Books for the Course:
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Catalog Description:
Students will learn and apply elements of clear and effective writing and oral expression appropriate for careers in the technical professions. Course work includes case studies, job search materials, set of instructions, standard business correspondence, examination of social media in professional settings, oral presentation with presentation software, and research into a technical field with the goal of communicating that field to non-experts.
Course Objectives:
This class explores the multiple types of communication one may encounter in the professional world. In addition to learning how to write such professional documents as resumes, job application letters, business letters, interoffice memos, process analysis reports, and instructional manuals, students also develop an understanding of writing as a critical thinking process. Much of the work will focus on “traditional” print media, but the course also discusses, explores, and analyzes developments in electronic media, such as email writing, Internet research, Web page design, and professional uses of social media.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course, you should be able to demonstrate:
- skills in analyzing your audience and writing professional documents to those specific audiences;
- skills in identifying the essential elements of typical professional forms of communication and incorporating those elements in your own communications;
- skills in using effective principles of design in creating documents and visual aids;
- skills of technical and professional research and analysis through the writing of a technical report;
- competency in writing and revising technical and professional documents with an appropriate tone and style;
- competency in working effectively in teams on complex projects that result in written, oral, and visual communication;
- competency in employing an effective writing process to produce professional-quality communications in response to workplace situations;
- skills in applying ethical principles of written and oral communications to typical workplace situations.
