Course Description

Official Course Description

English 421 helps students become better technical communicators through contextual research, analysis, and writing. The curriculum is informed by current research in rhetoric and technical communication and is guided by the needs and practices of industrial and technical settings and society at large, as well as by the expectations of Purdue students and programs. Students learn effective strategies for communicating with other people about and with technology, particularly in networked workplaces and through usability testing. They learn how to collaborate with colleagues in project teams as they analyze writing situations and respond to them with informative and visually effective print and electronic documents. The course teaches the rhetorical principles that help students shape their technical writing to suit a range of readers, for multiple purposes, in a variety of technical situations.

Course Goals

Writing in Context

• Analyze the invention, manufacture, and distribution of technologies in context and use writing to communicate these attributes in a variety of media and genres.
• Write for specialized/technical audiences to foster technical understanding.
• Understand the ethical implications of working within the nexus of technology and culture.

Writing Process
Develop and understand various strategies for planning, researching, drafting, revising, and editing documents that respond effectively and ethically to professional situations and audiences.

Collaboration
Apply strategies for working successfully within writing teams as well as within client organizations, including

• defining and articulating specific talents and technological expertise related to the technological design process
• responding to the needs and interests of internal and external stakeholders
• managing short- and long-term projects

Research
Understand and use the research methods and strategies necessary to the production of professional documents, including

• working ethically with research participants, subject matter experts, and technical experts
• using primary research methods such as interviews, observations, focus qroups, and surveys to collect data
• applying concepts of usability research such as user-centered design

Technology
Develop strategies for using and adapting various communication technologies to manage projects and produce informative and usable professional documents.

Document Design
Produce documents appropriate for particular rhetorical contexts by

• learning the generic conventions of the design of technical documents
• interpreting and arguing with visual information

Required Texts

Professional Writing Online 2nd Edition, by Johndan Johnson-Eilola, Patricia Sullivan, and James Porter. Boston: Allyn & Bacon/Longman, 2004. Available at University Book Store and Follet's. Be sure to purchase unopened copies of the guide because used password codes are not transferable. Keep your receipt in case your password fails to work and see me immediately. Passwords cannot be shared.