ENGH 501: Introduction to Professional and Technical Writing

ENGH 501-DL1: Introduction to Professional Writing and Rhetoric
(Fall 2020)

07:20 PM to 10:00 PM T

Online

Section Information for Fall 2020

The premise of this course is that the field of technical and professional communication is interdisciplinary and rhetorical. In it, history, theory, practice, and pedagogy intersect and infuse each other, encouraging an examination of technology and science as forms of knowledge and social constructs rather than products, genres, or static entities. ENGH 501 will help you to develop a foundational understanding of Technical Communication and Rhetoric as a field. Readings for this course are organized in clusters, which foreground relationships among history, theory, scholarship, and practice. Neither linear nor chronological, this class focuses on basic questions the field raises, as well as how those questions have been constructed, perceived, interpreted, critiqued, taught, and applied, with implications for the academic and non-academic workplace, as well as the civic public. We will examine:

  • Major theories underlying scholarship in professional and technical communication
  • Major research topics explored through this scholarship, from social justice to workplace writing genres
  • Tensions and concerns at the heart of the field, especially relationships between industry and academia
  • Students interested in academic careers will benefit by develop scholarly skills applicable across majors:
  • How to trace scholarly conversations across the publications of a field
  • How to recognize topics of recent and growing interest (i.e., promising topics for your own scholarship to advance the field)
  • How to visually represent an academic field *How to craft a literature review (a central component of research publications and presentations)
  • Students working in industry in technical communication will benefit by:
  • Conducting secondary research to synthesize how existing scholarship can inform problem solving in the workplace
  • Developing a broader understanding of the field, beyond their own career experience
  • Learning how theoretical frameworks can inform and improve practice

 

ENGH 501 DL1 is a distance education section that meets synchronously. Students should expect to be online during the days and times scheduled.

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Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Provides historical and theoretical background in professional writing and editing in a seminar format. Explores professional writing's emergence as a field of scholarship and practice, emphasizes the relationships between rhetorical theories and practice, and introduces students to bibliographic research in the field. May not be repeated for credit.
Registration Restrictions:

Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.

Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.

Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.

Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.

The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.