Engineering 2367: American Attitudes About Technology
“Rhetoric may be defined as the faculty of observing, in any given case, the available means
of persuasion.”
~ Aristotle, Rhetoric
“Omit needless words. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a
paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary
lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.”
~ William Strunk, Jr., The Elements of Style
Instructor: Lynn Hall
Office: 305 Hitchcock Hall
Mailbox: 244 Hitchcock Hall
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours:
Section:
Schedule:
Location:
Course Overview
Welcome to Engineering 2367—American Attitudes About Technology! This second-year writing course
examines technology’s relationship to ethical, social, political, religious, economic and environmental
issues. This course theme is pertinent to the studies of any major at The Ohio State University, yet it is
particularly central to the interests of students in engineering and the sciences. Students will examine
topics related to the course theme as they gain practical experience writing documents using technical
communications style in formats such as memos, letters, proposals, presentations, and reports. Other
assignments include producing a useful resume and delivering at least one oral presentation.
Together, we will practice writing a variety of technical communications and you will learn some
conventional document formats. More importantly, since writing conventions vary by profession and
organization, you will learn general communication strategies that you can then apply to other writing
tasks both in your academic careers and in the workplace. Our class time will include brief lectures,
discussion of assigned readings and other homework, as well as in-class activities to give you practice in
writing effectively.
Course Philosophy
We will focus on composing our documents using a rhetorical perspective, which means we will always
consider the relationships between rhetorical elements (audience, subject, purpose, context, language,
and power) and their roles in the choices we make as writers. We will ask ourselves how, what, and
especially why we use language in particular ways in our documents.
The course will also emphasize two basic tenets of writing:
1. First, the course focuses on the process of writing rather than on the end product alone by
incorporating exercises in planning, drafting, and revising.
2. Second, writing is not always easy, and moving beyond mediocrity takes time, effort, and
practice, especially when learning new writing styles, as you’ll be doing in this course.
This course fulfills the requirement to complete a GEC Second Writing Course and a Diversity course.
The expected learning outcomes for this course are:
GE Second Writing & Communication
Goals: Students are skilled in written communication and expression, reading, critical thinking, oral
expression, and visual expression.
Expected Learning Outcomes:
1. Through critical analysis, discussion, and writing, students will extend their ability to read
carefully and express their ideas effectively.
2. Students apply written, oral, and visual communication skills and conventions of academic
discourse to the challenges of a specific discipline.
3. Students access and use information critically and analytically.
GEC Diversity Course
Goals: Students understand the pluralistic nature of institutions, society, and culture in the United
States and across the world in order to become educated, productive, and principled citizens.
Social Diversity in the United States
Expected Learning Outcomes:
1. Students describe the roles of such categories as race, gender, class, ethnicity, and religion in
the pluralistic institutions and cultures of the United States.
2. Students recognize the role of social diversity in shaping their own attitudes and values
regarding appreciation, tolerance, and equality of others.
Global Studies
Expected Learning Outcomes:
1. Students understand some of the political, economic, cultural, physical, social, and philosophical
aspects of one or more of the world’s nations, peoples and cultures outside the U.S.
2. Students recognize the role of national and international diversity in shaping their own attitudes
and values as global citizens.
Course Objectives
After completing ENGR 2367, you should be able to:
1. Students will be able to read, summarize and analyze in writing the interrelationship of
technology with ethics, society, culture, religion, politics, economics and the environment.
2. Students will be able to write documents using common technical communications conventions,
style, tone, audience, and formats.
3. Students will be able to write informative and persuasive documents and presentations for a
variety of audiences and purposes.
4. Students will be able to produce a useful resume and application letter.
5. Students will gain practice in common workplace communication skills.
6. Students will be able to accurately document research sources using APA and IEEE citation
styles.
7. Students will be able to correctly place and label visuals and graphics in their documents.
8. Students will be able to complete library and Internet research on topics of interest within the
course theme and produce thoughtful documents with clear audiences and purposes.
9. Apply rhetorical principles in your writing to achieve your desired outcomes.
Required Texts & Materials
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We will use the below-listed textbook for this course. It is available at the campus bookstore. If you
choose to order the textbook online, be sure to use the listed ISBN to get the correct edition.
Markel, Mike (2012). Technical Communication (10th ed.). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
ISBN-10: 0-312-67948-3 or ISBN-13: 978-0-312-67948-4
Additional readings, handouts, resources, and links will be provided on Carmen.
You will also need the following:
1. Writing implements: pens, pencils, paper, etc. This is a writing class.
2. Folder or binder to save handouts and in-class work – Save all your material, drafts, and writing
throughout the semester!
3. USB for saving your files (backup often!)
4. Access to our Carmen course site
5. Access to a computer and printer. Feel free to bring charged laptops and/or iPad/tablets to
class (see policies about technology in class).
Course Requirements & Grading Policy
Your course grade is determined by the quality of formal projects and your level of class participation, as
explained below.
Projects (including points for writer’s memos and peer response)
Introductory Memo
Job Unit
Research Proposal
Digital Research Proposal Presentation
Group Project
Group Project Presentation
Career Portfolio
Homework Quizzes
Participation & ICW/ICA
Total Points Possible
50
175
175
100
200
100
150
100
100
1,150
Writer’s Memos
Each project requires a detailed writer’s memo, which will follow proper memo conventions and
be a rhetorical analysis of your own work and an earnest reflection on the project. The points
for these memos are built into each assignment. See each assignment sheet as well as the
“how to” handout for instructions on completing writer’s memos for this class.
Homework Quizzes
There will be 10 quizzes over the course of the semester. The quizzes will be over assigned
reading and will be open book (via Carmen). If it becomes clear that students are not doing
assigned readings, the number of quizzes will increase and they will become pop quizzes given in
class. Missed quizzes cannot be made up.
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Participation & ICW/ICA (100 Points)
Your participation grade includes active participation in class discussions and activities,
attendance, in-class writing and activities (ICW/ICA), and homework. See the sections below for
important information regarding this part of your grade.
Course Policies
The course policies below outline the expectations for this course. If you have any questions about a
course policy or about the course in general, please see me. The course has been carefully designed and
each assignment created to build on the previous with the ultimate goal of meeting the objectives noted
in the learning outcomes expressed above.
Academic Integrity. I expect all work to be your own. When you use someone else’s ideas or words as
your own without proper attribution (such as citations), you are plagiarizing. Plagiarism is a form of
academic dishonesty, as is cheating on a quiz or exam. Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses that
could result in a grade of F for the course. If at any time you are unclear about how to include others’
ideas or words within your writing, please ask me.
Academic Support. I encourage you to take advantage of academic support services offered to students
here at OSU. However, if you’re having difficulty with this course, please see me first. I will do everything
in my power to help you succeed. If we can’t solve a problem together, we’ll find someone else who can
help!
Active Participation. Your physical and mental presence in the class is invaluable to the work we will do.
I expect you to attend every day and participate fully in discussing the readings and sharing writing and
ideas. As a general rule, you should expect to spend two hours out of class in study and preparation for
every one hour spent in class. Given that this course meets almost three hours per week, you should
anticipate spending almost six hours per week on homework for this course. This may vary from week
to week, but do understand that your success in this writing course (and in any class for that matter)
depends on the amount of work you put into it. Active participation also includes completing
homework for in-class discussion. Learning is a collaborative activity and I expect you to be engaged
with, attentive to, and respectful of everyone in the class; please refrain from all social networking,
emailing, and surfing during class time so you can give your full attention to class activities and your
peers. Active participation means being in class, having your work done, and doing your part to create a
collaborative learning environment.
Attendance. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of every scheduled class period. For this class,
you are allotted three (3) “no questions asked” absences. These get-out-of-class-free cards do not
require explanation and are given in recognition that life happens. However, if you use your days and
then find yourself needing to miss class, you will be out of luck. These “freebies” do not renew
themselves over the course of the semester and once they are gone, they are gone. Your participation
grade will be reduced by 10 points for every absence missed thereafter. If you miss more than seven
days of class, you will receive a final grade of “F” for the course. In the event of a major illness or
catastrophic event, please see me. You must attend your section. Attending a class section you are not
registered for will not “make up” an absence. Note: It is your responsibility to get class notes and to
abide by class deadlines, including turning in assignments. Being absent on a due date does not
excuse you from turning work in by the deadline.
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Punctuality is also considered a factor in the attendance policy for this class. Repeated late arrivals will
be counted towards your “freebie” days and beyond, as necessary. If you come to class late, it is your
responsibility to notify me of your arrival (at the end of class). Otherwise, you will be marked absent for
the class. Time is valuable -- being on time to class shows respect for everyone involved.
Carmen. This course utilizes Carmen for quizzes, for posting assignment sheets and handouts, as well as
for making announcements. I will always e-mail announcements posted to Carmen. Make sure to
regularly check both the Carmen site and your OSU e-mail.
Disabilities. If you have physical and/or learning disability, please speak to me during the first week of
class. If for any reason you feel that you may need additional support or adaptations throughout the
course, please don’t hesitate to discuss this with me. I‘m always willing to help you create a plan for
success. Please contact the Office for Disability Services at (614) 292-3307 (Pomerene Hall 150) to
coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
Grading Criteria for Projects. Each project will have a detailed assignment sheet and rubric. In addition
to meeting assignment criteria, I expect work that shows you put effort and care into preparing it. I also
expect you to apply the concepts you’ve learned earlier in the semester to each subsequent project, as
appropriate. In addition to the specific project criteria, the following general criteria apply to all your
projects:
•
Audience. Your communication should be directed to a specific audience and should reflect a
concern with the needs and potential responses of all who may read it.
•
Clarity. Your writing should convey its message precisely and with immediate clarity to the
reader. In style, it should be substantially free of wordiness, jargon, or other stylistic
awkwardness.
•
Completeness. Your communication should contain all of the information necessary for your
audience to act or make a decision, but no irrelevant information.
•
Organization. Your communication should be appropriately organized. The information should
be conveyed usefully and persuasively. Your organization should be clear to your readers so
they’ll know what point you’re making and how that point relates to the rest of your message.
•
Grammar and Mechanics. Your writing should be free of grammatical and mechanical errors.
Though I will point out and help you learn from mistakes, I am not an editor and I expect the
work you turn in to be polished and proofread.
•
Promptness. In this course, as in the workplace, you must turn in your work on time. All
homework and projects are due at the beginning of class on the dates given in the syllabus. See
the “Late Work” section for further details.
•
Appearance. Whether it’s a memo, proposal, or presentation, you should follow the appropriate
conventions of that genre.
This course uses the following standard grading scale:
A
AB+
B
100-94 %
93-90 %
89-87 %
86-84 %
BC+
C
C-
83-80 %
79-77 %
76-74 %
73-70 %
D+
D
DF
69-67 %
66-64 %
63-60 %
59-0 %
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Late Work. All assignments are due in Carmen Dropbox at the beginning of class unless otherwise
specified on the assignment sheet. I do not accept late work. If you should have an emergency, contact
me as soon as possible. Each student is entitled to one extension provided the extension is requested at
least 24 hours in advance with adequate explanation.
Peer Response Workshops. As you will see in the course schedule, I have set aside class time for you and
your classmates to share rough drafts with one another. In these workshops, you and your classmates
will receive advice to help you improve your writing, and you’ll see how others are approaching the
same writing problem you’re addressing. Because workshops are so critical to both you and your
classmates, it’s important that you bring complete drafts to class on the days they are due. If you expect
to be absent from a peer response workshop, you’ll want to make arrangements with a classmate to
have your work reviewed.
Respect. I am committed to making the classroom a comfortable space for all of us, and I ask that we all
work toward this goal. I expect you to minimize distractions for your peers by silencing your phone and
refraining from texting during class. Refrain from any form of social networking, instant messaging, or
surfing the Internet (unless we are doing so for an activity). We want to respect each other at all times—
respect implies giving each other our full attention and minimizing side conversations.
Syllabus. This syllabus and course schedule may be modified from time to time as appropriate in order
to ensure course objectives are being met. All changes will be announced and posted to the course site
on Carmen.
Technology. If you are taking this class in a non-computer lab, feel free to bring your *charged* laptop
or iPad/tablet to class. If you have technical issues with your laptop, you are responsible for addressing
those issues on your own time. The people at IT Services can help you or direct you to another source of
help. Technology trouble—including lost files, printer problems, or network issues—is not a valid reason
for late work. We will occasionally utilize laptops in class. Those days will be marked on the syllabus
and/or announced in advance. If you do not have a laptop, see me for a form and instructions on how
to checkout a laptop from classroom services. Whether in a computer lap or bringing your own laptop,
using technology for non-course related means (Facebook, personal email, work for other classes,
etc.) will result in your being marked absent for that day’s class.
Weather & Illness. In case of inclement weather conditions, I will post confirmation of class
cancellations, as well as further instructions regarding our course schedule. If you are commuting from
an area with a documented “level” emergency and class does not cancel, please e-mail me and air on
the side of caution. If you are sick and might be contagious, please do not come to class and share. Use
your “freebie” absences wisely. In the event that you have used all of your “freebie” absences, I will
accept documentation from a medical provider.
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