Undergraduate Courses

The program offers a variety of courses for English majors specializing in Technical Writing.

Course Descriptions

English 3223: Technical Communication Theory and Criticism. This course provides both the study and application of principal critical theories in technical communication.

English 3323: Technical Writing. Students develop the communication skills required to produce effective documents for workplace settings. Students also study the basic principles of workplace communication, the processes for researching, developing, and reviewing workplace documents, and the specific techniques required for common workplace genres, including reports, proposals, and instructions. The course projects require students to plan and implement communications that solve workplace problems or help readers make decisions about workplace problems and solutions. The projects also require students to develop a basic understanding of different kinds of software, including Microsoft Word, Excel, FrontPage, and PowerPoint. Sample Syllabus

English 4520: Problems in Technical Writing. Specialized readings and independent study.

English 4523: Internship in Technical Writing. An internship offers an opportunity to apply previously-learned concepts and skills in a workplace setting, either on- or off-campus. For three hours of credit, students will work 100 hours, turn in work logs, a progress report, and a final report, and meet weekly with the 4523 instructor. Before enrolling, please see Dr. Warren for internship
contacts and more information. Prerequesites: 6 hours of upper-level technical writing courses, including 3323 and 4533, 4543, or 4553.

English 4533: Advanced Technical Writing. Principles of software documentation, including task analysis, needs analysis, usability testing, online help systems, and manual design; also, an introduction to grant writing (advanced proposal writing). Sample Syllabus

English 4543: Technical Editing. Technical and scientific copy editing: developing and applying style manuals, with attention to cultural, institutional, and situational norms underlying common goals and methods. (Strongly recommended for graduate students without previous coursework in technical communication.)

English 4553: Document Design. Basic principals of document design—including organization, layout, graphics, and page design— using electronic publishing tools. (Strongly recommended for graduate students without previous coursework in technical communication.) Sample Syllabus

English 4563: History of Scientific and Technical Literature. Development of scientific and technical literature from ancient science through 20th-century discoveries, including the works of Newton, Darwin, Einstein, and Crick and Watson.