CS 3604: Writing Assignments

Fall 2002, Dr. Rosson

This course has been designated by the department as a “writing intensive” course as part of the University’s core requirements to include writing across the curriculum. This is not an English course; the writing assignments will closely match real-world writing situations in a technical and professional setting. They also include a significant component of peer review and revision. For general guidance, please review the course writing requirements.

  1. Résumé, cover letter, and career plans: you will begin with a draft of these items (ungraded), which will then be revised based on class discussion and peer review (graded). A third version will be submitted based on feedback from the GTA and instructor.
  2. A one-page email message (about 250 words) addressing a professional issue: This also will be submitted first as a polished first draft, then revised and resubmitted based on feedback from the GRA and instructor.
  3. A review of an technical article: Following reviewing and editing guidelines, you will analyze and critique the assigned article (see Web pages), including providing an answer to questions dealing with the organization and writing style of the article.
  4. A 3-page business memo of (about 750 words): This is similar to the email message in that you will be simulating the process of business communication about a serious issue, but the memo will be prepared in a more formal manner.
  5. Proposal to a hypothetical work group about a professional issue: This assignment will take place in four phases. The first deliverable will be a two-page (500 words) plan for how you are approaching the proposal-writing process. The second will be a first draft of your own 8-page proposal (approximately 2000 words) researched and written according to the earlier plan. The third deliverable will be your review of another student’s proposal. The fourth deliverable will be a final draft of your proposal, in which you make revisions and respond explicitly to the review feedback.
All writing assignments will be graded first by the GTA, and secondarily by the instructor. Thus questions about grading should first be discussed with the GTA.