TR 12:00-1:15Room: 232

English 3153
Technical Writing

Instructor: Dr. Will Kurlinkus

E-Mail: wkurlinkus@gmail.com
Website: English3153b.wordpress.com
Office: Gittinger 307A
Office Hours: 11-12, 1:-30-3 TR

Overview

Materials

From the most basic lab report to medical aftercare instructions, from
museum displays to airplane safety guidesin English 3153, students
learn to analyze and produce technical documents across a variety of
settings. In particular this course will take a user-centered research
approach to writing for science, workplace, and consumer settings.

Goals
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Learn to produce technical communication genres,

Learn to respond to the rhetorical situations of professional
settings, designing documents in specific ways for specific
audiences,
Learn to work, write, and present collaboratively.

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Steve Krug: Rocket Surgery

Made Easy
Notebook
Other readings made
available online

Assignments
1. Application Packet: 20%
2. Genre Instruction Set: 25%
3. Popular Translation: 15%
4. Usability Test: 25%

Attendance, Participation, Late Work

5. Participation: 10%

Attendance is vital to your ability to understand course material. Each

unexcused absence after four will result in the lowering of your
participation grade by a half a letter grade. Six unexcused absences
will automatically result in failing the course. There will be an
attendance sheet passed around each day of class. It is your
responsibility to sign it each day. Late submission of a final assignment
will result in the deduction of 1/3 of a letter grade for each day late.
Skipping a peer review will, similarly, result in a 1/3 deduction.

6. Journals, Quizzes, etc.: 5%

Access

4. Listen

Students requiring academic accommodation should contact the

Disability Resource Center for assistance at
http://www.ou.edu/drc/home.html Any student who has a disability
that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities
should contact me personally ASAP so we can discuss
accommodations to ensure full educational opportunities.

Technical Writing

Tips
1. Attend All Classes
2. Ask Questions
3. Come to Office Hours

5. Take Studio Time Seriously

6. Take Journals Seriously
7. Imagine the texts you produce in
this class as writing samples for a
future career.

Introduction
T!8.25!
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R!8.27!
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When!Patients!Read!What!Their!Doctors!Write;!http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/229818;!!
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3021394/evidence/theHsecretsHofHaHmemorableHinfographic!
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Rhetoric,!tech!writing,!and!userHcenteredness!
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Create!infographics;!Create!WordPress!
"What!are!the!Work!Patterns!of!Technical!Communicators?"!Bill!HartHDavidson!
UserHCentered!Document!Design:!Dual!Streams,!Headings,!and!Bullets:!
http://www.copyblogger.com/scannableHcontent/!
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Practice!scannable!practices;!scannability!and!resumes;!!
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Introduce!Assignment!1!

Unit 1: Application Packet

T!9.1!
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How!to!Get!a!Job.!Philip!Kolin:!159H174.!!
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Job!search!discussions;!finding!and!analyzing!job!ads;!CV!production!

R!9.3!
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T!9.8!
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Obtaining!a!Job.!Paul!Anderson:!22H45;!Non$Designers:!15H48.!
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Resume!production;!analyzing!resumes;!visual!rhetoric!

R!9.10!
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Going!to!an!Interview.!Kolin:!205H212;!ReaderHCentered!Letters.!Anderson:!470H481.!
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Interviews!and!followHups;!EHSignatures;!professional!Emails!

T!9.15!!

[DUE]:'Peer!Review.!Draft!of!1!resume,!1!cover!letter,!and!1!thank!you!letter!

Writing!Your!Job!Application!Letter.!Anderson:!46H58;!Non$Designers:!49H78.!
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Cover!letter!production;!analyzing!cover!letters;!showing!vs.!telling!

Unit 2: Genre Instruction Set'

R!9.17!

Using!Genres!to!Read!Scenes!of!Writing.!Devitt,!Reiff,!and!Bawarshi:!48H73!&!93H94.!
Introduce!Assignment!2.1;!Genre!scavenger!hunt;!parts!of!genre!analysis!!

T!9.22!

Intertextuality!and!the!Discourse!Community.!James!Porter:!86H97.!!
Complicating!genre;!ethos,!pathos,!logos!in!technical!genres;!understanding!short!reports!

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R!9.24!
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T!9.29!

[DUE]:'Assignment!1!

ReaderHCentered!Instructions.!Anderson:!572H597.!
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Introduce!Assignment!2.2;!userHcentered!instructions;!analyzing!instructions!
Writing!Instructions!and!Procedures.!Kolin:!267H295.!
Group!instruction!practice!and!test;!comparing!types!of!instructions!

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R!10.1!
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Presentation!reading!(watch!3!PechaKuchas);!http://blog.indezine.com/2012/05/10HtipsHtoHcreateHandH
presentHpecha.html;!http://blog.ted.com/10HtipsHforHbetterHslideHdecks/!
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InHclass!PechaKucha!analysis!

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T!10.6!

R!10.8!

[DUE]:'5Hminute!Instruction!Presentations!(Buzzfeed!Style)!
[DUE]:'5Hminute!Instruction!Presentations!(Buzzfeed!Style)!

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1!

Unit 3: Popular Translation!

T!10.13!

Listen!to!Radiolab!Colors!and!!Making!the!Hippo!Dance.!(For!more,!listen!to!Space,!Falling,!or!
Emergence)!
InHClass!Radiolab!analysis;!understanding!the!popular!translation!of!technical!concepts;!why!
educate!the!public?!Practice!explanations!and!illustrations.!

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R!10.15!

[DUE]:'Assignment!2!

Converting!Need!into!Demand!or!Putting!People!First.!Tim!Brown;!Listen:!Euala!Biss!on!AntiHVaccination!
Adler!Pill!Bottle!(Creating!UserHFriendly!Designs);!Adapt,!Adopt,!Refuse:!Working!with!Clients!
(watch!interviews!from!my!chapter!on!design)!

T!10.20!
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1!RSA!Animate;!1!TedTalk;!Writing!ReaderHCentered!Proposals.!Anderson:!483H506.!
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Analyze!RSA!Animate;!Analyze!a!scientific!demonstration!
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/02/flame_challenge_2014_wh
at_is_color_alan_alda_has_kids_judge_scientists.html!
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http://grow.cals.wisc.edu/communities/aHfailureHtoHcommunicate!

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R!10.22!
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Feasibility.!Anderson:!537H559.!
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Museum!Field!TripFillHout!activity!sheet.!

T!11.10!

[DUE]:'Peer!Review!

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Unit 4: Usability Test!
R!11.12! !
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T!11.17!
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Rocket/Surgery./Steve!Krug:!13H37.!!Top!5!Web!Design!Mistakes!Small!Businesses!Make!!
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Introduce!Assignment!4;!web!design!principles!

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R!11.19!
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T!11.24!

Rocket//Surgery.!Krug:!39H61;!!
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Web!design!principles!and!analysis;!userHcentered!methods;!creating!scenarios!

[DUE]:'Assignment!3!

Rocket//Surgery.!Krug:!63H89!and!147H153;!Creating!Communications!with!a!Team.!Anderson:!394H409.!
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UserHcentered!methods!beyond!usability!tests;!Teamwork!tips!!
Rocket!!Surgery.!Krug:!91H119;!Writing!ReaderHCentered!Empirical!Research!Reports.!Anderson:!507H
536.!
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Lab!reports!parts!and!common!errors!1!

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R!11.26! !
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T!12.1!
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[DUE]:'Assignment!4.1!
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Thanksgiving!Break:!Rocket!!Surgery./Krug:!121H132.!Memos.!Kolin:!133H141.!
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!Creating!and!Delivering!ListenerHCentered!Oral!Presentations.!Anderson:!410H433.!
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Lab!reports!parts!and!common!errors!2;!Studio!Time!

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R!12.3!

T!12.8!

[DUE]:'Group!Presentations!and!project!4.3!

R.!12.10!

[DUE]:'Group!Presentations!and!project!4.3!

[DUE]:'Assignment!4.2!

InHClass!Studio!Time!

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2!