Writing 350: Writing for Digital Media

Catalog Listing

This course introduces fundamental concepts of the demands of writing for electronic audiences across a variety of platforms, with an emphasis on the interaction of the medium and the message. Writing 350 bridges the study of technical communication practice with Web 2.0 technologies and New Media composition. Students in this course will develop the vocabulary and practical skills to create, collaborate on, and deliver digital documents in a variety of media to real audiences and users. They will also build upon the rhetorical skills developed in Writing 250 by engaging in more sophisticated, deliverable-based research writing projects.

Course Goals

Upon successful completion of WRIT 350, students will progress in the following areas:

Process

• Recognize that digital composition and communication is process-based and situation-specific
• Develop heuristics for approaching and solving digital communication challenges that may occur in a variety of media

Exploration

• Understand key terms and concepts, such as “digital writing,” “technical communication,” “new media,” and “user experience.”
• Apply theoretical models to real-world communication scenarios and user experiences.

Purpose and Audience

• Understand how to construct profiles for digital audiences and users of information.
• Develop information and content that adheres to the principles of universal design

Research

• Use an inquiry-driven approach to identify key issues and topics in the fields of digital composition and technical communication
• Utilize a variety of primary and secondary sources of information to support project deliverables

Conventions and Mechanics

• Deliver written products that are precise and free of mechanical errors that inhibit meaning.
• Design content that is universally accessible and adaptable from the concept stage to the execution stage.