Writing 1E: Approaches to University Writing for Engineers
Course Syllabus
Course name: Academic Writing for Engineers
Designator: Writing 1E
Instructor: Doug Bradley
Enrollment Code: 50906
Course website: http://www.dougbradley.net/courses/writ1e
Term: Fall quarter, 2019
Course meeting dates: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 26 September – 06 December 2019
Meeting time/location: TR 4:00 – 5:50, HSSB 1210
Office hours: Wednesadays 2:00–3:00 and by appointment
Assignment drop-off: You may slide assignments under my office door at South Hall 1523. You may also place assignments into the blue Writing Program drop box outside of South Hall 3432 after hours. If you use the drop box, please be certain that my name—and yours—is on everything.
Course Texts and Readings
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Online readings: Click on the "Readings" link in the upper-left corner of this page to access our online course readings. Please note that selections are protected under educational copyright laws; you will require a user name and password to access them. |
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Starting Lines: An Anthology of Student Writing *A copy of this text is on 2-hour loan at the UCSB reserve book desk. |
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A Writer's Reference, Diana Hacker |
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English composition journal [available in the UCSB Bookstore] |
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A Guide to Writing as an Engineer, [Optional] *A copy of this text is on 2-hour loan at the UCSB reserve book desk. |
Extra course readings are also posted to the course website "Readings" page and announced on our course schedule; you will need a password to access some articles. |
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Important Notices!!!
DROP DEADLINE
Deadline to drop Writing 1E is Wednesday, 02 October 2019 via GOLD.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
If you are a student with a disability and would like to discuss special academic accommodations, please contact me during office hours. See the UCSB Disabled Students Program (DSP) website for more information.
ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENTS AND QUESTIONS
For enrollment questions regarding adding and dropping of Writing 1E, credit, units, prerequisites, etc., contact Allison Brennan (ambrennan@ucsb.edu), Undergraduate Advisor, in the Writing Program office, South Hall 3432D. Phone: 805.893.2613.
Writing 1E Requirements, Grading and Schedule
Course Requirements
Attendance and Punctuality
The UCSB Writing Program requires that you attend all course classes and arrive prepared. Missing more than two absences will decrease your final course grade by one-third of a letter grade for each unexcused absence. You are responsible for obtaining missed handouts and assignments. (Support your classmates!) As a courtesy to others in the classroom, you are expected to arrive on time at the start of each instruction period. Excessive tardiness will be considered a diminishment of your class participation.
Classroom Participation
As a course participant, you are expected to engage all classroom discussions and exercises. You will function as a peer editor to other students; as such, your classroom participation is essential. Throughout, you are expected to treat your work, and the work of others, with respect.
Electronic Device Use in Class
This is largely a matter of common sense and courtesy: It is an insult (to anyone) to attend closely an electronic device when they are speaking to you and/or engaged in a mutual activity with you. That being said, there will certainly be times when having a browser in our class will be helpful to our activities and assignments. It is also no big deal to send-receive short electronc messages (e.g,, "See you at lunch," etc.) while otherwise engaged in work. I will assume that you are a grown-up and can properly balance your use of electronic devices, but if it is obvious that you cannot balance your use, I will be talking to you.
A great deal of research has been conducted on the habituation of chronic, electronic device use—it is an addiction little removed from its chemical cousins. If you find yourself unable to function for long without using an electronic device, please see UCSB Counseling and Psychological Services for help with your addiction; I have little patience with same.
Journal Entries
Your journal is your personal literary workshop and will be used both in and out of class. We will begin most classes with a short warm-up exercise in our journals, and use them frequently to perfect writing skills. Journals are not graded; however, they will be checked three times during the quarter to verify that you are keeping pace with classroom exercises.
Membership in a Professional Engineering Society
Participation in a professional engineering society ought to be considered an integral part of your engineering education. Not only do professional engineering societies publish vital research and industry standards used within the engineering profession, but they offer invaluable experience to students. As a member, you will participate with other students and industry colleagues, both young and old, to "learn the ropes" of engineering. Engineering is not simply learned from books! It is a sacred tradition, carefully and deliberately handed from one generation to the next. Much of this transfer occurs within professional societies.
The UCSB College of Engineering requires all engineering students to join at least one professional society of their own choosing; this is required NLT the end of the Fall quarter. UCSB has many active, on-campus student chapters of most leading professional engineering societies to join, or you may join an off-campus society if a campus chapter is not to be found at UCSB. The society (or societies) that you choose to join need not reflect your major—i.e., you may join any professional engineering society. For example, if you are majoring in mechanical engineering, you may join the IEEE, and if you are majoring in electrical engineering, you may join the ASME. You may join more than one society. Link: UCSB campus organizations.
A listing of campus professional engineering societies and student officer contacts will be distributed during the beginning of Fall quarter. As proof of membership and participation, you may do any one of the following in Writing 1E: 1) visit a campus chapter meeting and write a journal entry, describing what you learned; 2) review an article found in one of the society's recently published journals; 3) attend an off-campus society function (e.g., conference, tour, etc.) and desribe your experience in your journal. Your final journal entry rearding a professional engineering society will be turned in at the end of the quarter as Journal Writing Assignment #H.
Grading
Grading is based upon three papers and course participation. The weighting of each for determining your final course grade is as follows:
Assignment |
% Course Grade |
| Paper #1 | 30 |
| Paper #2 | 30 |
| Paper #3 | 30 |
| Classroom Participation (includes attendance, classroom discussions and exercises, journals, article-website reviews, and peer review work) | 10 |
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the copying of a part or whole of another person's work while representing the work as your own; it is an extremely serious academic offense. Avoid plagiarism by properly citing the sources of ideas, text and graphics used in your work. Students caught plagiarizing will receive an "F" grade in Writing 1E and be dropped from the course. No work containing plagiarized work will be accepted for course credit. Period. No exceptions!
Emergencies
If you experience or anticipate any emergency during the term bearing upon your course work or attendance in Writing 1E, it is your responsibility to contact me as soon as possible. In lieu of contacting me, you may leave a message with the Writing Program office, located in South Hall 3432 (805.893.7488).
Summary of Assignments (see course schedule for due dates)
Papers (30% each)
Paper #1: Summary
Paper #2: Critique
Paper #3: Persuasive synthesis
Classroom Participation (10%)
Attendance
Classroom discussions and exercises
Article-website reviews
Journal writing
Other Activities
Join an on-campus chapter of a professional engineering society (see requirements above).
Guest speaker(s) [varies from quarter to quarter]