SPECIAL SECTIONS of ENGLISH 1101, 1102 and of LMC 3403

As part of its mission to foster communication across the curriculum and in the disciplines, Georgia Tech`s Writing and Communication Program offers special sections of its core courses: English 1101 and 1102 and LMC 3403. Special sections address the same objectives and outcomes as other sections but tailor themes and assignments to the concerns, controversies, and conventions of a specific discipline or sometimes to a combination of two disciplines.

Spring 2009

Ten special sections were taught in spring 2009:

• A section of English 1102 - This section of English 1102, restricted to students who are concurrently taking NS 1323: Naval History, examines representations of the Navy and naval engagements in American popular culture, primarily in film. Students will create WOVEN (written, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal) artifacts that analyze how these representations reflect and inform perceptions both of specific historical engagements and of the Navy more generally. Films include Master and Commander, Tora! Tora! Tora!, No Way Out, The Hunt for Red October, A Few Good Men, Behind Enemy Lines, The Manchurian Candidate (2004), and, for something a little different, Starship Troopers.


• A section of English 1102 - Visualizing the mind would seem to have been made possible only recently with the advent of medical technologies that allow us to “look into people’s heads and observe the brain activity underlying their conduct,” as Rita Carter puts it. Yet as this class will show, attempts to “look into people’s heads” and read their minds are not new. In this section of 1102, we’ll examine the theories of the mind that were prominent before the invention of technologies like MRI and PET. How did people understand brain activity? How did they examine it? What do their representations of the brain tell us about their theories? How did ideas about the mind dictate anatomical understandings of the brain? What made people “tick”? Some of the theories from the 1700s are strange and unsettling. Some of them, though, are startlingly prescient. We’ll read philosophical treatises that explore the nature of human knowledge and understanding. We’ll examine the brain in action by considering representations of cognition in literature and art. We’ll also investigate the increasing popularity of psychological and scientific experiments that were used to understand the mind in the 1700s. In addition to reading about these early representations of the mind, students will undertake a semester-long group project that uses interactive web technologies to map these historical theories. Students will conduct research and create designs that visualize the mind in new ways that account for historical shifts in our understanding of cognition.


• A section of English 1102 for students in Sciences and Environmental Engineering. This course uses Thomas L. Friedman’s Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution—And How It Can Renew America (2008) to create a framework for discussing environmental crises. By situating environmental issues within the larger economic and political sphere, you will be able examine how science, business, government, and journalism intersect. This course prepares you to be (1) concerned citizens, (2) curious readers, (3) careful researchers, (4) capable multimodal writers, and (5) competent peer reviewers/respondents so that you can be informed, engaged scientists.


• A section of English 1102 - In the nineteenth century, European nations began to use science to justify expanding and maintaining colonies overseas. Not only could the study of foreign lands and their human inhabitants expand scientific knowledge, but modern medicine and technology brought by European colonizers could also improve natives’ lives. Yet, even apart from the historical alliance between science and western colonization, some scholars argue that scientific study itself is inherently an act of domination, turning all that it studies into helpless objects of scrutiny.
  
  As we undertake this exploration of science and its relation to power, we’ll examine a variety of materials: science-fiction texts and naturalist accounts from the 18th and 19th century; modern critical commentaries and Star Trek episodes. We'll also contemplate whether notions of science as inherently Euroecentric or oppressive hold true given the scientific advances made by non-European countries today and the growing association of modern innovation with countries such as Japan, China, and India, rather than former colonial powers such as France or England.


• A section of LMC 3403 for students in Management this section focuses on Business Communication: Regardless of your managerial focus, success in the workplace reflects the communication skills you employ as a participant both in business and in the various communities you inhabit. This course in business communication recognizes the necessity of effective communication in these venues by looking beyond the boundaries of the classroom. Uniting the aims of the School of Literature, Media, and Communication with those of the College of Management, this course encourages a proactive approach to the modes of communication you will use both as manager and responsible citizen.


• A section of LMC 3403 for students in Computer Science this course is an exploration of technical communication in the computer sciences, with particular emphasis on creating technical documents for digital media. Working individually and in groups, students will examine the design and creation of digital media documents, while considering how these documents differ from those designed for print media. In order to facilitate this goal, students will practice audience analysis and document analysis, leading to the creation of new (and improved) technical documents for a variety of new media genres and topics. Discussion topics will consider both the current state of digital documents (websites, email, online reports, graphics, etc...) while also considering how these documents can be improved and how digital document design might change in the future. Possible projects include: technology related 'FAQs', instructions manuals, integrated website design (content and layout), podcasts, instructional and persuasive video production, and oral presentations. In the course of using digital media to create technical documents, students will also develop skills in writing a variety of business documents including: letters, memos, emails, proposals and reports.


• A section of LMC 3403 for students in Management, Technical Communication for Management students at Georgia Tech is designed for students seeking to master written, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal communication skills for workplace success and for individual confidence and integrity. This course will weave principles of Technical and Business Communication to best serve students of Management at Georgia Tech. This type of communication is practical in nature but also requires creative thinking, critical thinking, and a high level of problem-solving and social/interpersonal skills. This course will provide you with skill sets, attitudes, and an understanding of professional communication and conventions. This course is designed to prepare you to work both within the conventions of Business Communication and within the workplace. Therefore, we will use real world documents and you will be expected to conduct field research to procure documents, etc. for the assignments. From doing this, you will get closely involved with the writing expected of your career field and the larger world of professional Business Communication.


• A section of LMC 3403 this course is designed for honors students, this special section of Technical Communication Practices takes a "client-based" approach to teaching technical communication by matching students with real clients outside the university to complete semester-long information design projects. Working in teams created through a rigorous application process, students in this course will complete information design projects for these clients, as well as writing proposals, reports, memos, and emails associated with the client project. Students will apply and interview for positions on these teams as Project Managers, Client Relations Specialists, Graphic Designers, and Editors.  With a practical emphasis on how to perform well in a modern, tech-savvy corporate work environment, this course teaches good written, oral, visual, electronic, and non-verbal communication skills, focusing on information design, document design, and visual rhetoric. Students will also learn the theory behind information design, document design, effective collaboration, oral presentation, usability, and graphic design.


• A section of LMC 3403 students enrolled in this section of Technical Communication Practices enjoy a unique opportunity to participate in a course that could shape the future of both LMC 3403 and Senior Design. Based on a "linked course" concept, this class is entirely populated by ISYE Senior Design students who will spend the semester workshopping their reports, proposals, presentations, and client correspondence for Senior Design in LMC 3403. Linking ISYE 4106 Senior Design, the ISYE Workforce Communication Lab, and LMC 3403 Technical Communication provides ISYE undergraduates with a remarkable opportunity. Working together much like a concurrent engineering team, the three instructors bring disciplinary expertise to a common goal: enabling students to analyze and create alternative solutions for complex system problems for workplace and not-for-profit clients. In this recursive process, students benefit from a broad support system that integrates engineering and communication.


• A section of LMC 3403 in this course, students will learn strategies for communicating effectively as professionals in health-related fields. The course uses a multimodal approach that integrates the WOVEN philosophy (Writing, Oral, Visual, Electronic, Nonverbal) in teaching students about the conventions of communication of many health-related genres. Students will learn how to analyze different communication situations in terms of audience, purpose, and context of use (rhetorical situation) as well as how to create and present information synergistically, integrating written, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal elements. The class will include guest and student presentations, and field trips.


• A section of LMC 3403 in this course, students will learn strategies for communicating effectively as professionals in the business world. The course uses a multimodal approach that integrates the WOVEN philosophy (Writing, Oral, Visual, Electronic, Nonverbal) in teaching students about the conventions of communication of many business genres. Students will learn how to analyze different communication situations in terms of audience, purpose, and context of use (rhetorical situation) as well as how to create and present information synergistically, integrating written, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal elements. Major assignments include a job application package, and a Request for Proposal, proposal, and report final project sequence.

Spring 2008

Six special sections were piloted in spring 2008:

• A section of English 1102 for students in Architecture focused on ways in which representations of space and architecture in American literature and film become staging grounds for constructing, defending, and renegotiating definitions of both individual and national identity. Instructor: Karissa McCoy


• A section of English 1102 for students in Science and Engineering explored the ethical and sociological ramifications of scientific "advancements" such as cloning, transgenics, and genetic enhancement as they appear in film and literature. Instructor: Chad Pearson


• A section of English 1102 for students in Computational Media and Computing examined live performance events, videos, films, and electronic texts crafted by artists using advanced computer technologies. Instructor: Kathryn Farley


• A section of LMC 3403 for students in Computational Media and Computing developed strategies for planning, creating, and using technical documents that meet the needs of video game developers, designers, players, and promoters. Instructor: Daniella Lawson


• A section of LMC 3403 for students in Management simulated the organization and activities of a small business by asking students to research, create, and market a guide for life after college. Instructor: Andrew Cooper


• A section of LMC 3403 for students in Management and Athletics explored issues in technical communication related to professional and amateur athletics, focusing on sports technology, media, marketing, and medicine. Instructor: Daniel Vollaro

The Brittain Fellows who taught these sections created courses that matched both their own research and professional interests and the interests of their target disciplines. We offer different special sections every semester.