IAT 309W - Writing for Design, Media & Informatics

Download PDF: IAT309W-1-2012.pdf
Credit Hours: 3
Instructors:

Ben Unterman

Location: SFU Surrey, Room 2750
Semester: Spring 2012

Course Description:

IAT309W prepares students for the demands of a hi-tech workforce that values collaboration among artists, engineers, designers, and project managers, professional writers who must be able to adapt their communications effectively to meet the needs of experts and lay audiences.
 
This course helps students to develop critical thinking, research, and writing strategies that can be adapted to a wide range of professional communication situations related to design, media arts and technology. Through the exploration of genre and style (reflective, critical, persuasive, technical, narrative and expository), students recognize written documents as applications of critical thinking and communication principles and learn to shift content, as well as authorial voice and tone, across modalities of writing.  Students use low-stakes and high-stakes writing activities to identify the needs of an audience and to apply the appropriate writing strategies required to avoid audience resistance. Regular instructor feedback and weekly workshops and peer reviews allow students to practice revision strategies that will enhance skill development and professional writing image.
 
Over the course of the term, students will develop a critical writing portfolio and a large scale research project.  Both signature projects will demonstrate each student’s ability to incorporate the analytical skills, planning and research skills and revision skills practiced throughout the course.

Course Objectives:

By actively participating in IAT309W, students should be able to do the following:

• Adapt and apply appropriate critical thinking and communication strategies across a variety of writing situations (reflective, expository, analytical, and persuasive).
• Recognize written documents (genres, styles) as applications of critical thinking and communication principles.
• Recognize that written documents are intended to target specific audiences to evoke specific responses.
• Identify the expectations of a target audience and the objectives of a written document based on the rhetorical nature of that document (voice, tone, style, organization, conventions).
• Apply audience invention, planning and iterative revision processes to various writing tasks for a comprehensive research project.
• Project a strong professional image through their written communication.

Learning Outcomes:

This will allow students to:

• make the connection between critical reading and writing
• practice writing in styles and patterns relevant to academic and professional writing
• identify conventions associated with each genre/style of writing and demonstrate knowledge of their use in weekly low-stakes and high-stakes writing assignments (summaries, critiques, reflections, discipline related papers)
• complete skill building writing exercises (grammar, argument development, sentence structure, vocabulary)
• integrate instructor feedback and revise major writing assignments into a professional, critical writing portfolio
• develop an major research project using a planning, invention, drafting and revision process

Delivery Method:

This course employs the following teaching & learning approaches:

• Short lectures
• Writing workshops and peer review sessions
• Regular feedback on written work
• Revision of written work
• Weekly readings and assignments
• Guest speakers

Learning Activities + Evaluation:

Reflective Writing:  5%
Argument Writing:  5%
Persuasive Writing:  15%
Midterm - Writing Analysis:  15%
Writing Portfolio:  15%
Research Report:  30%

• Submission 1 (Draft 1 - Research Paper):  10%
• Submission 2 (Final Draft):  20%

Attendance, Quizzes & Workshop Participation:  15%

Texts, Resources + Materials:

Required:
“The Student Writer:  Editor and Critic” (2011) by Barbara Fine Clouse, Peter Grevstad; Canadian Edition; McGraw-Hill; ISBN 9780070980419

Reference:  (on Library Reserve – 2 hour loan)
“How We Write:  Writing as Creative Design” (1999) by Mike Sharples; 1st Edition; Routledge; ISBN-10 0415185874

“Beyond Feelings:  A Guide to Critical Thinking” (2003) by Vincent Ruggiero; 7th Edition; McGraw-Hill; ISBN 9780072828962

Supplemental Readings:
Provided by Instructor

Prerequisites:

48 credits including a lower division W course

Last Updated: September 27, 2011

These course outlines are drafts and are subject to change.