English 4390-001

Writing Internship

Instructor: Bridgitte Barclay

Office: 209 Carlisle Hall

Office Hours:T/Th 9-11 a.m. (and advising hours listed on English website)

Email:

Course Description:This course is worth three credit hours and will act as a forum for students to put their writing skills into practice in a non-profit or a business. Students will be in charge of setting up their internship (with the help of a list of contacts), determining what the client needs in terms of writing/editing, and creating a portfolio of the writing/editing they do for the client (brochures, grant proposals, website, mass mailing letters, etc.). In addition, students will do a research paper, positioning the function of writing in their internship field. Class meetings and e-reserves readings will be scheduled for the first few weeks and intermittently throughout the semester. Assessment for the course will include the portfolio, the research paper, and an evaluation from the client.

Suggested Readings:

MLA Handbook for Writers, 7th edition

Technical Communication by Mike Markel

How to Write Anything by John J. Ruszkiewicz and Jay

Getting Funded by Mary S. Hall and Susan Howlett

Content Strategies for the Web by Kristina Halvorson

The Elements of Business Writing by Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly

The Business Style Handbook by Helen Cunningham and Brenda Greene

Course Objectives:

By the end of the course, students will be able to do the following:

  • To successfully market their writing skills to non-profits and businesses
  • To write with clarity to communicate effectively within the academic community
  • To write with clarity to communicate effectively within the business and /or non-profit communities
  • To effectively communicate with peers and clients to establish writing objectives and mediums
  • To adapt to the communication styles and jargon of varied fields
  • To adapt writing for different styles or forms
  • To position the use of writing within at least one field
Course Requirements:
  • Writing Portfolio (40%): At the end of the semester you will turn in a portfolio of at least 20 pages of the writing you have done for your organization. You should maintain the portfolio throughout the semester, placing documents in as you complete them. You will include with the portfolio a one-page statement for each document included, explaining the objectives the client gave you for the document, how you executed it, the revision and peer-editing process, and their satisfaction (or lack of) with it. In the last case, it’s important to remember that clients may be dissatisfied with a piece originally, and that is not uncommon. If this happens, you revise and negotiate changes and explain that process in this statement.
  • Research Paper (35%): At the end of the semester, you will also turn in an 8-10-page research paper in which you position the function of writing within the field you worked for the semester. This is a wide topic and can take several forms (i.e., how to break jargon down into marketing language, the future of writing jobs in non-profit, small businesses and writing needs, etc.).
  • Client Evaluation (20%): The client will send me a confidential evaluation of your work. This will include how well you engaged with them, how well you completed the objectives they set for you, whether or not you met deadlines and expectations, etc.
  • Presentation (5%): At the end of the semester, you will present for 5-7 minutes on the type of work you did (showing at least one example from your portfolio) and on your research paper. This will help widen your view of how professional writing functions in different fields.

Note: Please be advised that it is your responsibility to retain all of your assignments until after you have received your final grade. You cannot formally challenge a final grade if you do not have evidence of your work.

Late Work Policy: I will not accept late work beyond a week later, and it will lose a half-letter grade for each calendar day it is late. If you must miss class on a day a response essay is due, you can email it to me as an attachment.

Attendance/Late Policy: This is an interactive class in which attendance is vital. We meet seldom enough for this course that I expect attendance at all meeting. If there is an emergency and you can not make it, it is your responsibility to get in touch with me.

Formatting and Presentation: Your research paper should be in MLA format. Your portfolio writing should follow the style that the client uses. Often, they do not have a standardized style. If this is the case, it is often easiest to use MLA because you have experience with it.

Dropping the Course: If, during the course of the semester, you choose to drop this class, it is your responsibility to fill out the appropriate documentation and pursue the procedure for dropping a course.

Classroom and Placement Etiquette: Students in this class are expected to show respect for their classmates, instructor, and guests. Disrespectful behavior is grounds for dismissal from class. This will mean an absence for the day and a required appointment with me before the next class meeting. Also, please remember to turn off cell phones during class.

For this internship, it’s important to remember that this is a job. You are creating a contact that may either choose to employ you or may know someone who would. You are building your reputation. Also, you are building a portfolio and set of references. You need to write well and accomplish the tasks and goals the client determines for you, and you need to do this on time and responsibly. The job situation is not great, and organizations will want someone whom they can work with, who does the job well, who completes tasks on time, and who goes above and beyond base expectations. Keep all of this in mind. Writing can sustain you if you build a good reputation.

Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism: Academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University. "Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts" (Regents’ Rules and Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI, Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22). You can get in trouble for plagiarism—even if you do not intend to cheat—by failing to correctly indicate places where you are making use of the work of another. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the conventions of citation by which you indicate which ideas are not your own and how your reader can find those sources. Because I value originality and honesty, I find plagiarism especially offensive. Do not do it.

Student Success Programs: UTA offers a variety of student programs to help you connect with the University and achieve academic success, including learning assistance, developmental education, advising and mentoring, admissions and transition, and federally funded programs. Students requiring assistance academically, personally, or socially should contact the Office of Student Success Programs at 817-272-6107 for more information and appropriate referrals.

Americans With Disabilities Act: The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 93112 -- The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of new federal legislation entitled Americans With Disabilities Act - (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens. As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide "reasonable accommodation" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty at the beginning of the semester and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels.

E-Reserves: Several of the readings are online and are accessible to you with the course password. To find the readings, go to the library’s catalog, then the “Course Reserves” tab at the top. Select the appropriate “Instructor,” “Department,” and “Course” pull downs. You will sign in with your NetID and password.

Tentative Schedule

Jan 192:00 meeting (in Carlisle 209)

Week of Feb 7Conference; Have internship set by this week

Week of Mar 7Conference (bring some of the writing you’ve been doing)

Week of Apr11Conference (bring some of the writing you’ve been doing)

May 412:00 meeting for Presentations (in Carlisle 209); Portfolio, Evaluation, and Research Paper Due