Courses
English 301: Report Writing
Essential skills of modern technical and business writing, particularly usability, style, and structure. Technology as part of the research, writing, revision, and presentation processes. Proposals, reports, descriptions, writing for general audiences.
Not open to students with credit for English 225, English 226, English 240, or Engineering 240.
Prerequisites: 3 units from the following list with a minimum grade of B in each course: ENGL 115, 125, 135, 145, 146, 147, 181, 215, ENGR 240.Fall 2011 (E. Grove-White)
English 302: Government Writing
Essential skills of government writing, particularly usability, style, and structure. Technology as part of the research, writing, revision, and presentation processes. Policy, operation manuals, reports, writing for the general public, media releases.Prerequisites: 3 units from the following list with a minimum grade of B in each course: ENGL 115, 125, 135, 145, 146, 147, 181, 215, ENGR 240.
Fall 2011 (TBA)
English 303: Copy Editing for Professional Writers
Intermediate copyediting and preparing print and electronic manuscripts. Topics include editing of style, grammar, mechanics, graphics, and document design. Manuscripts on a range of topics, including natural and social sciences, the arts and humanities, and business and technology; use of computer applications.
Prerequisites: 3 units from the following list with a minimum grade of B in each course: ENGL 115, 125, 135, 145, 146, 147, 181, 215, ENGR 240.
Fall 2011 (TBA) and Spring 2012 (Doyle)
English 304 Writing Popular Science
The writing of relevant, entertaining, accurate science pieces for the general reader. Students will explore science as a cultural construct, and will examine science writing from the 18th century to the present, with an emphasis on contemporary topics, e.g., AIDS, cloning, space exploration, climate change, drug resistance, medicine.Prerequisites: 3 units from the following list with a minimum grade of B in each course: ENGL 115, 125, 135, 145, 146, 147, 181, 215, ENGR 240.
Not offered in 2011-2012
Note: This course is not open to students who have credit for English 406 when the topic was Science Writing.
English 305 Visual Rhetoric for Professional Writers
Recognition and analysis of visual design to deliver effective professional writing documents for both print and electronic media. Hands-on work using the elements and syntax of visual design. Topics include: working with the practical constraints imposed on visual design by various media; conveying the underlying structure of written documents through visual design; displaying quantitative data; selecting, editing, and using photos and illustrations to sustain a document’s message(s).Prerequisites: 3 units from the following list with a minimum grade of B in each course: ENGL 115, 125, 135, 145, 146, 147, 181, 215, ENGR 240.
Spring 2012 (TBA)
English 401: Web Design
Writing delivered via the World Wide Web with emphasis on usability testing. Techniques and tools for producing Web pages and sites, including page and site design, navigation, frames, DHTML, annotation, style sheets, JavaScript, rich media.Prerequisites: 3 units from the following list with a minimum grade of B in each course: ENGL 115, 125, 135, 145, 146, 147, 181, 215, ENGR 240.
Fall 2011 (A. Keller)
Course Outline
English 406: Special Topics in Professional Writing
This is a variable content course, offered according to the interests and needs of students and faculty.Note:
- Topics are announced each year.
- Where content differs, this course may be taken more than once for credit, to a maximum of 3 units.
Prerequisites: 3 units from the following list with a minimum grade of B in each course: ENGL 115, 125, 135, 145, 146, 147, 181, 215, ENGR 240.
Spring 2012 (Grove-White)
English 407 Computer-Mediated Communication
Critical thinking about cultural, social and economic processes and assumptions underlying Computer Mediated Communication (CMC). Assessment of CMC applications such as e-mail, Intranets, personal and commercial PCS systems, and a range of WWW applications and uses. Production and management of informative, persuasive and interactive web sites.Not open to students with credit in English 406 in when Computer-Mediated Communication was the special topic.
Prerequisites: 3 units from the following list with a minimum grade of B in each course: ENGL 115, 125, 135, 145, 146, 147, 181, 215, ENGR 240.
Fall 2011 (E. Grove-White)
English 408 Web-Based Documentation
Basic principles of creating Web-based documentation, including task and audience analysis, usability, interactivity, and rich media.Prerequisite: English 401 or special permission of the instructor.
Not open to students with credit in English 406 in when Web-based Documentation was the special topic.
Prerequisites: 3 units from the following list with a minimum grade of B in each course: ENGL 115, 125, 135, 145, 146, 147, 181, 215, ENGR 240.
Not offered in 2011-2012
English 412: Research for Professional Writers
Workshop in introducing spreadsheets and databases for online research to research and write more effectively. Contextualizing data and developing articles and proposals from online sources, mapping software, guidelines for researching on the Internet.Prerequisites: 3 units from the following list with a minimum grade of B in each course: ENGL 115, 125, 135, 145, 146, 147, 181, 215, ENGR 240.
Spring 2012 (Doyle)
English 416: Electronic Expression
This course asks one central question: How can we help readers by electronically recasting professional writing documents? To answer it, we cover the principles and techniques for creating electronic documents. That includes the full range of current and cutting-edge Web technologies, especially Flash’s animation, sound, and video. Your goal is to produce documents that exploit electronic technologies—and to think critically about them.Prerequisites: 3 units from the following list with a minimum grade of B in each course: ENGL 115, 125, 135, 145, 146, 147, 181, 215, ENGR 240.
Not offered in 2011-2012
Note: This course is not open to students who have credit for English 406 when the topic was The Electronic Document.
English 492: Directed Reading: Advanced Topics In Professional Writing
Specific project in some area of Professional Writing to be determined by the student and the instructor. Contact the Director of Professional Writing for permission.Note: Students registering for this course must first have the approval of the instructor, the Director of the Writing Program, and the Chair of the Department.
May be taken twice for credit, provided the content is different.
Prerequisites: Three units of 400-level Professional Writing courses.Here are the specifics:
Start with an English Department Professional Writing course you've taken and develop a topic that extends its material. You cannot simply repeat the kind of work you've already done.
Some past directed readings:
- Web accessibility
- Streaming video
- Editing a journal article
These are all topics that extended what was covered in class. You cannot, for instance, simply create another web site or write another report.
Find a faculty member who has expertise in your topic and who has enough time to direct your work. Submit a one-page proposal that describes the problem, demonstrates that it's worth doing, and shows your qualifications to work on it.
If the faculty member agrees to direct you, together negotiate the content and schedule for your directed reading. That is, show the work you'll produce, how it will be evaluated, and when each part will be due.
Submit your proposal, content, and schedule to the Director of the Professional Writing program, who will then forward them to the Chair for final approval.
If your directed reading is approved, the English Department will register you—you do not register as you would for your other courses.