Program Details

COURSES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

If you have previous academic credit in computer science or information technology you may be eligible for advanced standing. If these courses are indicated on the transcripts that you submit when you apply, we will automatically look for these credits. If you have taken courses but have not submitted the relevant transcripts you will need to get copies and leave them with the program assistant in room 241 York Hall.

Normally you are expected to complete the two courses in computer science or information technology before September of your second year.

You are encouraged to take the following Glendon courses from the Communications Program: GL/COMS 2200 Computer Tools and Applications for Communication and COMS 2205 Creating and Promoting Web Content.

COURSES IN WRITING AND DOCUMENTATION

GL/TRAN 3310 3.0 – PROBLEMS IN PROFESSIONAL WRITING (Year 1 – Fall Course)

Learning to write professionally is partly a matter of learning new ways to pattern language and partly a matter of changing existing habits. Writing professionals are responsible for every aspect of language production: spelling, punctuation, accuracy, and layout on the page. One of the goals of this course is therefore to make sure that students understand the conventions of administrative writing and learn to correct errors of grammar, usage, and style in their own work and in the work of others. Learning to write for an organization also means learning to express what someone else has to say and to speak with the voice of the organization. To do this, a writer needs to be able to adapt his or her style and tone to the task at hand. This course will help students develop this flexibility through discussions of the elements which affect tone and style. Above all, a professional writer needs to be able to define the information that should go into a given document for a given audience. The writing assignments in this course are designed to develop this ability to solve problems through writing.

GL/TRAN 4310 3.0 – TECHNIQUES IN BUSINESS AND TECHNICAL WRITING 1 (Year 1 – Winter Course)

This course builds on the skills and knowledge acquired in TRAN 3310.04, Problems in Professional Writing. The focus is on understanding the relationship between audience, function, style, and format. Students will learn to direct their writing to a given audience, gather information as required by various workplace situations, begin to learn the basics of graphic design for typography and layout, and develop the skills required by team and project writing. Because writing in administrative, business, and technical fields requires a different kind of research and a different style from academic writing, students will work on a major project suitable for presentation in a writing portfolio.

GL/TRAN 4320 3.0 – TECHNIQUES IN BUSINESS AND TECHNICAL WRITING 2 (Year 2 – Fall Course)

This course focuses on creating documentation for computers. Using an actual
software product developed for business, you will work through the development of a user manual by following a project plan. Topics covered in this course are:

• genres and types of user documentation
• audience analysis
• documentation planning
• technical accuracy and user-context accuracy
• software tools for successful documentation
• online, hypertext and hypermedia problems and research

GL/TRAN 4330 3.0 – DOCUMENTATION IN BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

The purpose of this course is to provide you with an understanding of emerging information technologies used in a wide range of business environments. You will analyze and create the user assistance for specific business software, and present your solution in both written and oral presentations.

In addition to covering new approaches to design, the web and user assistance, the course is designed to also teach important development methods and project management skills, including the creation of refined project plans, presentations and final deliverables.