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ENG 224

I. TITLE: Writing in the Professions

II. CATALOG DESCRIPTION: This course prepares students to write documents such as proposals, reports, memos, letters, and email in professional scenarios. Students will learn to assess practical writing situations and to write successful documents for specific purposes and audiences. The course will emphasize computer skills. Course activities may include peer review, collaborative writing, and intensive planning and revision workshops.

III. PURPOSE: The purpose of this course is to help students become effective writers of documents professionals are frequently required to compose. ENG 224 cultivates the following Characteristics of an MSU Graduate:

Characteristic 1: Engage in mature, independent thought and express that thought effectively in oral and written communication. ENG 224 helps students develop an independent ability to assess their goals for communicating and to create written documents that fulfill those goals.

Characteristic 2: Understand the critical and scientific methodologies academic disciplines employ to discover knowledge and ascertain its validity. ENG 224 gives students experience writing in several professions, thus encouraging an awareness of the dynamics of communication between and within disciplines.

Characteristic 3: Apply sound standards of analysis and evaluation to reach logical decisions. ENG 224 will help students learn to analyze practical rhetorical situations and respond with writing that fulfills their purposes through clear communication with targeted audiences.

Characteristic 4: Understand the role and applications of technology and science in the solution of problems of a changing world. ENG 224 will take full advantage of the university’s computer resources, including Faculty Hall’s computer classrooms and labs, to help students learn to use technology such as word processing and email to create successful professional documents.

Characteristic 6: Understand the dynamics of cultural diversity, of competing economic and political systems, and of complex moral and ethical issues. ENG 224 helps students recognize the ethical, legal, and cultural ramifications of professional writing, allowing them to become sensitive and successful communicators in their chosen fields.

IV. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completing this course, students should be able to
A. Analyze rhetorical situations so as to assess the needs and agendas of multiple audiences and to recognize organizational patterns of communication;
B. Understand the value of clear and effective writing in a variety of disciplines;
C. Create documents sensitive to the needs of international or intercultural rhetorical situations;
D. Write a variety of practical documents, including proposals, reports, memos, letters, sets of instructions, and email;
E. Understand issues of ethics and liability as they apply to professional communication;
F. Use computers to create compelling and visually effective documents.
G. Present reports and proposals orally.

V. CONTENT OUTLINE:
Unit 1, Professional Writing Skills

A. Analyzing professional writing situations (includes writing for international and intercultural audiences)
B. Controlling language in professional writing
C. Designing successful documents with effective layout and graphics
D. Understanding ethics and liability in professional writing
E. Researching professional documents

A. Writing in the sciences
B. Writing in business and industry
C. Writing in the social sciences

A. Using electronic communication
B. Writing effective memos and letters
C. Writing clear instructions
D. Writing accurate reports
E. Writing successful proposals
F. Writing collaboratively (may be conducted simultaneously with 3D or3E)
G. Presenting written projects

B. Reading, writing, speaking, and critical thinking. Students will be assigned to write approximately 20 pages of professional documents, including proposals, reports, memos, letters, and email. They will be required to perform at least one oral presentation connected to any of these documents.

C. Computer technology. The class will emphasize the fact that computers are an unavoidable fact of professional life. Portions of the practical business of the course may be conducted through email between students and faculty, including email mailing lists. In addition, the course will focus on computer graphic design and page layout, using word processing, spreadsheet, and drawing programs. Students may also be asked to compose projects for the world wide web.

VII. FIELD AND CLINICAL EXPERIENCES: Some writing assignments will be conducted through practical and detailed scenarios that require students to imagine themselves working in realistic settings and writing to specific audiences for realistic purposes. These scenarios will usually focus on one discipline or a set of related disciplines.

VIII. RESOURCES: This course may draw on the following facilities or resources:

•  The university’s open computer labs
•  Faculty Hall’s computer classrooms
•  The university email system, including email mailing lists
•  Waterfield Library and its federal document collection

• Correct and sensitive use of language
• Appropriate responses to rhetorical situations
• Appropriate recognition of ethical, legal, and cultural issues in writing
• Effective document design
• Fulfillment of class work
• Involvement in collaborative exercises and presentations
• Attendance

XI. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY: See the attached college and university policies.

XII. TEXT AND REFERENCES: Instructors may choose from the following texts:
Burnett, Rebecca. Technical Communication. 4~ ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1997. Killingsworth, M. Jimmie. Information in Action. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1996.

XIII. PREREQUISITES: ENG 101 and 102 or ENG 104 (or the equivalent).

Last updated February 14, 2000. Designed and maintained by Kyosung Koo