Professional & Technical Writing

Fall 2018 // Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00pm - 3:15pm. Be there!

Hello! I’m Professor Amy Ellison and this is the syllabus for Professional & Technical Writing. Here are a few things everyone should know about me: I like writing, I LOVE cats (I basically have 100 of them), and there’s a very special “conference” I go to every year (yes, that means class is cancelled!).

I like keeping students engaged, and I hope this syllabus is no different. Please read it in its entirety. It answers many of the questions that students like you tend to have about this class. If you have a questions, consider looking here first. Many times, you’ll find the answer in less time than it would take to send me an email. If you still need to contact me, my office and contact information is in the FAQ section below.

FAQ

FAQ

Everything you need to know to survive Professional & Technical Writing

My office is located at TLC 3131. It is NOT with the English offices on the second floor. Go to the third floor and turn around. There is a door that goes back an awkward hall. My office is back there.

I should be in my office Mondays from 9:30-2pm, Tuesdays from 12:30-2pm, Wednesdays from 9:30-1pm, and Thursdays from 12:30-2pm.

You can call me at 678-839-4882 (I will only answer if I’m in my office), or you can email me at [email protected].

Nope! Everything you will need for this class is free and available online. I have links to anything you need in CourseDen.

  • Products (30%) Assignments using a variety of professional and technical writing modes.
  • Multimodal Project (20%) Lots of options, such as podcasts!
  • Electronic Portfolio (30%) Your online professional portfolio.
  • End-of-Course Review (20%) You tell me how you think you did in this class.

Yep! An A is 90-100, a B is 80-89, a C is 70-79. Unfortunately, you fail if you have less than a 70. 

Yes, but you can be absent four times without penalty. After four absences, each additional absence will drop your final grade by one letter grade. If you are normally late, please know that two tardies will equal one absense.

All work should be turned in on time. Just like a real job, you cannot be turning in projects late. Five points will be deducted per 24-hour period an assignment is late.

This deserves its own section… Please click the button below.

Expectations

Expectations

What I will do and what I expect you to do

What I Will Do

I will promptly respond to communications and answer questions within 24 hours. If I cannot answer a questions, I will seek out answers.I will return grades within a two weeks and provide quality, supportive feedback that guides students toward improvement. I provide clear guidelines for assignments and take into account pacing of the course. I will consider each student submission in its own merit without comparison to others.

What You Should Do

To be successful (and to keep me in a good mood), please arrive to class on time and remain engaged in class discussions and course materials. Also, respect your professor and remain honest about performance in the class. If you need help, do not hesitate to ask (see the first two FAQs above). When you work on a project, make sure it’s quality work.

Testimonials

Testimonials

This is what students think of me

4.7/5.0 on Rate My Professors // 100% would take again! Here are some of the reviews.

Great professor made writing papers alot of fun coming in as a Freshman. Willing to help. Textbook “They Say, I Say” was helpful when needing help with style and grammar. OWL helped alot with MLA format.

ENGL 1101 Student

4.0/5.0 Quality | 3.0/5.0 Difficulty

I have taken Amy twice and I adore her. Take her if you can!! She is so relatable and will always be there for you. Her class is super easy as well. You have to work to fail that class.

XIDS 2100 Student

Proffesor Ellison was contagiously hilarious, i am not a morning person, but thanks to her my mornings always started off with a laugh. She is super sweet and can connect well with her students. Just make sure to do the reading she assigns and you will be good to go. I highly recommend her.

ENGL 2120 Student

For one, she is a fantastic educator. Her classes really help you to understand the material, which she chooses based on its interestingness. She is really funny and encourages discussiom in class. Also, she is extremely understanding and caring when it comes to her students.

ENGL 2120 Student

Professor Ellison is super awesome. She is full of jokes. As long as you are respectful and give an effort she will help you as much as she can. Offers revisions on essays and seriously it is a life saver. She is not a “hard” grader, she is a fair one. She knows when you didn’t try on an essay. Also, make sure you read the material WOULD TAKE

ENGL 1101 Student

Boring Stuff

Words That Must Be Here

Nobody reads this anyway, but it has to be here. Some of it may be important though, so read on if you want.

Plagiarism

We will examine plagiarism early in the semester in order to make certain you know how to avoid it. If you are struggling for any reason, see me before making a poor decision like plagiarizing, since it can end in the failure of an entire class. For further information please read about our English Department’s policy on Plagiarism.

Course Description

This writing-intensive course will introduce students to the basics of workplace writing,
including the production of job application materials, professional genres, and company
presentation. By analyzing real-world business examples and producing rhetorically sound business documents, students will learn to navigate various types of workplace
communication. To meet the needs of dynamic workplace environments, the artifacts will employ different types of media and perform various rhetorical functions.
The class is divided into three major units with multiple assignment components in each unit. The first unit allows students to develop their own professional identities; the second unit focuses on recognizing, analyzing, and understanding a variety of professional genres; the third emphasizes crafting persuasive communication for targeted audiences.

Course & Program Goals

  • Students will develop rhetorical sensitivity, rhetorical acumen and composition skills necessary to prepare a variety of documents required in common business and technical writing contexts.
  • Students will learn teamwork and collaborative authorship skills.
  • Students will develop real-world problem-solving techniques.
  • Students will practice the scrupulous attention to detail necessary in a business and technical writing environment.
  • Students will become aware of techniques for adapting their writing to the demands of a highly audience-driven, context-sensitive field.
  • Students will develop techniques for making effective business presentations to individuals and groups.
  • Students will understand and appreciate internationally and culturally diverse styles of business communication
  • This course fulfills one of the departmental requirements for the completion of the English major and the English major with Secondary Education.
One last thing...

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This is NOT Professor Ellison‘s actual syllabus. This is just a class project for Professor Ellison.