Welcome to WRI 227

This page is where I'll post the basics of what we covered in class on a given day and anything I assigned for homework or that needs to be prepared for next class.

I'll stack the most recent class day's post above the rest of the posts in reverse chronological order so you shouldn't have to scroll around. Instructions, submission portals, and evaluation rubrics for major assignments can be found in our course Canvas shell.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me at jessamyn.birrer@oit.edu.

(Please do not email me just to tell me how dorky this website is. I haven't built a website since 1995, and I'm having to reteach myself html and learn css from scratch. It's almost impossible to do this and teach four writing-intensive courses at the same time. Thanks for your patience.)

6 January 2025

Week Two, Wednesday

In Class Today: Conducting valid research for WRI 227 and for technical and professional writing in general. Instructions and tips for using general and discipline-specific databases to find secondary research sources.

Homework: Using the OIT Library online databases, find a secondary source relevant to your research question in a discipline-specific database and write both a full APA reference citation and a rhetorical precis for that source. (Note: You may need to log in to your OIT account to access the linked databases or library pages.) Bring a hard copy (printed) to our next class. You can use the "Mad Libs"-style fill-in-the-blank template for this if you wish (if you do not, be sure you still follow the correct formula for a rhetorical precis).

15 January 2025

Week Two, Monday

In Class Today: Aristotle's Three Mistakes of Ethos. Definitions of (and uses for) Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary research. Moving from topic/problem to research question. Closed vs. open-ended questions. Developing a research question (activity). The Rhetorical Precis and its uses for research and annotation. How to write a rhetorical precis and document your research. (Click here for a downloadable document giving a detailed overview of the in-class lecture/discussion. and here for a "Mad Libs"-style worksheet on precis writing.) Using highly specific language to strengthen your ESP in technical writing.

Homework: Formalize your starting research question and come up with a list of at least 7-10 keywords/phrases to jump-start your research process. Bring a device (computer or phone) to our next class for some in-class activities involving research. Read ahead: Assignment instructions for the Informal Proposal and the Progress Report with Annotated Bibliography.

13 January 2025

Week One, Wednesday

In Class Today: Brainstorming topics for the term-long research report project. Recap/review of assigned readings. Types of audiences for technical and professional writing (you can click here for a review/overview on audience if you need one). Identifying audiences for specific problems by technical expertise and decision-making authority. Review of the assignment sheet for the Memo of Introduction assignment (full instructions and grading rubric available in Canvas).

Homework: Read Style in Technical Writing (note: the brief section on gender is largely dated and can be ignored). Write your Memo of Introduction and complete the accompanying assigned worksheet.

08 January 2025

Week One, Monday

In Class Today: Introduction to the course and review of the course syllabus. Introduction of the term-long research and report project. The differences between academic writing and technical and professional writing. The ABCs of organizing information for technical and professional documents. Using strong "ESP" for technical writing. "Getting Something Done" and solving problems through technical writing" (click for a short information sheet recapping our class lecture and activity).

Homework: Click to download and read William Pfeiffer on Organizing Information in Technical Writing (the "ABCs" and etc.) and Process in Technical Communication. (Note, there is a combined "short version" of these readings I am linking here for you to refer to as a shortcut, but you'll get more detailed information in the original chapters.) Review this handout on strong ESP for technical writing. Start thinking about a topic in your field and a potential problem to solve for your term research and report project.