Spring 2026
ENG 5340: Discourse Analysis
Instructor: Dr. Pinfan Zhu
Description/Goals:
This is an asynchronous online class. It teaches critical discourse analysis (CDA), which is the application of critical thinking to reading discourse and text. It is a qualitative research method that helps a researcher to obtain useful data and evidence from reading text through pattern identifying, relationship studying, assumptions or value understanding, explanation of a multi-dimensional, dynamic nature, and exploring complex phenomena for their social research so as to develop theories or argument.
CDA also enables us to understand how social power abuse, dominance, and inequality are enacted, reproduced, and resisted by text and talk in the social and political context. So, CDA is also a means by which we can understand, expose, and ultimately resist social inequality.
Linguistically, students can also understand through semantic and syntactical analysis, which is an inevitable part of CDA, how discourse creates and reveals meanings, social identities, social relationships, and social interactions, as well as the nature of language and discourse. Definitely, CDA also improves students' comprehension of text and discourse and their use of language effectively. This course combines critical discourse analysis with linguistic analysis so as to let students understand better the external relations of texts and the internal relations of texts. Analysis of the external relations of texts is the analysis of their relations with social structures and social practices, or social events.
Internal relations of texts include semantic relations, grammatical relations, and lexical relations, which helps understand how language is used to create meanings or serve communicative purposes. Specific areas cover the understanding of text analysis issues and social research issues and the skills to transcribe conversation data and to analyze data.
So, the course provides students with an effective means to do social research and language research. The course is mainly discussion.
Books: Analysing Discourse: Textual Analysis for Social Research by Norman Fairclough
Evaluation:
10% Quiz
30% Exercises
30% Three Text Analysis Projects
30% Semester Paper
Office: Room 018, Flowers Hall
Phone: (512) 245- 3013
Email: pz10@txstate.edu
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ENG 5335: Technical Editing
Instructor: Dr. Chris Dayley
Description/Goals:
This course explores how to edit technical documents using different levels of editing, including copyediting and developmental editing. Students will also explore current trends in technical editing and publishing, as well as effective author-editor relationships.
Books:
Cunningham, D. H., Malone, E. A., & Rothschild, J. (2020). Technical editing: An introduction to editing in the Workplace. Oxford University Press.
Email: c_d470@txstate.edu
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ENG 5336: Document Design and Rhetoric
Instructor: Dr. Sarah K. Robblee
Description/Goals:
As a mode of visual rhetoric, document design impacts every genre of writing. Technical communicators can help their users by designing documents that utilize principles of design to maximize the effects of layout, style, color, information architecture,
typography, and accessibility as they coordinate with content for information messaging. This
course will explore these topics from a rhetorical perspective, as we view documents as active,
response-invoking artifacts in a variety of media. We will also analyze and evaluate real-world
documentation from ethical perspectives and the societal and cultural impacts of design,
incorporating the use of technologies as we both examine existing documents and design our
own for real-world clients.
Books: Kimball, M. A., & Ross, D. G. (2025). Document Design: A Guide for Technical
Communicators, 2nd edition. SUNY Press. ISBN 13: 979-8855801576.
Evaluation:
Area of Evaluation Total Possible Percentage
Class Participation 200 20%
Discussion Leadership 200 20%
Proposal of Community Design Project 150 15%
Usability Testing Report of Community Design Project 150 15%
Community Design Project with Client Memo (Final Project) 300 30%
Total 1000 100%
Office: via Zoom
Email: fad33@txstate.edu
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ENG 5312: Editing the Professional Publication (MATC Internship)
Instructor: Dr. Miriam F. Williams
Description: This is the MATC internship course. The course is required for MATC students on
the internship track. In this course, students will provide professional user-centered research,
design, editing, and writing services for actual clients. (Note: The instructor will assign clients
the first week of class.)
Goals: The course will give students the opportunity to:
- participate in an applied learning experience,
- provide a useful service to others while gaining professional technical communication experience,
- conduct qualitative research and negotiate user/client needs,
- research, write, edit, and design print, video, and web content in collaborative online
environments, and - write, edit, and design print and web content for personal or MATC exam portfolios.
Required Books: Students will be assigned open-access books and journal articles
Format: Completely online in Canvas. Since most projects require group collaboration, students will schedule small group meetings in Zoom or Teams at their convenience.
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All courses are open to MATC students on a first-come, first-served basis. Register on CatsWeb as soon as registration opens to secure your spot. Contact Dr. Chris Dayley (c_d470@txstate.edu) with advising/degree audit questions.
Instructions for non-MATC students: Contact Taylor Cortesi (tc1224@txstate.edu) to be authorized to add a MATC course. To allow new MATC students to enroll in courses, non-MATC students will be informed of the possibility to take MATC courses a month prior to classes starting in the Spring. Note: MATC course wait lists are not managed on CatsWeb—they are managed by the MATC Program director and Taylor Cortesi.
If you are not sure about the method of delivery (online, online asynchronous, face-to-face), contact the instructor for the course to confirm.