english 461syllabus
spring 2009

instructor: dr. patricia freitag ericsson	ericsson@wsu.edu
spring 2009	phone:  335-4820
office: avery 223	office hours:  by appointment

Quick link to schedule

Catalog description: Practices in technical and professional writing and the theories that challenge and/or legitimize those practices.
Prerequisite: Engl 402 or 403. This prerequisite is being enforced. You may not take this course without first completing ENGL 402 or 403.

course objectives
Content
To introduce and engage key issues in technical and professional writing
Critical Thinking
To explore the relationships between practices in technical and professional writing and the theories that challenge and/or legitimize those practices
Written Communication
To practice technical and professional writing principles studied

required texts
Tim Peeples Professional Writing and Rhetoric: Readings from the Field
Cheryl Ball and Kristin Arola ix visual exercises for tech comm (CD)

attendance and assignments policy
To successfully complete this class, you must faithfully attend class and complete all assignments. Because we will be working collaboratively on many assignments, your regular attendance is vital.
---More than three absences will seriously jeopardize your grade; after five absences you will fail the class;
---Extensive tardiness will be considered in assessing absences;
--- Planned absences must be discussed and OK’d by the teacher prior to the absence; planned absences count in the total of absences;
---Acceptance of late work is unusual and must be discussed in conference with the teacher. Late work will receive a lowered grade if turned in within one week of the original due date. Work turned in later than one week past the original due date will be give an automatic grade of F.

WSU accommodation policy
Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have a documented disability. Please notify the instructor during the first week of class of any accommodations needed for the course. Late notification may cause the requested accommodations to be unavailable. All accommodations must be approved through the Disability Resource Center (DRC) in Administration Annex 206, 335-1566.

academic honesty
All students are expected to act in accordance with the WSU policies on Academic Honesty found in the Student Handbook. These policies include falsification of information, fabrication of information, plagiarism, multiple submission, and various others. Information about these policies can be found online at the WSU Academic Dishonesty site. These policies will be discussed in class and students will be asked to acknowledge that discussion and a basic understanding of the policies.

assignments
Assignments are more fully detailed on the Schedule page.

Reading Questions
The teacher will often provide reading questions for an assignment. Your answers should refer to specific sections of the reading assignment and should include page-number citations to the referenced sections of the assignment.

Short Papers/Projects
You will complete three short papers or projects (approximately 5 pages each) for this course. Prompts for these assignments will be provided. At least one of these will be completed in class.

Visual Design Project
This project will be based on the Ball/Arola CD. Details will be provided later.

Resume/Portfolio Project
This project will be based on individual student needs. Resumes and portfolios for job searches or graduate/professional school applications will be developed.

grading

Reading questions	10%
Short papers/projects (3)	36%
Visual design project	20%
Resume/Portfolio project	24%
Class participation and discussion	10%