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ENGR 100W
Engineering Reports on the Earth and Environment

FALL 2014 Syllabus

Section 15 (43490): Tuesdays, 1:30 to 3:20 pm
GreenTalks: Wednesdays, 12:00 to 1:15pm
Section 16 (43491): Thursdays, 1:30 to 3:20 pm.
You are enrolled in both sections and must attend the GreenTalks from Sep 10
Room: Engineering 392
Lecturer: Ms. Clare Cordero, College of Engineering, SJSU
Office Hours: Tues/Thur 3:30 to 4:00 pm; and Tues/Thur 5:15 to 5:45 pm in Room 397,
or by appointment.
Email: clare.cordero@sjsu.edu

Course materials and announcements including the syllabus and assignments will be placed on
the Canvas learning management course website https://sjsu.instructure.com You will need
your SJSU 9-digit ID and password.

Grades in ENGR100W are A F
All engineering students will be required to earn a C or better in ENGR 100W to
a.) enroll in upper division engineering courses, and
b.) meet the CSU Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (C, D, F not accepted).

ENGR 100W is required of all College of Engineering students, in all engineering, aviation, and
technology majors. This is an SJSU Studies course that satisfies Area Z, Written
Communication II, and Area R, the Earth and Environment.

SJSU Studies (formerly Advanced GE) This course will help students become integrated
thinkers who can see connections between and among a variety of concepts and ideas. An
educated person will be able to apply concepts and foundations learned in one area to other areas
as part of a lifelong learning process. This course will help students to live and work
intelligently, responsibly, and cooperatively in a multicultural society and to develop abilities to
address complex issues and problem using disciplined and analytical skills and creative
techniques.

SJSU senate policy S12-3 requires the university to be compliant with the
Federal Regulation of the definition of the credit hour:
Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of
credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per
week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course
related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practice. Other course
structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

Prerequisites: Undergraduates must have successfully completed English 1A, 1B (earned at
least a C grade), and the WST Exam or 100A before enrolling in 100W.
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Structure: Classes meet three times a week for a total of 5 hours -- twice with your instructor
(lecture and lab over two separate days in room #392), plus all of the day sections of ENGR
100W meet together on Wednesdays at noon (12:00 - 1:15) for the Environmental Speaker
Series: GREENTALK. These are held in room #189, the Engineering auditorium, and focus on
current topics delivered by experts from both on and off campus. Attendance is mandatory;
questions will be posed on the content of the speaker's presentation in the writing assignment
during each week's lab.
See: http://engineering.sjsu.edu/our-college/events/greentalk


Required Reading: (One technical writing text and one environmental science text)

Markel, Michael (2012). Technical Communication (10th edition). Bedford/St.Martins.

Cunningham, W., and M.A. Cunningham. (2012) Principles of Environmental Science.
Special edition for ENGR 100W. McGraw Hill, Learning Solutions.
ISBN # 9781308134635

Support:
Melvin, J. Grammar Illustrated (available at the SJSU Bookstore)
Lunsford, A. The Everyday Writer (5th ed.). ISBN: 9781457667121

Research articles, environmental readings, and exemplary writing examples will be distributed.

Course Description:
Engineers and technical professionals must write clearly, logically, and economically. To be
successful, one must have strong communication skills, both in writing and in speaking. The aim
of this course is to combine two distinct areas of study: technical writing and environmental
impacts. As a result students will be better prepared for their professional careers to integrate
and apply complex skills. The goal of this course is to understand the effects of environmental
factors, both natural and induced, as they relate to products, systems, and processeswhile
integrating technical communication skills.

The communication aspects of this course provide regular writing assignments, practice in
editing, and company-focused oral presentations. Engineers in industry must document findings,
share results, build support, and acquire funding. This course will build technical writing that is
direct, convincing, and accurate. As a result, students will be able to write and speak not only
more effectively, but also more easily and confidently, allowing them to critically evaluate their
work.

The content will focus on our earth and environment. What is the difference between science
and pseudoscience? How is the practice of engineering grounded in and conditioned by our
earth and environment? How do the products of engineering impact our earth and environment?
How do engineers affect life forms other than humans? What are engineers doing to improve our
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environment? What careers are available in these fields? The perspectives of professionalism
and ethics are also important.

Our GreenTalk Speaker Series provides the substance for many of the in-class writings and
discussions. Practicing engineers, biologists, and life scientists from industry deliver up-to-date
briefings on how engineers deal with environmental issues. GreenTalk speakers give a rare peek
at how different industries and researchers are actually dealing with day-to-day environmental
issues. Industry speakers, as well as a university librarian, share research methodologies for
environmental and career issues. The GreenTalks are held weekly.

Recent topics included: Solar charging stations; the infrastructure and manufacturing of smart
cities; e-waste recycling; drones for atmospheric and environmental monitoring, aviation
environmental issues; Stanford Solar Decathlon Competition and sustainable building design;
data logging devices for marine animals; wildfires and atmospheric interactions; and the BART
Silicon Valley Project.

Workload: Assignments will include both in-class and out-of-class writing. Students will write
a minimum total of 11,000 words throughout the semester, providing the opportunity for
frequent practice and feedback. Class size is limited to 25 students.

UNIVERSITY POLICIES

Diversity: Upon successful completion of the course requirements, the student will demonstrate
awareness and sensitivity to age, gender, ethnocultural, disability, and other individual/unique
differences as they relate to engineering and workplace communications.

Campus policy in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act:
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need
special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with
me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 requires that
students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with DRC to establish a
record of their disability.

Academic integrity statement from the Office of Judicial Affairs:
Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State
University, and the Universitys Academic Integrity Policy requires you to be honest in all your
academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the Office of
Judicial Affairs. The policy on academic integrity can be found at
http://www2.sjsu.edu/senate/S04-12.pdf





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PLAGIARISM

What is Plagiarism? Plagiarism is using others' ideas and words without clearly acknowledging
the source of that information. Sometimes it is tempting to copy other people's ideas from the
Internet, textbooks, magazines, lectures, or even from other student papers, incorporating them
into our own writing. As a result, it is very important that we give credit. If we dont give credit,
we are taking these words and passing them off as our own. This is plagiarism, which comes
from a Latin word meaning a kidnapper or thief.
How Can You Avoid Plagiarism?
To avoid plagiarism, you must give credit whenever you:

Use someone elses direct words (use quotation marks around exact words that you are
quotingand give source at end of quotation marks)
In the midst of Silicon Valley and all over the globe, SJSU engineers are designing and
building high impact innovations, with a particular focus on challenges to global
sustainability (Wei, 2011).
The full reference will be in the back of the report, using APA format.

Use someone elses ideas, in your words, that are not common knowledge
Through the Global Technology Initiative at SJSU, 25 students are selected each year to
travel for two weeks to India or China, all expenses paid by GTI (College of Engineering,
2013). (Note this is not the exact words, so there are no quotation marks.) The full reference
and website will be in the back of the report, using APA format.

Use specific statistics, graphs, drawings, that are not yours
San Jose State University is ranked 8th overall among the Wests top public universities
offering bachelors and masters degrees according to the 2013 edition of "American's Best
Colleges" (U.S. News & World Report, 2013).

Self work
One should cite his or her own (or co-authored with a partner or team) work. If your
company has copyrighted work that you or your team have written as part of your job, or you
share a patent, or have previously published material that you have written, credit must be
still given. There are times when permission from the company must also be given. Please
check with both your company and your instructor.
Plagiarism will result in a grade of F in ENGR 100W. Papers with plagiarism cannot be
rewritten for credit. Your Department Chairperson will be notified. We will work on this
in class. Remember, plagiarism is a serious issue. Learning proper documentation is one of
the key goals of ENGR 100W.
Ethics and Social Responsibility:
Waste ... Pollution ... Fraud ... Bribery ... Industrial espionage ... Local corruption ... Media lying
... Public graft ... Discrimination ... Business dishonesty...Sound familiar? The news is full of
unscrupulousness. During recent years, there has been much discussion and written material
pertaining to ethics, honesty, social responsibility, and morality in organizations. The public
demands that business entities and public agencies perform in a highly ethical fashion.
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Obviously, this can only be accomplished if those who serve in various organizations are
themselves performing in a principled and ethical manner. In order to have a useful discussion
about ethical decisions, it is necessary to gain a clear sense about ethics. The course will include
an examination of responsible choices, value theories, and ethical practices. It is not our purpose
to develop an ideal system that is noble in theory, but unworkable in practice. It is important for
the student to be able to arrive at his/her own conclusions about the relative merits of alternative
approaches and about the whole issue of the role of reason and argument in ethics.

Student Learning Outcomes for ENGR 100W Ethics Module:
1. Students should be able to develop a well-reasoned response to an ethical problem in
engineering and/or about the earth and environment.
2. Students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the ways that ethical
concerns and responsible practices play a role in professional interactions within the
community of engineers and between the community of engineers and the public at large.


COURSE OBJECTIVES: Written Communication II: Area Z

ENGR100W has been designed to meet the University Written Communication II (Area Z)
requirements. These requirements are as follow:

GE Student Learning Outcomes
SLO 1: Students shall write complete essays that demonstrate college-level proficiency.
Students shall be able to:
produce discipline-specific written work that demonstrates upper-division proficiency
in:
! language use
! grammar
! clarity of expression
SLO 2: explain, analyze, develop, and criticize ideas effectively, including ideas
encountered in multiple readings and expressed in different forms of discourse
SLO 3: organize and develop essays and documents for both professional and general
audiences
SLO 4:organize and develop essays and documents according to appropriate editorial and
citation standards

SLO 5: locate, organize, and synthesize information effectively to accomplish a specific
purpose, and to communicate that purpose in writing



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COURSE OBJECTIVES: Earth and Environment: Area R

ENGR100W has also been designed to meet the Earth and Environment (Area R) requirements.
These requirements are as follow:

GE Student Learning Outcomes
Within the particular scientific content of the course, a student should be able to:
SLO 1: demonstrate an understanding of the methods and limits of scientific
investigation;

SLO 2: distinguish science from pseudo-science; and

SLO 3: apply a scientific approach to answer questions about the earth and environment.

Sample Course Topics:
AREA Z (SLO1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) AREA R (SLO1, 2, and 3)
Writing Topics Include: Environmental Topics Include:
Technical Resumes & Letters of App. Energy and Renewable Energies
Communication in the Global Arena Sustainability
Business Emails Green Buildings (LEED Certification)
Technical Description Environmental Impact Reports
Compare and Contrast Water Issues
Memos Food Production and Distribution
Good/Bad News Letters Soil Conservation and Agricultural Issues
Lab Report Marine Protection
Technical Proposal Hazardous Chemicals
Executive Summary Landfill Dumping Sites
Progress Report Pollution
Incident Report Storm Water Control
Feasibility Report Environmental Law
Trip/Conference Report Underground Storage Tanks
Activity Report Ecology
Task Report Pesticides
Process Explanation Fuel Cells
Request for ... Waste Minimization
Technical Instructions Manufacturing Processes
Interviewing Techniques Occupational Health & Safety
Oral Presentations Public Policy
Communicating in Teams E-waste
Developing Visual Aids Recycling
Promotional Pieces Natural Disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis)
PowerPoint Skills Smart Grids
Working on Teams Social Responsibility/Ethics
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Research Methodology Topics:
Methods and limits of scientific research Internet resources
Science and critical thinking Science vs. pseudoscience
Library resources Professional technical journals
Gantt Charts Documentation


Regarding the Lab:
The evacuation plan for our classroom and lab is posted on the bulletin board.
Purge all of your files on the lab computer after each session.
In-class writings must be turned in at the end of the lab session.
Food and drink are forbidden in the lab.
All homework assignments and in-class writings must be done on computer and
submitted in 12-point font (equal to Times New Roman--industry standard for tech
writing).

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

ENGR 81W Writing Clinic
When a student has writing problems, it is to his or her advantage to enroll in E81W. It is a one-
unit class graded pass/fail that meets one day a week for 1 hour 50 minutes. Contact
Janelle Melvin (melvin.sjsu@gmail.com) for days, times, and instructors (multiple sections).
Students must enroll during the Add period--no later than Friday, September 12, 2014.

SJSU Writing Center
The SJSU Writing Center is located in Clark Hall, Suite 126. All Writing Specialists have gone
through a rigorous hiring process, and they are well trained to assist all students at all levels
within all disciplines to become better writers. In addition to one-on-one tutoring services, the
Writing Center also offers workshops every semester on a variety of writing topics. To make an
appointment or to refer to the numerous online resources offered through the Writing Center,
visit the Writing Center website: http://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/ For additional resources and
updated information, follow the Writing Center on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Peer Connections
Located in Room 600 in the Student Services Center (The 10
th
Street Garage located on the
corner of 10
th
and San Fernando), Peer Connections is designed to assist students in the
development of their full academic potential and to motivate them to become self-directed
learners. The center provides support services, such as skills assessment, individual or group
tutorials, subject advising, learning assistance, summer academic preparation and basic skills
development. The Peer Connections website is located at http://peerconnections.sjsu.edu/.

The Purdue Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

Spartans Toastmaster's (SJSU): http://2113833.toastmastersclubs.org/

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GRADING--for SPRING 2014

GRADING POLICIES:

Late Homework Assignments: Any homework turned in late will be lowered one full letter
grade. (Late is from immediately after the paper is collected in the class in which it is due
through one week.) Papers over a week late will not be accepted.
Lab Writing Make-ups: Please notify me by email at least 48 hours prior to your absence,
and arrangements can be made for your writing assignment. Otherwise, all in-class writing
and activities must be completed in the lab during class time.
All homework assignments and in-class writings must be done on computer and submitted in
12-point font (industry standard for technical writing). Homework assignments will be
submitted on paper as well as through Canvas, while in-class writings will be submitted only
through Canvas.
Assignments are not accepted through email.
Plagiarism is a serious academic dishonesty issue and is addressed above.
Attendance is mandatory at all GreenTalk presentations. Check the whiteboard in class each
week and the GreenTalk web site: http://www.engr.sjsu.edu/about/greentalk



OVERALL GRADING
Ultimately this course is graded A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, F.

Letter grade Percent University
Scale

A 93-100 A = 4.0
A- 90-92 A- = 3.7
B+ 87-89 B+ = 3.3
B 83-86 B = 3.0
B- 80-82 B- = 2.7
C+ 77-79 C+ = 2.3
C 73-76 PASS C = 2.0
C- 70-72 MUST REPEAT 100W
D 60-69 MUST REPEAT 100W D = 1.0
F 0-59 MUST REPEAT 100W F = 0


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The course grade will be based upon the following weightings:

Grading
Assignment Learning
Outcomes Met
Percent
of
Grade
Total
number of
pages
Due
Dates
In-class environmental and technical writing
assignments (weekly)
All Area Z and
R
30% 20-28 Each
week
(re-writes with editing will be required on
some of these)
Area Z LO1 7-14
Formal Letter of Application and Resume

Area Z LO1,
LO3, LO5
5% 2 9/11
*Analysis of a Professional Journal Article
for Readability and Pseudoscience versus
Real Science
(APA format required)
Area Z All
(esp. LO2,
LO3)
Area R LO1,
LO2
10% 2-4 9/25
**Interview with an Engineer (career,
technical, and environmental)
Area Z LO1,
LO2
10% 4-7 10/16
Group Informal Planning Proposal & Gantt
Chart: written and oral
Area Z All
Area R LO3
5% 3 10/23
Culminating Project: Group Formal
Environmental Proposal with Library
Research
(APA format required)
Area Z All
Area R LO1,
LO3
15%
6 pages min.
per student
(excluding
visuals,
preface
material, and
references)
11/20
Formal Oral Presentation of Culminating
Project
Area Z LO1,
LO2
5% 11/20;
11/25;
12/2

Final Examination/Exit Exam Area Z all
Area R LO3
20% 1.5-2 12/4
Total 100%

*A class library meeting with the Engineering Librarian at King Library will be scheduled
before this assignment is due. The Engineering Librarians are also available to meet with you
individually throughout the semester.
Linda Crotty: linda.crotty@sjsu.edu (408) 808-2636
Jennifer Dinalo: jennifer.dinalo@sjsu.edu (408) 808-2038
Yiping Wang: yiping.wang@sjsu.edu (408) 808 2633
Library: https://library.sjsu.edu

**The interview will be with an experienced engineer or someone in a technical career
(e.g., a pilot)--no one on campus.
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ENGR 100W Writing Evaluation Exit Exam/Conducted by an Independent Evaluator
To better meet the communication needs of industry and our students, the College of
Engineering requires all students to take the ENGR 100W Writing Evaluation Exit Exam. A
professional evaluator will grade the ENGR 100W Writing Evaluation Exit Exams and assess the
single-topic general essays based on features such as organization, clarity, consistency of point
of view, cohesiveness, appropriateness of diction and syntax, correctness of mechanics and
usage, and content with appropriate details to support a thesis or illustrate ideas.
Scores will be 0 12. The Exit Exam is worth 20% of your ENGR100W grade.
Date of Exit Exam: Thursday, December 4, during class lab time.


Exit Exam (graded with the same scoring guidelines as the WST, 0 - 12)

12=A
11=A-
10=B+
9=B/B-
8=C+
7=C (minimum required to pass ENGR 100W Exit Exam)
6 (or below) = F (gives you 0% for the Exit Exam,
which is worth 20% of the course grade)





INTEGRATED SCHEDULE:

Weekly writing in the lab incorporates the readings, lectures, discussions, and Wednesday
speakers. Attendance at the Wednesday GreenTalk Speaker Series is mandatory, serving to
integrate the theories in the readings with actual engineering careers. See each week's topics in
the schedule below.

Note: Each weeks in-class writing activities and homework assignments have concentrations on
specific GE Student Learning Outcomes Area Z is Written Communication and Area R is
Earth and Environment. (See pp. 5-6.)

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SCHEDULE FOR Fall 2014
The first class will be on Tuesday, August 26
but there will be no Wednesday GreenTalk speaker until Wednesday, September 10.
http://engineering.sjsu.edu/our-college/events/greentalk

Dates and Topics

Tech Writing:
Markel (10
th
ed.) Chapters
Earth and Environment:
Cunningham Chapters
Week 1: Tues 8/26; Thurs 8/28
Learning Contract, Syllabus
Intro to Tech Communication
Analyzing audience and purpose
Types of reports
Environmental communication



Markel: Chap. 1, 3
Markel: Chap. 5
Markel: Chap. 17, 18
Markel: Chap 22: Connecting with the
public

Introduction to the environment

Cunningham: Chap.1

Week 2: Tues 9/2; Thurs 9/4
Thursday 9/4: Class visit from SJSU Career Center
Preparing job application materials
Resumes
Application Letters
Grammar and punctuation review



Markel: Chap. 14, 15
Markel: 405-425
425-431
Markel: Appendices
C. and D.
C. Editing: Grammar, Punctuation,
Mechanics
D. Guidelines for ESL (Multilingual)
Writers

Engineering and the Environment Cunningham: Chap. 10, pp.
241-269
Sustainability
Green Design
Cunningham: pp. 20-21;
Chap. 14

Week 3: Tues 9/9; Thurs 9/11 First GreenTalk: Hsueh Future of Transportation
Due Thursday, September 11: Letter of Application and Resume
(Must be submitted in hard copy and also submitted to Canvas)
Science and its limits (science vs.
pseudoscience)
Scientific method
Plagiarism

Professional journal article analysis

Critical thinking


Markel: 12-14

133-135
A. Paraphrasing, Quoting, Summarizing

192-194
495
509-511


Transportation

Cunningham: Chap 14


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Dates and Topics

Tech Writing:
Markel (10
th
ed.) Chapters
Earth and Environment:
Cunningham Chapters
Week 4: Tues 9/16; Thurs 9/18 GreenTalk: Kleinhaus Sustainability and nature
Tuesday 9/16: Class visit to King Library, Room 213
Research, library databases, and
professional journals
APA format
APA headings
Usage tips

Markel: Chap. 6

Markel: 670-686

Markel: Appendix C. Editing: Grammar,
Punctuation, Mechanics


Ecosystems
Green buildings
Cunningham: Chap 6, 14


Week 5: Tues 9/23; Thurs 9/25 GreenTalk: Parr Oceans genetic resources
Due Thursday, September 25: Analysis of a Professional Journal Article for Readability
and Pseudoscience versus Real Science
(Must be submitted in hard copy and also submitted to Canvas)
Writing process
Writing outlines
Organizing your information
Markel: Chap. 3
Markel: 204-205
Markel: Chap. 7

Environmental Conservation

Cunningham: Chap. 6


Week 6: Tues 9/30; Thurs 10/2 GreenTalk: Maher Water supply and environmental
stewardship
Writing effective sentences
Informative interview techniques


Markel: Chap. 10
Markel Interviews 140-142



Water Cunningham: Chap. 10

Week 7: Tues 10/7; Thurs 10/9 GreenTalk: Tam Climate resilience
Ethics writing midterm practice for Exit Exam
Ethics in Writing

Markel: Chap. 2, pp. 29-33


Ethical Issues in Environmental
Science
Air: climate and pollution
Cunningham: Chap. 2

Cunningham: Chap. 9

Week 8: Tues 10/14; Thurs 10/16 GreenTalk: Chen Sustainable food systems
Due Thursday, October 16: Interview with an Engineer
(Must be submitted in hard copy by 6:00 pm and also submitted to Canvas)
Writing abstracts
Gantt charts


Graphics
Designing documents
Markel: 524
(See: http://www.ganttchart.com/Examples.html
for Gantt charts)
(See: http://www.ganttproject.biz/
Markel: 12
Markel: 11

Food Cunningham: Chap. 7


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Dates and Topics

Tech Writing:
Markel (10
th
ed.) Chapters
Earth and Environment:
Cunningham Chapters
Week 9: Tues 10/21; Thurs 10/23 GreenTalk: Drekmeier Wastewater treatment
Due Thursday, October 23: Planning Proposal & Gantt Chart: written and brief oral
Persuasive writing
Working in Teams

Markel: Chap. 8
Markel: Chap. 4, 57-60

Water

Cunningham: Chap 10

Week 10: Tues 10/28; Thurs 10/30 GreenTalk: Achtelik and Kashuba Zero emission vehicle
infrastructure
Writing technical proposals Markel: Chap. 16

Transportation Cunningham: Chap 14

Week 11: Tues 11/4; Thurs 11/6 GreenTalk: McPheeters Solar energy
Techniques for oral presentations
Revising for effectiveness
Editing techniques

Markel: Chap. 21
Markel: 13


Energy Cunningham: Chap. 12

Week 12: Tuesday 11/11 VETERANS DAY NO CLASS and Thurs 11/13
Final GreenTalk on Wed 11/12; Cordero Energy and climate change
Review of environmental topics and
themes for Exit Exam



Energy and climate change Cunningham: Chap, 9, 12

Week 13: Tues 11/18; Thurs 11/20
Due Thursday, November 20: Culminating Project: Group Formal Environmental
Proposal
(Must be submitted in hard copy to instructor and also submitted to Turnitin.com)
Oral Presentations
Review of technical writing for Exit
Exam
Grammar revision


Markel Appendices


Week 14: Tues 11/25; Thurs 11/27 THANKSGIVING NO CLASS
Oral Presentations (contd)


Week 15: Tues 12/2; Thurs 12/4 EXIT EXAM
Oral Presentations (contd)

Exit Exam Required students must take the Exit
Exam to pass the class

Week 16: Tues 12/9
Make-up class. For students who
missed an in-class writing in the lab
Also, students can request a meeting with
the instructor


Updates, handouts, and announcements will be available on Canvas.
https://sjsu.instructure.com