Course syllabus
Course-PM
LSP505 Technical writing for master's studies lp3 VT20 (7.5 hp)
Course is offered by the department of Communication and Learning in Science
Welcome to Technical Writing for Master_s Studies LSP505 VT20.pdf
Contact details
Course examiner / lecturer: Becky Bergman becky@chalmers.se (Examiner)
Course lecturer: Anthony Norman normana@chalmers.se
Course purpose
The purpose of the course is to give the students tools for writing at Master’s level, particularly as regards writing the Master’s thesis and reporting technical studies. This involves a process oriented approach to writing. It also involves learning how to develop text documents systematically and to communicate technical, empirical work effectively in writing and speaking.
Schedule
Course literature (recommended)
Chalmers writing guide writing.chalmers.se
Academic Writing for Graduate Students (2007 or 2012) John Swales and Christine Feak, The University of Michigan Press
Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: Entering the Conversation, (2007) Irene L Clark, Prentice Hall
Technical Communication: A reader centred approach (2007) Paul Anderson, Thomson Wadsworth
The Good Paper (2013) Lotte Rienecker and Peter Stray Jorgensen, Samfundslitteratur
Course design
The course participants will meet on Friday mornings for seminars. These consist of lectures and discussions with the focus being on typical problems students experience in technical writing and a detailed individual response to the student's own work. Assignments are compulsory.
Below you will find a list of assignments that will need to be completed for the course LSP505. Most of these assignments need to go through the same procedure of process writing: first draft, peer response, final draft. You will be given more information about these assignments in the appropriate session.
Part A
- Find 2 Master theses ( or equivalent) and 2 research articles in your field
- Proposal (situation-problem-solution text)
- Data commentary
- Critical response to a Master thesis or equivalent
- Presentation of problem-solution assignment
Part B (parts of a report)
- Outline of project
- Introduction
- Methods / Results
- Abstract
- Final reflective presentation of project
Learning objectives and syllabus
- analyse and produce different parts of a Master's thesis or equivalent technical documents such as introductions, methods and results
- present technical information written and orally in accurate, communicative and visually appealing ways
- write in an academically relevant style
- produce a range of text types typical for technical communication including data commentaries and problem solution texts
- develop a systematic process oriented way of working with writing, i.e. the student should be able to document and reflect on their writing process
- give and receive feedback on written work in an effective and appropriate way
- process reading material for the purpose of documenting a technical project/study
Link to the syllabus on Studieportalen.
Examination form
The course is pass/ fail based on the compulsory assignments handed in during the course (see separate list of assignments). All assignments for the course should be completed.
Course summary:
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