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English 362

 

This course provides a hands-on introduction to the principles of organizing, developing, writing, and revising technical documentation in today's fast-paced world of science and business. It also lays the foundation for English 562: Advanced Technical Writing and is the prerequisite for the rest of the KU Technical Communication program.

English 362 is designed to help prepare you for a career in technical writing, or to enhance your attractiveness to potential employers in the scientific and technical fields. Scientists, engineers, and businesspeople who possess good tech-writing skills enter the high-tech world of science and industry with an advantage over their peers who cannot write good proposals, lab reports, or other forms of documentation that they regularly need to create.

You will review and practice the essential tech-writing elements. We also survey document forms common to scientific and technical disciplines. You will also gain valuable experience through research, real-life technical-writing exercises, peer review, and presentations.

McKitterick's course focuses on three primary areas:

  • Elements of technical writing. The pieces that build a technical document.
  • Forms of technical writing. How to design and write various final products, such as lab reports, specification documents, and user manuals. You will be assigned to write several such documents during this course.
  • Advanced projects. Putting everything together to create and manage complex documentation projects, including the semester project.

Classes have a one- or two-part structure, consisting of the following:

  • Lecture and discussion. Focus on elements, forms, or both.
  • In-class writing and peer-review practice to reinforce lecture and discussion. You create a brief passage, table, graphic, etc. and then you review other students' work. Instructor reviews random students' work during this time, as well. Reviewing will likely initiate more discussion. We might not do this every day.

Types of technical-writing forms that you learn to create include technical or scientific articles and papers, doc plans, abstracts, proposals, specification documents, technical reports, websites, oral presentations, and manuals. Includes an introduction to technical-writing software tools.

Note: This is not a generic Professional Writing class; rather, it is a technical writing class. It is designed for all students expecting to write technical documents in their careers, but it is especially useful for those headed into the fields of science, engineering, technology, and business.

McKitterick's class might differ from English 362 sections offered by other instructors. Check with your instructor to learn more about what a prospective course offers.
 

Send a note to Chris McKitterick, KU's technical-writing liaison and instructor for all courses offered, if you are interested in learning more about technical writing or editing.