Week 1
August 21
Introduction to class; complete student information sheets
Homework: Read Lash (CP); Craft pp. 1-33
August 23
Discuss email etiquette and annotation project
Homework: Read Craft pp. 37-74
Week 2
August 28
Developing a topic/library research
Homework: Read Craft pp. 75-107
August 30
Annotating and summarizing sources
Resources on MLA citation style from Hacker and OWL
Discuss Craft readings and work on topic development
Homework: Read Free Culture pp. 1-79
Week 3
September 4
Discuss issues of intellectual property
Work on summarizing
Homework: Finish annotation project
September 6
Introduce primary research project and research rationale
Annotation project due; work in class on uploading annotations to class wiki
Homework: Read Hicks (CP)
Week 4
September 11
Discuss human subjects and continue developing a research question
Homework: Read "Interviews" (CP)
September 13
Discuss interviewing techniques; review additional tips for interviewing; complete interviewing exercise
Review sample research rationale
Homework: Read "Questionnaires" and Shafer (CP)
Week 5
September 18
Discuss survey methodology; using the suggestions from our readings, in small groups critique this web based survey; play with survey monkey and other free web survey software listed in "Ten Tips"
Homework: Read Focus Groups articles: A Primer on Using Focus Groups in Technical Communication; The Use and Misuse of Focus Groups; skim various links on focus groups
September 20
Review professional groups on main webpage; discuss focus groups; as a class, work through sample research question; distribute papers; continue work on Project #2
Homework: Read "Usability" (CP)
Week 6
September 25
Discuss usability and practice usability testing; discuss review of rationale and documents over break, if desired.
Homework: Read Free Culture pp. 83-173
September 27
Issues of Property
Homework: Read Free Culture pp. 177-272
Week 7
October 2
More on intellectual property and technology; discuss Creative Commons; discuss informed consent forms and other documents part of Project #2
Homework: Finish draft of primary research project
October 4
No class: Instructor at professional conference
Week 8
October 9
No class: Fall break
October 11
Primary research project due; review Project 2 during class; discuss Project #3
Homework: Read Willerton (CP) and Stelzner (CP); Review Craft pp. 37-107
Week 9
October 16
Discuss the white paper genre--negotiating between information and persuasion
Research planning: look at CORE's plan your project
Evaluating sources: review CORE's discussion of source evaluation and evaluate these three web sources: "The Elements of Design"; "Perspectives on the Shared Source Initiative"; and "Announcing Memorandum"
Homework: Read Craft pp. 183-207
October 18
Planning and drafting your white paper
Review standard memo format and sample white papers
More practice with finding sources/works cited pages
Homework: Finish white paper proposal memo
Week 10
October 23
White paper proposal memo due
Tech workshop--creating a webpage for your white paper
Review www tips and practice creating a webpage in your career account called 203whitepaper.html. Save your proposal memo as a pdf and link to that pdf on your white paper webpage.
Homework: Read Craft pp. 222-240
October 25
In class proposal memo review
Using quotes in your research
A list of signal verbs for introducing quotes
Citing in text: Choose one idea that you found useful in pp. 222-240 of Booth et al. Write a brief paragraph on that idea in which you incorporate a quote or paraphrase from the text.
Homework: Read Craft pp. 241-262
Week 11
October 30
Review principles of document design: HATS for business documents
Communicating evidence visually
Review various examples of graphs and visuals of online activity:
Homework: Read Craft pp. 263-282Graphs in Power Laws, Weblogs and Inequality
Election map #1
NY Times election map
Tufte's Graph of the Day: NY Times Enron Follies
November 1
Style: Discuss examples from Craft of Research
Editing and stylistic tips:
Remember to capitalize InternetMore on formatting white papers: running headers and page numbers
Using non-sexist language
Which versus that
Who versus that
Documenting web sources using MLA
Borrowing repeatedly from the same source
Comma usage
Homework: Finish draft of white paper
Week 12
November 6
Workshop white papers: bring 3 copies for peers and write down the web address somewhere on your white paper
Use this workshop evaluation form to anonymously review at least 3 white papers during class
Homework: Revise white paper using peer comments
November 8
White papers due--at the beginning of class, send a professional email to me with the URL for your white paper. Include any discussion you would like about the genesis and development of the paper. You might also briefly discuss the peer comments you received and how you used them to revise your paper.
Discuss research report
Review zotero, delicious, and other resources for organizing sources
Homework: Draft research report proposal
Week 13
November 13
Details for annotation project revision
OWL overview and examples of research reports
Research report proposal due--workshop proposals during class
Homework: Read Craft pp. 114-137
November 15
Literary awards: submitting your work for consideration
Discuss making claims and review sample heuristic
Review credibility of sources
Return white papers and report proposals
Homework: Read Craft pp. 138-164
Week 14
November 20
Discuss reasons, evidence, and acknowledgments
Practice developing reasons for your argument
Homework: Read Craft pp. 165-181
November 22
No class--Thanksgiving Break
Week 15
November 27
Discuss warrants and do activity on warrants in advertisements
Work in class and ask questions on reports
Homework: Read Craft pp. 208-221
November 29
Revision strategies
Work in class on reports
Homework: Bring drafts of reports for workshopping
Week 16
December 4
Workshop reports using this peer review sheet
Homework: Bring drafts of reports for workshopping
December 6
Continue workshopping reports using this peer review sheet
Homework: Revise final reports
December 12
Final Reports due by 5pm in my office, 301C Heavilon Hall