ICS 139W Communications Skills for Computer Scientists

ICS 139W Technical Writing

Winter Quarter, 2008
Lecture: PSCB 120, TuTh 11:00 - 12:20 p.m., Course code: 36700
Sections: ICS 243, Mon 12:00-12:50 (36701) ICS 143, Mon 1:00-1:50 p.m. (36702)

Recommended reading: Advice for Computer Science College Students

Instructor Venita De Souza venita@ics.uci.edu Office: DBH 5204. Office hours Thursday 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

TA: Weng Leong Ng (wlng@ics.uci.edu)

About the course: ICS 139W satisfies UCI's upper division writing requirement, which gives students the opportunity to write in ways that are specific to their own academic disciplines, guided by faculty from that discipline rather than from the English department.

Prerequisite concepts: Satisfaction of the lower division writing requirement is a prerequisite for this course, so we will expect every student to be able to write cogent, grammatical English at the level expected in Writing 39C.

Textbook:Writing from A to Z (currently in the fifth edition) by Ebest, Alred, Brusaw, and Oliu. This is the writing reference for lower division writing at UCI. Everyone needs a general writing reference, and you should get this if you don't have it or an equivalent. Earlier editions are fine.

Additional Texts: Introduction to Technical Writing, Process & Practice, Second Edition, by Lois Johnson Rew; St. Martin's Press. Professional & Technical Writing Strategies, Communicating in Technology & Science, Fifth Edition, by Judith S. Van Alstyne with Merrill D. Tritt; Prentice Hall.

Course requirements and grading: To satisfy the upper division writing requirement, you must receive a grade of C or better in this course; you may also take this class on a Pass/Not Pass basis (which also requires work at the C level to pass). In addition to satisfactory participation and completion of the assignments, to pass 139W you must successfully complete an in-class writing sample demonstrating your ability to write a short passage in clear, correct, grammatical, cogent academic English. The course requirements are:

In-class writing sample. The first in-class writing sample is scheduled for Tuesday, January 8; if you don't pass the first sample, you will have another chance on Thursday, January 10. The topic for each sample will be something designed to be easy to write about, so you can concentrate on your writing rather than the underlying ideas. In the 80-minute class period, you will write roughly 250 words; this should give you plenty of time to revise and rewrite your passage. To pass, your writing must have essentially perfect mechanics, grammar, and usage, and it must be reasonably clear and well organized. You may bring a dictionary or any other reference works. Being able to produce clear and correct writing is a requirement for completing lower division writing, so we expect everyone in the class to be able to demonstrate this ability. Graded Pass/Fail; must Pass to get a C or better in the course.
Seven assignments (five written, two oral), each with multiple parts:

Writing Instructions (15%)
Influencing Policy (20%)
Changing the System -- Introductory Tutorial (15%)
Changing the System -- Proposal (15%)
Oral Presentation 1 (5%)
Oral Presentation 2 (5%)
System Promotion or Resume and Cover Letter (11%)

Seven in-class peer editing sessions, 2% each for a total of 14%. There is no way to make up a missed session.
Attendance is not optional, however if you choose not to attend class it is your resposibility to find out what was covered in class. It is also your responsibility to keep track of changes in due dates for the various assignments and to make sure that you submit the correct number of copies for each assignment.
Late assignements will be marked down 30% or more of the total grade on that assignment,

Grading scale: In general scores will be assigned on a 100-point scale, with 95 a clear A, 85 a clear B, and below 70 not of passing quality (i.e., below C). It is possible but not guaranteed that the cutoffs for course letter grades of A and B will be assigned more leniently; that is, an overall score of 89% might receive an A or A-. There will be no exams.

Cheating: Be familiar with ICS policy and the definition of cheating, as well as the official policy on academic honesty. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reflected in the final grade because dishonesty devalues the learning experience for the whole class. Whether you turn in someone else's work as your own, or you help someone else do so, a single act of cheating will result in a grade of F for the quarter. You are encouraged to have a friend or relative proofread your papers, but don't let your proofreaders start rewriting your papers for you. A good strategy is to have the proofreader underline any words or phrases that might be incorrect or in need of improvement, and then you make the corrections yourself.

To-do list:

The web page Writing Assignment Requirements contains important advice that can affect your grade. Read it now and check it again every time you start a new assignment. There are also mechanical details for submitting assignments. Each major assignment is submitted in two ways: on paper (including all the previously submitted, edited versions) and electronically via Checkmate.
Register yourself on Checkmate for ICS 139W.
Always keep your own copy of each assignment, both electronically and on paper. If an assignment should get lost in the shuffle (or if a file server in the lab should crash, which has happened in the past), we'll expect you to be able to supply a replacement easily.

Course Outline and Schedule:


Week	Date	Topic	Due
1	Tue. 1/8	Introduction / In-class writing sample
1	Thu. 1/10	In-class writing sample -- take 2 (Only if you receive an email requesting your attendance.)
2	Tue. 1/15	Lecture: Writing Instructions / Editing a draft	Changing The System email TA by 10:30 am
2	Thu. 1/17	Peer editing #1	Writing Instructions draft (three copies)
3	Tue. 1/22	Elevator" presentations of systems ( 2 min/student)
3	Thu. 1/24	Lecture: Editing a letter	Writing Instructions final
4	Tue. 1/29	Peer editing #2	Influencing Policy draft #1 (two copies)
4	Thu. 1/31	Tightening sentences/ Structuring an Introduction / Tutorial
5	Tue. 2/5	Peer editing #3	Influencing Policy draft #2 (two copies)
5	Thu. 2/7	Peer editing #4	System Introduction and Tutorial draft & slides (one copy)
6	Tue.2/12	I. P. draft #2 returned Lecture: Making oral presentations
6	Thu. 2/14	Oral presentations of Introduction and Tutorial (4 min/student)	System Introduction and Tutorial final
7	Tue. 2/19	Oral presentation 1 continued	Influencing Policy final
7	Thu. 2/21	Proposal
8	Tue. 2/26	Peer editing #5	System Change Proposal draft #1& slides (two copies)
8	Thu. 2/28	Peer editing #6 Lecture: Resume writing/Promotion Sentences	System Change Proposal draft #2 & slides (one copy)
9	Tue. 3/4	Oral presentation 2	System Change Proposal final
9	Thu. 3/6	Oral presentation 2 continued
10	Tue. 3/11	Peer editing #7	Promotion or Resume draft (two copies)
10	Thu. 3/13		Promotion or Resume final

Communication: Read your UCI email account at least once a day. Refer to the course web page and syllabus occasionally. If you send me email, please include "ICS 139W" in the subject line, and your name and student ID in the body of the message.

Special Accommodations: Any student who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss his or her specific needs. Also contact the Disability Services Center at (949) 824-7494 as soon as possible to better ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

On Line Evaluations: The window for fall quarter online evaluations will open at 7pm on Friday, March 7 and close at 11:45pm on Sunday, March 16.