Technical and Professional Communication (TPC) courses aim to help you learn skills to communicate effectively and efficiently about technology and in your professional life. The course introduces you to the rhetorical principles and composing practices necessary for writing technical and professional documents, designing and analyzing technical research, and communicating about technical issues in common documents such as policies, processes, and reports.
| Course | Description | Sample Syllabus |
|---|---|---|
| English 288 | Engages in professional genres and communication practices in light of emerging technologies. Students produce texts that prepare them to enter professional spaces. | ENGL288 Syllabus |
| English 289 | Theory and practice of written, visual, and digital writing within business contexts. | ENGL289 Syllabus |
| English 390 | Covers how to successfully negotiate the job market in fields related to English, such as technical communication, user experience (UX), and publishing; prepare for careers by familiarizing students with the discursive practices of their professions; develop successful job application materials such as a portfolio website, resumes, cover letters, and social media profiles; and prepare for job interviews. | Syllabus TBA |
| English 391 | Studies the grant-writing process through analysis, research, and practice. Focuses on procuring money to fund ideas through understanding the parts of grant writing; generating ideas for funding; locating funding sources; knowing the parts of a grant proposal; and submitting completed grants. Provides students with foundations in persuasive writing by focusing on the rhetorical genre of the grant. | Syllabus TBA |
| English 392 | Editing technical, business, government, and scientific reports through the manipulation of documents, project management, and contemporary production processes. | Syllabus TBA |
| English 394 | Introduction to big data as an issue for technical communicators. Focuses on how big data, privacy, and surveillance have been studied in technical communication and rhetoric research, and how to make this academic knowledge publicly accessible through writing and design. Students learn frameworks for understanding big data issues, and how to develop and practice techniques for translating expert knowledge to broader public audiences. | Syllabus TBA |
| English 396 | Covers how to create, edit, and maintain technical documentation that supports software end-users and developers. Includes conceptual overviews, instructions and tutorials, code samples and comments, release notes, best practices, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and application programming interface (API) references. Builds digital literacy by working with tools and concepts used in the production of software documentation. | Syllabus TBA |
| English 482 | Introduces the context and use of language in scientific and medical disciplines. Focuses on understanding the rhetorical nature of scientific discourse. Primary topics include examining different forms of scientific and medical writing in traditional and digital contexts; the nature of communication within professional communities; and composing texts for general readers. | Syllabus TBA |