AM - 12:30PM
David Toomey, instructor
office hours: Bartlett 481: T/Th T/Th 1:30-2:25 and by appointment
dtoomey@english.umass.edu
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overview:
ENGL 382 serves as the capstone course for the Professional Writing and Technical Communication
Certificate. As such, the course has two aims: 1) professionalization and 2) specialization.
1) Students will workshop their professional portfolios and learn about careers in technical writing and
information technology from working professionals. The class will feature guest speakers from a variety of
relevant fields.
2) The course will also provide students with directed opportunities to explore the theory and practice of
particular kinds of writing and technology (e.g., voiceovers, integration of text with video and film, web
site development) or to study in depth an issue related to technology and culture.
required texts:
Kidder, Tracy. The Soul of a New Machine. Boston: Back Bay Books (2000) ISBN-10: 0316491977;
ISBN-13: 978-0316491976.
Thompson, Clive (Editor). The Best of Technology Writing 2008. nn Arbor: University of Michigan
Press; Revised edition (August 22, 2008). ISBN-10: 0472033271; ISBN-13: 978-0472033270.
Johnson, Steven (Editor). The Best Technology Writing 2009. Cambridge: Yale University Press (2009).
ISBN-10: 0300154100; ISBN-13: 978-0300154108.
Dibbell, Julian (Editor). The Best Technology Writing 2010. Cambridge: Yale University Press (2010).
ISBN-10: 0300165587; ISBN-13: 978-0300165586.
All are available at Amherst Books -- 3 Main Street, Amherst MA 01002.
web resources:
The ‘career resources’ link offers one-stop shopping to job search engines, internship search engines and
job boards – most aimed at professionals and pre-professionals in technical communication and information
design. It is here:
http://www.umass.edu/pwtc/careerlinks.html
course requirements:
The main work for the course will be a final project related to the broad subject of technology and culture.
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The project may take the form of 1) a 25-page research paper or 2) a demonstrated familiarity with a
software program not taught in the PWTC Program, but useful to anyone preparing for a career in
information design.
Subjects for the research paper might include, for instance, the military beginnings of the World Wide
Web, Japanese text novels, or the “e-gap” between generations. Software for the ‘demonstrated familiarity’
might include MadCap Flare, Camtasia. Adobe Captivate, DITA or LaTeX.1
We will discuss project ideas in class (see calendar below). I must approve your choice of project.
grading:
final project: 40%
progress report: 20%
presentation: 20%
participation: 20%
You should be familiar with the assigned reading or website links by the date at which they appear on the
calendar. Brief quizzes on the reading will be administered at the beginning of class. Participation in class
and in-class writing assignments will be expected, and especially constructive and enthusiastic participation
may raise a final grade by several points.
late papers
Deadlines are important in the professional world; they will be regarded as important in this class. Please
notify me at least one class day in advance that you will be late with an assignment. You will not be
penalized for the first late paper. Each subsequent second late paper lowers your final grade half a letter
grade (e.g., from B to B-).
attendance
The classroom is an intellectual community, and your participation in that community is necessary to its
well-being. Accordingly, attendance in all class meetings is expected. If you miss more than two meetings
without sufficient cause, your final grade will be lowered by half a letter grade (e.g., from B to B-).
plagiarism
Your instructor has been known to deal quite harshly with plagiarists.
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NB: These programs are not available in the OIT Labs, and unless our situation changes, not available in
Room 210B. I recommend a 30-day download made at least a month in advance of the assignment’s due
date.
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English 382: Advanced Technical Writing II
spring 2011
course calendar
NB: dates subsequent to spring break will feature a number of guest speakers; as their schedules are subject
to change, so is this calendar. Due dates for assignments, however, are fixed.
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January
T 18
introduction to course; overview of job search
Th 20 prep: read Soul of a New Machine, chs. 1-3 (pp. 1-66);
class: discussion of reading
T
25 prep: read Soul of a New Machine, chs. 4-11 (pp. 67-220);
class: discussion of reading
Th 27 prep: read Soul of a New Machine, chs. 12-epilogue (pp. 221-291);
class: discussion of reading
February
T
1
prep: read Introduction to “The Polarization of Extremes” (pp. 1-68) in The Best
of Technology Writing 2008
class: discussion of reading
Th 3
prep: read “Fragmentary Knowledge” to “How Your Creepy Ex-Co Workers
Will Kill Facebook” (69-111);
class: discussion of reading
T 8
prep: read “The Meteor Farmer” to “The Autumn of the Multitaskers” (112171) in The Best of Technology Writing 2008
class: discussion of reading
March
Th 10
prep: read “The Brain on the Stand” to “Twilight of the Books” (172-211) in
The Best of Technology Writing 2008
class: discussion of reading
T 15
prep: read “These Images Document an Atrocity” to “The (Josh) Marshall Plan”
(212-253) in The Best of Technology Writing 2008
Th 17
prep: please bring three ideas for a final project and be prepared to discuss them
class: roundtable discussion of project ideas
T 22
Monday schedule – class does not meet
Th 24
prep: please bring three ideas for a final project and be prepared to discuss them
class: roundtable discussion of project ideas
T
prep: read introduction to “How Obama Really Did It” (pp. 1-55) in The Best
Technology Writing 2009
class: discussion of reading
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NB: those of you graduating in May and seeking employment at that time should (by this
date) have an updated resume, a portfolio of your work in progress (online and in print
form) and three people who have agreed to act as references.
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Th 3
prep: read “Why I Blog” to “Area Eccentric Reads Entire Book”
(pp. 56-100) in The Best Technology Writing 2009
class: discussion of reading
T 8
prep: read introduction to “Reflections on Lori Drew, Bullying and Strategies
for Helping Kids” to “The Street as Platform” (pp. 101-162) in The Best
Technology Writing 2009
class: discussion of reading
Th 10 prep: five-page report of progress made on your final project; come to class with
written report and prepared to discuss your progress with the class
class: discussion of progress; troubleshooting; a sharing of work so far
SPRING RECESS
T
22 prep: read “Can You Spot the Chinese Nuclear Sub” to “Gin, Television and
Cognitive Surplus” (pp. 162-218) in The Best Technology Writing 2009
class: discussion of reading
Th 24 prep: read “Introduction,” “Vanish,” “Why We Tweet,” “Thinking Machine”
and “Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable” in The Best Technology
Writing 2010
class: discussion of reading
T
29 rep: read “Do You Own Facebook? Or Does Facebook Own You?,” “The
Answer Factory,” “In Defense of Distraction,” “Global Impositioning Systems,”
“Technophilia and “The Rise and Fall of Media” in The Best Technology
Writing 2010
class: discussion of reading
Th 31 IT Summit
April
T
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prep: none
guest speaker: Professor Emeritus John Nelson, founder of PWTC.
Email for thank-yous: nelson@english.umass.edu
Student presentations begin on Thursday April 7. Each student will make a formal
presentation of his/her progress on his/her final project to the class on an assigned date.
Please understand that I do not expect your project to be complete by that date (it is not
due in complete form until May 12), but I do expect that you’ve made sufficient progress
to make an informed presentation.
Assume 20 minutes for the presentation itself, and five minutes for questions and general
discussion. This means three presentations per class meeting, which breaks down
roughly as: 11:15-11:40, 11:40-12:05 and 12:05-12:30.
Your grade, accompanied by a written evaluation, will be based 80% upon my sense of
your mastery of the subject's breadth and depth, and 20% upon the professionalism of
their presentation. On the latter count I will observe four aspects: 1) overall organization
and "smoothness," 2) evident level of preparation, and 3) if appropriate, quality of visuals
and integration of words and visuals.
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If your project is “a demonstrated familiarity with a software program,” you should show
us some of that program with visual aids (that is, the projector or handouts). If your
project is a research paper, visuals are optional. In either case, there is no written
component of the presentation.
If we/you experience technical difficulties, you will still be required to make the
presentation on the assigned day. Forging ahead in the face of glitches is good
practice for the professional world, where accidents are fairly common, and a
professional audience would not allow you to cancel or postpone. You may take
comfort in two aspects relating to such an eventuality. First, I will grade on
what you present, not on what is missing. Second, the situation may work to
your advantage, especially if you rise to the occasion. An audience witnessing
grace under pressure is likely to forgive other errors or weaknesses.
NB: To accommodate one guest speaker is yet to be scheduled, you may be
asked to present one class meeting later the date scheduled below. No one will
be asked to present earlier than that date.
Th 7
T
prep: none
class: presentations by Lake Walsh, Anna Vacha, Misha Semenov
12 prep: none
class: presentations by Matthew Maville, David Marcus, Devon Magoon
Th 14 prep: none
class: presentations by Chelsea Macary, Daniel Linzi, Artur Kulmizev
T
19 prep: none
class: presentations by Dmitry Gabriel, Tess Fetonti, Ian Detlefsen
Th 21 prep: none
guest speaker: Matt Lindberg, Senior Site Management Associate,
Outcome Sciences, Cambridge MA (PWTC ’05)
Email for thanks-yous:
matt@matthewalindberg.com
T 26
prep: none
class: presentations by Katherine Dempsey, Katie Barrell
Th 28 prep: none
guest speakers: Molly Bagshaw, Assistant Editor, Pearson Higher Education,
Boston and Alyssa Buotte, Content Editor, EBSCO Publishing in Ipswich, (both
PWTC ’08)
Emails for thanks-yous: mbagshaw5@gmail.com, alyssabuotte@gmail.com
May
T
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conclusions; evaluations.
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W 12
final project due in my mailbox (or if appropriate, posted online) by 4 PM.