1 Traditional American Community College ENG 200x: Cross-Cultural Technical Communication Course Syllabus Autumn Quarter 2011 Instructor

Information: Erin Ashley Mink Garvey erinashleymink@gmail.com (best way to reach me) mobile: 312-972-1447 office: Building 100a office hours by appointment Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL English ENG 200x: Cross-Cultural Technical Communication Introductory college English (ENG 101) 3 hours weekly (two classes/week); 4 credit hours Johnson-Sheehan, Richard. Technical Communication Today. Third edition (2010). ISBN 0205632440. Publisher's online resources and textbook companion sites: http://wps.ablongman.com/long_johnsonshe_tct_3/ http://media.pearsoncmg.com/long/pearsonwriting/ Method of Instruction: Classroom lecture; in-class discussions; online resources (available via publisher's websites and class D2L site); peer-topeer and instructor-led workshopping

Campus: Department: Course Number and Title: Prerequisites: Course Hours and Credits: Required Text and Resources:

Course Description Cross-Cultural Technical Communication is an intermediate-level college-level course designed for students who are either L2 English speakers and writers or for students who are interested in creating technical communication pieces for cross-cultural or international audiences. Through textbook exercises and extensive writing assignments, the course aims to enhance students' capabilities in creating technical writing pieces, such as analytical reports and memos (among others). By the end of the course, students will have an extensive portfolio of technical writing samples. Course Learning Goals Students in Cross-Cultural Technical Communication will learn various ways of communicating technically with cross-cultural or international audiences, so as such, this course is especially suited for L2 English speakers and writers as well as those who are interested in writing technical pieces for diverse audiences. Students will master various types of technical communication pieces, such as memos, white papers, and analytical reports, through textbook exercises and real-world applications.

2 Students will also learn the essential elements of technical communication and the various genres inherent to technical communication. Students will learn various rhetorical and discourse strategies that are critical to consider when composing technical documents for cross-cultural audiences. By completing the Cross-Cultural Technical Communication course, students will be able to: compose various technical communication pieces for diverse audiences; effectively compose and revise technical communication pieces according to the document's audience's rhetorical and discourse needs; and proficiently use the language and conventions of technical communication in written and oral assignments in Standard American English. Course Policies I expect students to complete all reading and writing assignments before class, and I expect all students to attend every single class. In a ten-week quarter, we have no time to spare, so students' full attendance and participation is absolutely imperative for their success and mastery of the course material. If students miss one class meeting, I reserve the right to lower their final grade by one letter (lower an A to a B, etc.). Consistent with department policy, if students miss two or more class meetings, they automatically fail the course. No exceptions. Assignments and Measurable Performance Objectives Readings The reading load for Cross-Cultural Technical Communication varies each week, but students should expect to spend at least three hours each week completing the course's reading and/or writing assignments. The course calendar lists the due dates for each reading and writing assignment, and students are expected to stay abreast of the reading and writing assignments' due dates. Attendance and Participation Students are expected to attend, and participate in, every class session. Peer portfolio workshopping days are especially important. If students fail to attend workshopping days, they will automatically receive a zero for their attendance and participation grade for the course. I will provide students with guidelines and expectations for their peer workshopping days in advance of them. After each workshop, students will be asked to write a one-paragraph synopsis of their experiences with their peer workshop groups, noting how each of their partners contributed feedback to their writings. Writing Assignments Students are expected to submit their writing assignments to D2L by 12pm/noon on the class meeting day. Late assignments will not be accepted, and students who fail to submit assignments by noon on the class meeting day on which they are due will receive a zero for the assignment.

3 Students will receive individual grades for all their writing assignments, typically within one calendar week from the assignments' due dates. Students will then be expected to incorporate my feedback, as well as that which they gain from their peer workshop groups, to the documents' final iterations that they submit as part of their final portfolios. Writing assignments for this class include: letters and memos executive summary white paper technical definitions technical descriptions cost/benefit proposal section analytical report final project We will discuss assignment expectations and descriptions in class, in advance of the assignments' due dates. Final Portfolio One of the course objectives is to help students prepare a portfolio of various technical communication writing pieces. Because of this, students will have three opportunities in our ten-week class for peer workshopping, in an effort to gain additional feedback from their peers, over and above what they would receive from the instructor, alone. During finals week, students will be expected to submit a final portfolio of all their writing assignments, in their final iterations, as free of typographical and grammatical errors as possible. Evaluation Criteria Each assignment and participation/attendance grade breaks down as follows: Letters and memos Executive summary Technical definitions Technical descriptions 250 points 500 points 700 points 850 points

Cost/benefit proposal section 500 points Analytical report final project 1,000 points Attendance/participation Total 500 points 4,300 points

Letter grades will be computed based on a percentage (number of points student attained divided by total number of possible points, then multiplied by 100). Letter grades correspond to the following

4 percentages: 93-100: A 85-92: B 78-84: C 70-77: D <70: F Quick Reminder Students are responsible for reading the college's Student Handbook to find additional information regarding the institution's policies on grading and academic dishonesty, as well as services available for students with a documented physical or learning disability. Course Calendar WEEK 1 Theme: Elements of technical communication & considerations for cross-cultural audiences Day 1Course introduction- what is technical communication?; syllabus and calendar review Day 2What is technical communication, its process, and its ethics? How to learn your readers. Special considerations for cross-cultural audiences. Major project (analytical reports) description. Readings: Chapters 1, 2, 3 (pgs. 39-44, 53-58 only for ch. 3), Chapter 23 (pgs. 659-672) WEEK 2 Theme: Ethics; the genres of letters/memos and definitions Day 1What is technical communication? (part two) & letters/memos Readings: Chapters 5 (pgs. 92-95, 108-113 only), 17 (pgs. 451-461, 469-472, 480) Writing assignment: Chapter 3, exercise 4 (page 60) *note: research a country or culture for whom you will target your report Additional resources: resources on international readers, see URL on bottom of page 55 Day 2Technical definitions and how to incorporate them into your analytical report Readings: Chapter 18 Writing assignment: Bring list of definable content that you plan to incorporate into your analytical report or that ties into your topic. Include at least 5 concepts and 2 different definitions for each (combination of parenthetical, sentence, extended) WEEK 3 Theme: Using the style of Standard American English/white papers Day 1Persuasion and style; white papers Readings: Appendix A & B, Chapter 6, Chapter 9 In-class exercise on word order in technical documents Day 2White Papers Readings: Chapter 22 (pgs. 636-638 white papers, 652-654); Chapter 23 (694-695) Writing assignment: Chapter 6, exercise 5 (pg. 138)--white paper should be written for market you are targeting for your final analytical report Additional resources: Resource on high-context cultures: see URL on bottom of page 138

5 WEEK 4 Theme: Document design and and interface/executive summaries Day 1Document Design and Interface/Using Cross-Cultural Symbols Readings: Chapters 10, 11 (pgs. 296-298 only), Chapter 23 (695-700 only) Writing assignment: Chapter 6, exercise 5 (pg. 138)--white paper should be written for market you are targeting for your final analytical report Additional resources: Resource on high-context cultures: see URL on bottom of page 138; remainder of Chapter 11 re: creating and using graphics Day 2Executive summaries/abstracts Readings: Chapter 23 (pgs. 691-693 only) Writing assignment: Chapter 10, exercise 5 (pg. 269) written as individual executive summary; rough draft of executive summary/abstract of analytical report WEEK 5 Theme: Usability/preparing the front matter of analytical reports Day 1Revising and editing documents for usability Readings: Chapter 12 In-class exercise: how might issues of usability be different in cross-cultural contexts? How should these differences be taken into account in technical documents for diverse audiences? Additional resources: See URL on pg. 322 re: usability testing, URL on pg. 317 re: usage of words Day 2Preparing the front matter of analytical reports Readings: Chapter 23 (pgs. 672-689, 693-694 only) WEEK 6 Theme: Technical descriptions/documentation Day 1Technical descriptions Readings: Chapter 19 Day 2Documentation Readings: Chapter 20 Writing assignment: Draft a section of your analytical report's content into a technical description for two distinct audiences. Follow the technical description format as outlined in figure 19.1. Pay particular attention to issues of style, grammar, etc. of Standard American English as outlined in Appendices A and B. Additional resources: see URL on bottom of pg. 516 for additional examples of technical descriptions. WEEK 7 Theme: Documentation and instruction differences/peer portfolio workshopping Day 1Documentation (part two) Writing assignment: Chapter 20, exercise 6 (pg. 587)- should be written as a memo and focusing on the market you are targeting for your analytical report Additional resources: see URL on bottom of pg. 565 for additional information on crosscultural writing Day 2Peer portfolio workshop day

6 Writing assignment: bring all previous writing assignments (w/instructor feedback) to class; make enough copies of each document for your peer workshop group to review. WEEK 8 Theme: Proposals/back matter of analytical reports Day 1Proposals Readings: Chapter 21 (pgs. 591-605, 609-622), Additional resources: see URL on bottom of pg. 620 for resource on strong and weak proposals, see URL on bottom of of pg. 624 for sample proposals Day 2Preparing the back matter of analytical reports Readings: Chapter 23 (677-694) Writing assignment: Draft a cost/benefits section of a proposal that would tie-in to your analytical report., remembering to pay particular attention to your audience's culturallyspecific rhetoric and discourse strategies (high versus low culture, etc.). WEEK 9 Theme: Cross-Cultural Analytical Reports Day 1Analytical reports Readings: Chapter 23 Additional resources: see URL at bottom of pg. 662 for sample analytical reports Day 2Analytical reports in cross-cultural contexts (part 2) Writing assignment: DRAFT due of analytical report WEEK 10 Theme: Peer portfolio workshopping final days Day 1Peer portfolio workshopping Writing assignment: bring writings from weeks 6-9 with enough copies for everyone in your group Day 2Analytical report workshopping only Readings: review Chapter 23 (pg. 700-701 - revising, editing, and proofreading) Writing assignment: bring analytical report draft with enough copies for everyone in your group WEEK 11: Finals Week No class meeting final portfolio (submit original drafts and revisions) due by 5pm