Course Description

Required Reading

Policies

Expectations

Grading

Summary of Assignments: Assignment One: Personal Profile; Assignment Two: Teach Nancy Statistics; Assignment Three: Memo to Dr. Stone; Assignment Four: Personal Press Kit; Assignment Five: The Wildcard

Technical and Scientific Writing (HU333)

This is an undergraduate course that Nancy Hoft teaches at
Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI USA.
Current Offering: WINTER QUARTER 1997-98

Assignment Three:
Memo to Dr. Stone

Date Assigned: 08 December, 1997, Date Due: 15 December 1997

Objectives

To learn to address an expert audience
To learn to write effective memos
To learn to work under deadline

Description

I recently interviewed Dr. David Stone, the Department Chair of the Electrical Engineering school, to learn more about him, his learning style, and his information needs. I tape recorded this 25-minute interview and will play it for you in class on Wednesday, 10 December. You will be expected to listen very carefully to the interview and take thoughtful notes on what you learn about Dr. Stone. We'll discuss your observations during the remainder of the class. Do not miss this class.

On Friday, 12 December, Dr. Stone will join our class and give a short presentation on the strategic goals that the Electrical Engineering department is pursuing. Do not be late to class. You should again take careful notes. We will spend whatever class time remains talking about the ingredients of a successful, professional memo.

You will spend the weekend developing a professional memo responding to Dr. Stone's presentation. When I collect your memos on Monday, I will make one copy of each of them and deliver the copies to Dr. Stone. He will read each of them. He and I will then get together to review both his comments and my own. I will summarize our comments in writing on each of your memos.

On either Wednesday, 17 December, or Friday, 19 December, Dr. Stone will again visit our class. He will offer general feedback on your memos and comment on what good technical writing is in industry. I think you will find his feedback and perspective very useful to you both in your career and in this course. Consider that a reader like Dr. Stone is going to be typical of your readership in your career.

Your Job

You will develop a professional memo with a maximum length of one-page that is addressed to Dr. Stone. The design of your memo should be professional. In the memo, you will offer your commentary and opinion on his department's strategic goals. Your writing style and the memo's content should directly reflect our audience analysis of Dr. Stone.

Deliverables