Course Description
“An advanced course in effective technical writing techniques, including traditional technical writing forms and world wide web communication. This course will have students use electronic media such as internet, presentation, and graphics programs to communicate technical and scientific information to a variety of audiences via written and oral presentations. Students will also analyze readings in science and technology, study technical writing models, and practice collaborative research and presentation. Building on previous writing courses, this course will reinforce clarity of thinking and expression in effective and correct English.”
Course Synopsis
“English 2575, Technical Writing, will provide you with the opportunity to improve your ability to compose documents based on technical information through applied study and critique. You will develop the knowledge, skills, and processes necessary to compose these documents under constraints typically found in the workplace. You will be evaluated throughout the process of researching, organizing, writing, revising, and presenting your documents. You will begin to approach document design problems from a technical writing perspective. The use of visual aids and graphic illustrations will be introduced, along with audience analysis, problem-solving, and an awareness of the role that technical writing plays in project development. Types of technical genres that you will analyze or compose may include, but will not limited to summarizations, definitions, processes, visualizations, researched texts, oral presentations, and informal documents.”
Selected Student Feedback
“This technical writing class was the most challenging and amazing class I have ever taken in my entire college education.…I was committed to my education before, but after this class I can say that my commitment to do better is in the high stage that I feel so powerful and unstoppable to continue my education and finish my bachelor’s degree. Not to just that, having a personal talk with professor made me realize I can do more I can continue and get a higher degree, he got the words I needed to hear so I can look forward for better opportunities for my future.” — G.B. (2019)
“Earlier in class today, I was melting from the heat, and my brain was fried too. I left without saying much for my final words in this class. When I got on the train, I was thinking about what I have really learned this semester, since I was lost for words just a few hours ago. And then it hit me, kind of like how a train hits a person. The technique does not change – you do. I was lost for words because I thought I really just slaved away at the keyboard this past month, but on the train, I realized that this class’s effect took place even today, when I was helping out three people simultaneously.” — M.S. (2019)
“In the beginning Professor Corbett asked the class, “How will you use writing to get what you want? Why are you here? What brought you here and what is the reason you are here at this time?” Those questions still linger on my mind and has since helped me to rebalance myself, my goals, and my purpose. This class for me was more than the usual structured educational system, as I was better able to connect to the content in a meaningful way and apply it to my personal and professional life.” — G.M. (2019)
“The few weeks spent in this class have taught me a great deal. I am a kinesthetic learner, so getting my hands dirty with some real-world oriented writing tasks and exercises worked well for me. Getting to work through the stages of a real project idea and write a feasibility report, gave me well needed insight into the processes that go into getting projects from ideas to incarnations. In order to move forward with a project, you need to see it from all sides: the opportunities, the challenges, the stakeholders, etc. All the tasks we’ve done have allowed me to see how an abstract idea can be strung through an iterative cycle of being torn apart and restructured until you have all the pieces you need to put together a document that presents the feasibility of the project, not only to your stakeholders, but to yourself. I am also grateful for the personal growth experience. I always hated writing about myself, and that self-inventory was no different. However, it allowed me to take a close look at myself and do a deep dive into my interests, goals, and setbacks. I was able to gain a better appreciation for my own interests by reasoning about why they interest me and what value they add to my life. I was also able to identify setbacks in my life and do some research on things that will help me past some of them.” — A.C. (2019)
Course Documents
The cohort experience of Summer 2575 classes means that we work collaboratively on individual projects, often seeking advice and feedback from each other and building a network of support and challenge for ideas. The package of sample projects below are used with student permission and offer incoming 2575 students examples of a range of students’ draft products.
Sample Projects (used with permission)
[Go Back to Teaching at City Tech]
[Go Forward to ENG 2700 – “Introduction to Professional and Technical Writing”]
