Information
- Section: 462-H01
- Day/Time: T-R 2:50 - 4:05
- Room: Online – Synchronous and Asynchronous
- Professor: Dr. Byron Hawk
- Email: byron [dot] hawk [at] gmail [dot] com
- Office Hours: Virtual by Appointment
- Markel, Mike. Technical Communication, 11th ed. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015.
- Various rhetoric articles and chapters in PDF and online.
Examination of and practice in types of writing important to technical communicators and professional writers. The course will take a rhetorical approach to genre such as resumes, proposals, instructions, and reports, and issues such as genre analysis, document design, usability, and ethics. A major emphasis of the course is to understand how these genre and issues function in rhetorical and organizational situations and then develop appropriate textual and technological responses. Students should expect to read rhetorical texts, analyze examples of genre, and write extensively.
- Identify and adapt to the constraints of specific rhetorical situations, including audiences, purposes, genres, and uses.
- Communicate effectively with both discursive and graphical media, including elements of document design such as typeface, spacing, and navigation.
- Design and organize content and processes to accommodate readers and users engaged in specific tasks.
- Develop understandings of organizational situations and workflow processes.
- Revise and edit for more strategic clarity, concision, coherence, cohesion, and emphasis.
Because this is an online writing class that emphasizes the process of the class as a whole, attendance and participation is extremely important. Attendance will be taken on synchronous days and written homework for participation will count as attendance on asynchronous days. Attendance will count as a part of your participation grade. In accordance with University policy, anyone who misses 25% of our scheduled class periods (7 of 28) will fail the course, and anyone who misses more than 10% (3 of 28) may receive a grade penalty. If you stop coming to class, it will be your responsibility to drop. Failure to do so will result in an "F."
I will use this basic grading scale: A (90-95), B+ (85-89), B (80-84), C+ (75-79), C (70-74). You should keep all assignments until after you receive your final grade for the semester in the event that there is any discrepancy.
Since this is an online class, there will be no face-to-face office hours. Email me questions or queries any time. I check my e-mail several times daily. If your question requires more than an email, then we can set up a 1-1 video conference.
In keeping with the University of South Carolina's commitment to non-discrimination--based on age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, and sexual orientation--and providing program accessibility for qualified students with disabilities, I am happy to provide reasonable accommodation through the Student Disability Resource Center office. Students wishing to make such arrangements should contact the Student Disability Services office at 777-6142.
