2020-2021 Undergraduate Academic Catalog

JOUR-4950 Internship –Fa, Sp, Su 3–12 hour Students are placed with professional organizations to apply their journalism training and gain experience in actual career situations. This should be discussed with an advisor one semester prior to the internship experience. Internship agreements must be signed by the student, the job supervisor, and the faculty mentor prior to the initiation of the internship. Prerequisite: for print major, JOUR-3420 Editing and Design; for broadcasting major, JOUR- 3350 Television News Production; for public relations major, JOUR-3550 Advanced Public Relations Writing. Professional Writing and Information Design (PWID) PWID-2130 Introduction to Professional Writing –Fa 3 hours Students will study the technical communication profession. They will learn the skills needed to succeed in the field, professional approaches to solving problems in the field, and potential professional opportunities in technical communication. PWID-3010 Style and Mechanics for Writers –Fa, Sp, Su 3 hours Students will learn to apply reliable principles to make writing clear, concise, coherent, and cohesive. Crosslisted with ENG 3010 Style and Mechanics for Writers. Prerequisite: ENG-1400 Composition. PWID-3011 Legal and Research Writing –Fa 1 hour Students will learn to apply reliable principles to make their writing clear, concise, coherent, and cohesive. In addition, they will learn to write persuasive documents that are required of professionals in the fields of law and public administration. Prerequisite: ENG-1400 Composition. Corequisite: PWID-3010 Style and Mechanics for Writers PWID-3020 Professional Portfolio Development I –Fa 1 hour Students will develop a professional portfolio and learn to use it effectively as a tool to obtain an internship. PWID-3050 User Experience for the Web –Sp 3 hours Students will learn to conduct formative and summative user research that will help them make critical decisions about content, structure, and layout of online publications, including websites, blogs, and magazines. They will study principles of usability, user experience, and information architecture in order to gain a comprehensive view of how to arrange, structure, and write content for online publications. PWID-3090 Marketing Communication –Fa 3 hours Students will learn to create marketing materials for the technical industry, from design to completion. Prerequisites: PWID- 3010 Style and Mechanics for Writers; PWID-3100 Designing Visual Communication. PWID-3100 Designing Visual Communication –Fa 3 hours Students will learn to integrate visual design concepts to enhance communication in various documents and media. Topics will focus on increasing usability of communication products by targeted audiences. Corequisite: PWID- 2 000 Production Tools for Technical Communication. PWID-3170 2 hours The Professional Writer in a Corporate Culture –Sp Students will discuss issues beyond intellectual ability and technical know-how that are crucial to a successful career. They will discover guidelines to assist them in improving their emotional intelligence capabilities. PWID-3180 Visual Rhetoric –Fa 3 hours Students will learn to understand the rhetoric of visual language and to adapt visual language to specific audiences, purposes, and contexts — just as they do written texts. As a result, they should be able to respond flexibly to design problems in all professional documents. PWID-3210 Professional Editing –Sp 3 hours Students will learn both copyediting and comprehensive editing skills. These skills include editing for grammar, punctuation, syntax, sentence structure, content development, and visual design. Students will learn to edit paper and electronic copy and will also explore editing in both publishing houses and corporate environments. PWID-3250 Documentation Design –Sp 3 hours Students will learn to plan, design, and create user documentation through systematic user analysis, task identification, effective writing, and effective visual design. PWID-4010 Report Writing –Sp 3 hours Students will learn to design and write effective technical reports and presentations that purposefully convey clear, concise, and accurate information to a targeted audience while using an appropriate level of technicality and supporting data or information. PWID-4020 Professional Portfolio Development II –Fa 1 hour Students will maintain a professional portfolio and learn to use it effectively to obtain employment after graduation. (Fee: $25) PWID-4050 Content Strategy and Development –Fa 3 hours Students will learn how to design and manage information on the World Wide Web. The class addresses issues in usability, information architecture, and content strategy. Students will learn design principles and writing issues specific to the digital medium. PWID-4130 Instructional Design I –Fa 3 hours Teaches technical communicators how to employ technology and learning theory in developing adult training courses. PWID-4140 Instructional Design II –Sp 3 hours This course provides students with the opportunity to delve deeper into the art and science of instructional design by focusing on educational technology in general and e-learning tools, techniques, and practices specifically in use in today’s corporate environment. The course also investigates the topics of knowledge management, performance support and human capital management in order to give students a well-rounded introduction to the contemporary practice of non-traditional instructional design. Prerequisites: PWID-4130 Instructional Design I or permission of instructor. PWID-4150 Writing for Publications –Sp 3 hours Writing for Publications prepares students to manage a publication from conception until it is published. Students will develop an editorial strategy, write content, edit content from other writers, and manage the process until the document is published. Students will also explore how to market the publication. Prerequisite: Senior status or permission of instructor. PWID-4160 Professional Writing Internship –Su 3 hours Students will participate in a work-study program approved and administered by the department in which advanced Professional Writing and Information Design students receive a variety of job- related experiences in a communication environment. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. PWID-4170 Special Topics –Sp 3 hours Students will study a selected topic(s) at the 4000-level. The flexibility of this course allows the faculty to meet the ever- changing nature of technical communication. Possible topics include project management, professional presentations, research methods, ethics in PWID, or other topics presented by faculty or requested by students. Prerequisites: PWID-2130 Introduction to Professional Writing; PWID-3010 Style and Mechanics for Writers Capstone course. PWID-4230 1–3 hours Independent Study in Technical and Professional Communication –Fa, Sp, Su Independent study for junior and senior-level PWID majors with special interests and demonstrated ability. 2020–21 Undergraduate Academic Catalog Page 255 Course Descriptions JOUR-4950 – PWID-4230 COMMUNICATION