Course Descriptions
TWRT 61 Introduction to Technical Writing (4
units)
Prerequisites: English 1A or ESL 5
Four hours lecture
(Also listed as BUS 61 and EWRT 61. Students may
enroll in only one department for credit.)
TWRT 61 introduces technical writing techniques, conventions, and standards.
Students produce a portfolio
of short documents including their resume and a cover letter, a functional
description, and instructions for a procedure. They
develop skills in functional, descriptive, and process writing, as well as
designing documents, using tables and lists, and editing accurately.
Students engage in these activities:
Exploring the World Wide Web to discover technical writing resources
Marketing their strengths with a resume and cover letter
Identifying topics, audiences, and purposes for writing
Outlining, designing, and writing short documents
Using Styles in MS Word to create documents and templates
Compiling a portfolio of professional quality writing samples
suitable for presenting at job interviews
This course is offered on campus and online.
TWRT 62 Survey of Technical Writing (4
units)
Prerequisites: TWRT 61 (may be taken concurrently)
Four hours lecture
(Also listed as BUS 62 and EWRT 62. Students may
enroll in only one department for credit.)
TWRT 62
focuses on many types of writing assignments faced in the technical
and business world. Program planning and project management skills are
emphasized as students work individually and in groups on a variety of
increasingly complex assignments in short formats.
Projects are drawn from case studies simulating real world assignments
in a variety of industries. Students practice their skills by writing
the following types of documents:
Technical correspondence
Analytical reports
Proposals
Project plans and schedules
Progress reports
PowerPoint presentations
Empirical research reports
These projects allow students to add more writing samples to
the professional technical writing portfolios they created in TWRT 61.
This course is offered on campus and online.
TWRT 63 Technical Publications(4
units)
Prerequisites: TWRT 61
Four hours lecture
(Also listed as BUS 63 and EWRT 63. Students may
enroll in only one department for credit.)
TWRT 63
hones students' planning, designing, writing, and editing skills.
Students learn the document development cycle
"on the job" as each student plans and produces a camera-ready
technical manual of portfolio quality. They also improve their
writing skills through in-depth study of writing mechanics and style,
and they develop their graphics skills through study and application of
graphic design principles.
Each student acts as a subject matter expert on one project and the writer on another project.
Participating in both roles, students experience both sides of interviewing subject matter
experts and editing for content and copy. Each student produces all the
documents of a complete document development cycle including:
Project proposal
Functional specification
Document blueprint
Review drafts
Final, camera-ready artwork and prototype
Students are responsible for producing professional quality, printed and bound prototypes of
their finished manuals. (Many students choose to perform the printing and binding themselves,
learning skills which may come in handy later in their careers when deadlines loom.)
These manuals make particularly impressive additions to the professional technical writing
portfolios students began compiling in TWRT 61 and TWRT 62.
TWRT 64 Technical Writing Seminar (4 units)
Prerequisites: TWRT 62 or TWRT 63
Four hours lecture
(Also listed as BUS 64 and EWRT 64. Students may
enroll in only one department for credit.)
TWRT 64 focuses on applying skills learned throughout the program to plan and
execute a complete, real-world technical writing project in a team
environment. Projects may be drawn from the needs of other departments on
campus, special projects requested by nonprofit groups, or tasks related to
the students' chosen fields. Deliverables may include equipment manuals,
user guides, Web sites, newsletters, online documentation, and other
forms of technical writing. Students also apply their organizational and
analytical skills to read and critique technical articles and write a
non-fiction article for publication.
TWRT 64 students add writing samples from their class projects
to the professional technical writing portfolios they compiled
throughout the program.
TWRT 66 Special Topics in Technical Writing (1
unit)
Prerequisites: TWRT 61
One hour lecture for each unit of credit
TWRT 66
offers the opportunity to focus upon a specific area of technical
writing. Subjects may include:
Technical editing
Designing and writing company-specific style manuals
Document planning and scheduling
Writing computer hardware and software documentation
Technical indexing
Writing for an international audience
Current offerings may be found in De Anza's
online,
searchable class schedule.
TWRT 67 Writing for Publication (4
units)
Prerequisites: TWRT 61
Distance learning course
TWRT 67
focuses on the skills needed to produce publishable articles. Topics
include:
Interviewing subject specialists
Developing, marketing, and writing articles for magazines
Students expand research
skills using both online and traditional resources. Activities include:
Setting goals for writing
Exploring non-fiction genres
Identifying key terms
Finding ideas for writing
Slanting articles
Targeting markets
Gathering information
Organizing, writing and revising articles
Cultivating a style for writing
Preparing query letters
Creating a writing notebook
TWRT 70 Special Projects in Technical Writing (1-4
units)
Prerequisites: TWRT 61
TWRT 70
focuses on special research, writing, or study projects in Technical
Writing as determined in consultation with the Department Chair.
Examples of special projects include:
Analyzing industry skills required for technical writing in Silicon Valley
Creating a manual describing careers in medical and pharmaceutical writing
Developing and marketing a manual presenting placement agency information for technical
writers
Planning and creating style manuals for department
publications including newsletters and monographs
TWRT __ Grant Writing
Advisory: TWRT 61
Two hours lecture
Note: This class is currently being developed
This class
is an introduction to writing grant applications, focusing on format, appropriate vocabulary,
convincing language, and editing. Each class meeting concentrates on a different
component of the application and guides students through the process of writing their own
grants, as well as teaching the necessary skills for students who want to pursue careers
as grant writers.
Students engage in the following activities:
Identifying common elements of grants
Understanding basic principles of grant writing
Researching appropriate information for grant proposals, including:
• Funding sources
• Areas of interest
• Supporting literature
Developing preliminary project profiles in their areas of interest
Tailoring goals, language, and documentation to the target audience
Improving writing skills for syntax, word usage, organization, etc.
Writing a complete grant application aimed at a specific organization
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De Anza College
21250 Stevens Creek
Blvd.
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 864-5678
