21W.794 Syllabus
Graduate Technical Writing Workshop
IAP 2005

Some information is in flux, but I've updated the dates, times, & room info for IAP 2005.

Preregistration is best. If you attend class without registering, you risk confusing the registrar and delaying the appearance of 21w794 credit on your record.

Dave Custer, rm 24-611, first desk on the left, 253-7787, 253-2872 (answering machine), 617-258-9500 (fax),
custer@mit.edu

Schedule for 21W.794, IAP 2005

Section 1:
Meets: 9:00 am => 12:00 noon on January 6, 10, & 13 in room 2-147
Section 2:
Meets: 1:00 pm => 4:00 pm on January 6, 10, & 13 in room 2-147
Section 3:
Meets: 9:00 am => 12:00 noon on January 7, 11, & 14 in room 2-147
Section 4:
Meets: 1:00 pm => 4:00 pm on January 7, 11, & 14 in room 2-147

Project Choice

The workshop's duration is extremely brief, so students have very little time to initiate a project once class is in session. Before attending the first class, it is in the student's interest to have an on-going or imminent project that provides the basis for class writing. The best writing projects are those required in the course of one's academic or professional career, for example, a thesis proposal or literature survey. Students who feel that they do not have such a project are encouraged to arrange one with their department before the first workshop meeting.

Introduction

The "Graduate Technical Writing Workshop" is an overview course in technical communication, offered expressly to graduate students. This series of three seminars focuses on writing problems faced by the professional engineer or scientist. Workshop participants tune up their writing skills and prepare a technical document under the guidance of the instructor.

Credit

Under the auspices of the MIT Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies, workshop participants receive 2 units of graded credit for 21W.794, "Graduate Technical Writing Workshop."

Reading Assignments

No textbook is required for this class; all reading assignments are available on the web:
The Science of Scientific Writing at http://www.amstat.org/publications/jcgs/sci.pdf
The Mayfield Handbook of Technical Writing at https://web.mit.edu/21.guide/www/home.htm
This syallbus and other course related documents can be found at http://web.mit.edu/21w794/www/home.html

Writing Assignments

Students are required to complete several assignments that culminate in a substantial final document. Ideally, this document should be part of an ongoing project. The following is a list of suggested writing projects:

The assignments are due as follows (see Writing Assignments below or class notes for details):

  1. before the second class: document specification
  2. second class: outline and palimpsest
  3. third class: rough draft of the final document for peer review
  4. one week later: advanced draft of the final document.

Assessment of Writing

Students receive suggestions and constructive criticism of their writing in the form of both in-class peer review during workshops and written comments from the instructor, who reads each assignment from the standpoint of its organization and coverage, its grammar and style, and its punctuation and mechanics. The final paper and written comments may be picked up in 24-611 in early February.

Grading

Grading is digital. Students who attend all three class sessions and turn in a paper receive an A grade. Otherwise, no grade is given.

Curriculum Summary

Class #1: Writing: Process, Purpose, and Form
A survey of activities that writers engage in to produce a technical document: planning, outlining, drafting, and revising
An examination of the structure of reports, proposals, and descriptions
In-class exercises: description
Assignment #1 (due before class #2): document specification
Class #2: Style and Simplicity
A review of the principles of sound sentence and paragraph structure, common stylistic problems in technical prose, and graphics
In-class exercise: critiques of writing samples, melding graphics and text
Assignments due (bring to class #2): outline and palimpsest.
Class #3: The Revising Process
A review of the methods for peer revision and editing documents
In-class exercise: peer review of writing assignments
Assignment due (bring to class #3): rough draft of document Assignment due (one week after class #3): 2nd draft of document

Additional Work

This spring, I'll be away on leave of absence, so additional work should be arranged with the writing center: http://web.mit.edu/afs/athena.mit.edu/org/h/humanistic/www/writcent.shtml

Writing Assignment #1

Due BEFORE the second class:
Write out a brief, informal specification of the final document you would like to adopt for this seminar. Consider including the following information:

Writing Assignment #2

Due in class #2:

Writing Assignment #3

Due in class #3:
A rough draft, three to five pages, the more developed the better. This document will be read and critiqued by other students in the class, so bring 3 copies to class.

Writing assignment #4

Due January 24:
An advanced draft, about 5 pages, should be turned in at room 24-611 or via e-mail or over the web. About week after the draft is turned in, the annotated copy can be picked up at room 24-611 with the instructor's comments. A word about page count: unimportant.

author = custer@mit.edu
location = http://web.mit.edu/21w794/www/794syllabus.html
Spiral over to the 21W.783 notes. (notes for a similar course for undergraduates)
Spiral up to the 21W.794 home page.
Spiral over to Dave's writing world page.