Time Schedule:
Jan Spyridakis
T C 401
Seattle Campus
Grammatical structures and stylistic strategies within specific professional contexts. Achieving clarity and conciseness through word choice and placement, using a variety of sentence structures for appropriate emphasis, handling details, establishing effective tone. Required of technical communication majors. Prerequisite: T C 231. Offered: A.
Class description
Students learn the logic behind the structure of English sentences. With this knowledge, they learn to make intentional and effective decisions regarding the style of writing appropriate in different situations. Specifically, students should learn to:
• Understand the place of personas, context, and audience in achieving effective style.
• Identify and appreciate the role of syntax and semantics with regard to style in scientific and technical writing.
• Articulate the logic behind planned revisions (as shown through assignments and in-class participation).
• Construct sentences that reveal intended emphasis syntactically and semantically.
• Create cohesive and coherent paragraphs.
• Punctuate sentences effectively.
• Establish an appropriate tone.
• Achieve appropriate style for varied purposes, audiences, and genres.
• Revise quickly and appropriately.
• Honor ethics in prose.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Instruction centers around lectures and class workshops. Many workshops focus on discussing students' solutions to assigned exercises. There are manys online and offline practice exercises as well as complete written work.
Recommended preparation
TC 231, TC major, or permission of instructor.
Class assignments and grading
Exercises on analyzing, critiquing, and manipulating sentence style. Some critiquing and revising are directed at larger rhetorical units. Revision of student's own writing.
Grades are based on active participation in class, workshops, exercises, and quizzes.
Please see the course website for more information: http://faculty.washington.edu/jansp/TC401
