Syllabus & Course Policies Fixsen Fall 2015- Engl 398N

SYLLABUS & COURSE POLICIES – FIXSEN – FALL 2015- ENGL 398N

NOTE: This syllabus is subject to change. Homework, readings, quizzes, and in-class activities will be added as the semester progresses. Unforeseen circumstances may necessitate changes in due dates. All changes and updates will be announced in class and posted on ELMS.

DUE DATES and TIMES:

Drafts and peer editing are to be submitted in ELMS both in the assignment space AND in the relevant Group page. Drafts are due by class time on the due date (usually a Monday). Since peer editing is done electronically, it will be done outside of class and is due by midnight on the indicated due date.
The final version of an assignment is due as posted in ELMS, electronically in the ELMS assignment space.
The Jewish and Muslim holidays are marked on the syllabus. If you are unable to attend class because of a religious holiday, you should still plan on submitting assignments as of the due date. You need to contact me in advance of your absence to arrange for making up classwork.
When the syllabus shows a new assignment to be introduced, you should read the assignment sheet BEFORE the class session, and bring to class any questions you have.
Discussion posts are due at the beginning of class time on the due date of the discussion.
Weekly reading should be done before Monday’s class (except during first week or as otherwise specified). Note that Discussion topics involve a good deal of reading beforehand.
Other work such as reports, quizzes, or miscellaneous homework is generally due on Fridays by midnight, although I am more relaxed about time of submission of such items – just be sure to complete them by the following Sunday night.

ABBREVIATIONS:

B&S = Bowden & Scott, Service Learning in Technical and Professional Communication

B&F = Barbato & Furlich, Writing for a Good Cause

BWH = Alred, Brusaw & Oliu, Business Writer’s Handbook

OWL = The Owl at Purdue online

AWR = A Writer’s Reference Online,

READINGS: Each week, recommended readings are posted. You are expected to have done this reading and have used the concepts in preparing your assignments.

WEEK ONE: Reading: B&S, Chapters 1 & 2, Chapter 4 P. 56-65, “Choosing Your Project.”

Mon Aug. 31: INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE -- Course Goals, Course Policies, Service Learning, Core Assignments, Reflection Writing, Mini-presentations assigned.

Wed. Sept 2:

Assignments Introduced: LETTERS of INTRODUCTION, NPO CHOICE MEMO
Topic: Document Design – Block Paragraph Format, Memo Format
Style: Commas, apostrophes, and other punctuation
MINI PRESENTATION (By Prof. Fixsen) – Service Learning

Fri. Sept. 4 (Midnight)

Quiz in ELMS – Course Policies
AWR exercises– Commas, apostrophes. Go to Sign up as student. Show instructor’s e-mail as . Go to Grammar Exercises > Punctuation > Major Uses of the Comma P1-1, and then The Apostrophe, P5-1.
DUE: REFLECTION ON WRITING #1
DUE: LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION TO PROFESSOR AND CLASSMATES

WEEK TWO:

Reading: B&S Chapter 4, p. 65-76 (Letter of Inquiry), MINI-PRESENTATION (in ELMS): Good practices for Peer Editing and Revision

Mon. Sept. 7 – LABOR DAY – NO CLASS

Wed. Sept. 9

DUE by CLASS TIME : DRAFT OF NPO CHOICE MEMO
DUE BY CLASS TIME:DISCUSSION POST #1: Using Appropriate Language -Levels of Formality.
Read: The OWL at Purdue
TOPIC: Audience Awareness
Model Peer editing on NPO Choice Memo drafts.
Assignment Introduced: LETTER OF INQUIRY TO NPO.Analyze models

Fri Sept. 11(midnight)

DUE: Library Research Tutorial Module #1 in ELMS –and quiz
DUE: PEER EDITING ON NPO CHOICE MEMO -post in ELMS assignment space AND in the Group page.
DUE: LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION TO PROFESSOR AND CLASSMATES[changed 9/2/15]

WEEK THREE:

Reading:

B&S Chapter 4, p. 76-90 (Resume);
Business Writer’s Handbook – Resumes & Cover Letters.
Models of Final Projects, posted in ELMS Module for Week 3.

Mon. Sept. 14 [Jewish Holiday Rosh Hashanah Sept. 14-16]

DUE by midnight: FINAL VERSION: NPO CHOICE MEMO

Assignment Introduced: RESUME & COVER LETTER
STUDENT MINI PRESENTATION #1: Resume Do’s and Don’ts
Style: Parallel Structure in Resumes

Wed. Sept. 16

DUE: DRAFT OF LETTER OF INQUIRY TO NPO - submit in the Assignment space for the draft and also in the Group page

DUE BY CLASS TIME: DISCUSSION POST #2: “Rhetoric & Bullshit”
STUDENT MINI-PRESENTATION #2: Effective E-mails

Fri Sept.18:

DUE by midnight: PEER EDITING – LETTER OF INQUIRY TO NPO– submit both in Assignments and in the Group page

Library Research Tutorial - Module #2 (and OWL reading) - quiz

WEEK FOUR: Reading: Assignment sheet, Resume & Cover Letter. Readings are specified in the assignment sheet.

Mon. Sept. 21 [Muslim holiday Sept. 22 - Waqf al Arafa – Hajj]

DUE by midnight: LETTERS OF INQUIRY TO NPO – FINAL VERSION– must be mailed to recipients
DUE: DRAFT OF RESUME & COVER LETTER - submit in the Assignment space for the draft and also in the Group page

DUE by class time:DISCUSSION POST#3: Language Debates – What constitutes acceptable usage? Who decides?
In-Class Exercise: Common Errors- and changing usage
STUDENT MINI-PRESENTATION #3: The Rhetorical Triangle and the Three Rhetorical Appeals

Wed. Sept. 23 [Jewish Holiday Yom Kippur; Sept.24 - Eid-al-Adha]

PRESENTATION – JAN KARY – Writing Grants and Fundraising Letters

DUE BY MIDNIGHT: PEER REVIEW – RESUME & COVER LETTERsubmit in the Assignment space and also in the Group page

Fri. Sept. 25

DUE: FINAL VERSION OF RESUME & COVER LETTER

Library Research Tutorial – Module #3 – start research on topic for final project
DUE: PROGRESS REPORT #1 - on Contact with NPO (or report failure to make contact)

WEEK FIVE: - Sept. 28 – Oct. 2 [Sukkot Sept.28 -29]

INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES SCHEDULED. Discuss plan for final project. Discuss writing issues.

WEEK SIX:

Readings:

Bowden & Scott, Ch. 3 (A Rhetorical Toolbox)
Bowden & Scott, Ch.5 – p.104-126 (The Proposal).
Barbato & Furlich, Part 2 (the Proposal)
Barbato & Furlich, Part 3, (The Writer’s Craft)
Readings specified in the assignment sheet for Discussion #4

Mon. Oct.5 [Shmini Atzeret; Oct. 6. – Shimchat Torah]

Assignment introduced:PROJECT PROPOSAL
STUDENT MINI PRESENTATION #4: Campus Fundraisers
Style: Concision

Wed. Oct. 7

DUE BY CLASS TIME: DISCUSSION POST #4: Using Appropriate Language – continued – Avoiding biased language. The OWL at Purdue and other readings
In-class Exercise – avoiding gendered language
STUDENT MINI –PRESENTATION #5: Volunteer Handbooks & Guides

Friday Oct. 9:

PROGRESS REPORT #2 ON FINAL PROJECT–Update on Contact with NPO

WEEK SEVEN:

Mon. Oct. 12

DUE: DRAFT OF PROJECT PROPOSALsubmit in the Assignment space for the draft and also in the Group page

STUDENT MINI-PRESENTATION #6: Case Studies
Topic: Integrating Sources and in-class exercise
Style work: Dangling Modifiers

Wed. Oct. 14 [Oct. 15 - Hijra - Islamic New Year]

DUE BY CLASS TIME: DISCUSSION POST #5: Plagiarism (Readings found in assignment space)
STUDENT MINI PRESENTATION #7: Opinion Articles

Fri. Oct. 16

DUE: REFLECTION ON WRITING #2- review grading comments

DUE: PEER EDITING ON PROJECT PROPOSALsubmit in the Assignment space and also in the Group page

WEEK EIGHT:

Reading –

B&S Ch. 3 (A Rhetorical Toolbox)
B&S Chapter 6, p. 127-140 (Collaboration)

BWH – bibliographies (p.56)
OWL: Annotated Bibliography, Annotated Bibliography Example

Mon. Oct. 19

DUE: FINAL VERSION: PROJECT PROPOSAL

ASSIGNMENT INTRODUCED: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY and PRESENTATION.
Topic: Effective use of sources –citing and integratingsource material. Readings in the assignment space. In-class exercise: Integrating Sources – Continued]

Wed. Oct. 21

DUE BY CLASS TIME: DISCUSSION POST #6: COLLABORATION(B&S Ch. 6) - see readings in the assignment space.
Administer CAWG surveys
STUDENT MINI PRESENTATION #8: Brochures and Flyers

Fri. Oct. 23 -

DUE: REPORT ON TEAM AND TOPIC FOR THE ISSUES PRESENTATION ASSIGNMENT and Collaboration Management Plan
AWR exercises on avoiding plagiarism, integrating sources

WEEK NINE:

Readings:

Bowden & Scott, p. 276-282 (Presentations),
The Business Writer’s Handbook, p. 415-424 (Presentations)
The OWL at Purdue (online) – Presentations and subtopics. Do whatever reading will prepare you for this assignment.
Readings on Logical Fallacies (posted in ELMS module)

Mon. Oct. 26

Assignment reviewed: ISSUES PRESENTATION.
Lecture: Logical Fallacies
STUDENT MINI PRESENTATION #9: Press Releases
Style: Syntax – prepositional phrases

Wed. Oct. 28.

DUE by class time: INDIVIDUAL ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES FOR THE PRESENTATIONASSIGNMENT – submit in ELMS Assignment and in Peer Editing Group page. Small group work in class on Presentation Assignment—add any needed research, compile Annotated Bibliography, start planning your PowerPoint. You will probably NOT complete your work in class – you need to plan to meet outside of class at least once more before the due date of the presentation, Nov. 16.

Fri. Oct. 30 DUE: PROGRESS REPORT #3 ON FINAL PROJECT – Research to date

WEEK TEN:

READINGS: Genre choice, Logical Fallacies: See assignment spaces.

Monday Nov. 2

ASSIGNMENT INTRODUCED: GENRE CHOICE (Press Release, Editorial, Brochure, Fundraiser Letter, Newsletter)
Topic: Logical Fallacies– quiz based on PowerPoint Lecture

Wed. Nov. 4

Logical Fallacies (continued – quizzes, exercises, analysis)
STUDENT MINI PRESENTATION #10: PRESENTATION DO’s and DON’TS

Fri. Nov. 6:

WEEK ELEVEN - TIP: plan on meeting with your group for the Issues Presentation assignment outside of class during this week to finalize your presentation, due next week.

Readings – (review readings on Genres and on Presentations)

Mon. Nov. 9

DUE: GENRE CHOICE (DRAFT) submit in the Assignment space for the draft and also in the Group page

Assignment Reviewed: PRESENTATION
PRESENTATIONS – analyze models
Style topics: To Be announced (Possible topics: “This” is Not a Pronoun, Emphasis)

Wed. Nov. 11

Style topics –exercises and/or quizzes - TBA
DUE: PEER EDITING ON GENRE CHOICE DRAFTsubmit in the Assignment space and also in the Group page

Fri. Nov. 13

DUE: GENRE CHOICE (FINAL VERSION).

WEEK TWELVE - one-on-one conferences outside of class – as recommended or desired (if I think you need extra guidance, I’ll ask you to come for a conference).

DUE before your conference: PROGRESS REPORT #4 – Annotated Bibliography of all Research & Outline of all portions of anticipated final project

Mon. Nov. 16:

DUE: ISSUESPRESENTATIONS- (submit PowerPoint and final Annotated Bibliography in ELMS in the Assignment space by class time). Presentations will be given in class.
IN-CLASS WORK: Evaluations of Presentations

Wed. Nov. 18:

ISSUES PRESENTATIONS (CONTINUED)– remaining presentations given in class.
IN-CLASS WORK:evaluations of presentations

Fri. Nov. 20:

DUE: GROUP PROCESS MEMO (Collaborative Issues Presentation)

NOVEMBER 23 – 27: NO CLASS. THANKSGIVING BREAK. Work on your final project!

WEEK THIRTEEN:

Mon. Nov. 30

DUE BY CLASS TIME: FINAL PROJECT DRAFTS -submit in the Assignment space for the draft and also in the Group page

Assignment review: THE FINAL PROJECT. TEAM REVIEW OF THE FINAL PROJECT
Draft Workshop

Wed. Dec. 2

Draft workshop in class, continued.Share Google Docs with
Complete paper course evaluations

Fri. Dec. 4

DUE: TEAM REVIEWS OF FINAL PROJECT DRAFTS. Submit in ELMS assignment space and in the Group editing page.

WEEK FOURTEEN:

Mon. Dec. 7

Individual presentations on your final project.

Wed. Dec.9 - LAST CLASS SESSION

Remaining individual presentations on your final project
DUE: Reflection on Writing #3

DUE: FINAL VERSION OF YOUR FINAL PROJECT
PORTFOLIOS – I will assemble them.

COURSE POLICIES

English 398N – Fall 2015. Instructor Elizabeth Fixsen

Mondays and Wednesdays, 2pm – 3:15pm, Tawes 1105

Contact: , 301-802-6896

Office Hours: Mon. & Wed. 12:30 – 1:30pm and by appointment, Tawes Room 1234

CONTENTS:

Texts...... …..1

Course Objectives and Goals ...... 2

ELMS ...... 3

Core Assignments ...... 4

Class Participation ...... 5

Submitting Assignments ...... 8

Late Assignments ...... 9

Group Work ...... 10

Academic Integrity ...... 10

Attendance ...... 11

Professionalism ...... 12

Conferences ...... 14

Grading Philosophy, Course Grade Formula ...... 14

Getting Help ...... 20

Counseling Center

Disability Services

The Career Center

Writing Center

Learning Assistance Center

Sexual Harassment and Discrimination

TEXTS:

Service Learning in Technical and Professional Communication, by Bowden & Scott - ISBN-13: 978-0205335602, ISBN-10: 0205335608
The Business Writer’s Handbook, 10th ed.(Alred, Brusaw, and Oliu)ISBN-13: 978-1250004420 ISBN-10: 125000442X
Writing for a Good Cause, Barbato & Furlich – ISBN 978-0-684-85740-4

You will need to bring a notebook computer to class for most class sessions.

Additional readings and resources will be posted in ELMS.

Other Materials and Costs: If you do not have Microsoft Word, I strongly recommend that you purchase the program, as many course documents are created in MS Word. Terrapin Technology in the Stamp Student Union sells a range of software at a discount.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

From the Professional Writing website (: “Professional Writing courses teach the research, analysis, writing, and language skills that students will need in their lives beyond the classroom.” On that website, you will find numerous student testimonials about the value of the Professional Writing courses.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

While freshman writing courses are designed to prepare you for the academic writing required of a university student, this course is designed to prepare you for writing and communication outside the university. In particular, this course will focus on the specific demands of communicating primarily—though not exclusively—in the world of non-profit organizations. We will study the audiences and varied document genres you may encounter in the field. By the end of the term, you should have a heightened awareness of audience and be able to navigate some of the important genres of communication necessary for non-profit work.

The numerous writing workshops and peer group tasks make this course a collaborative endeavor, which will further prepare you for the teamwork common to most non-profit organizations. The course will operate in some sense as a non-profit writing consultant group with me as a supervisor and your classmates as your colleagues.

COURSE GOALS: On completing this Professional Writing Course:

RHETORICAL SITUATON: You should be able toidentify the characteristics of different professional rhetorical situations and produce texts that accomplish your purpose in that rhetorical situation.

AUDIENCE: You should be able to identify an appropriate audience, analyze that audience, and design and adapt texts to meet the needs and expectations of those readers, who may differ in their familiarity with the subject matter.
ARGUMENT: The term “argument” is broadly interpreted to refer to the main body of your text in which you explain, propose, or argue for an idea to a specific audience. The idea should be one that will meet a real need in a real-world situation.
EVIDENCE: You should be able toproduce relevant and credible primary and secondary evidence that will help make your case to your reader, and you should be able to deploy that evidence persuasively and with citation appropriate to real-world writing.
ARRANGEMENT: You should be able to logically structure your argument or explanation so that it is accessible to the intended reader, using textual features that help guide the reader, and avoiding redundancy.
EXPRESSION (OR STYLE): You should be able todemonstrate competence in Standard Written English, including grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, coherence, and be able to use this knowledge to revise texts; you should be able to write with clarity, brevity, and grace.
GENRE AND DOCUMENT DESIGN: You should be able toidentify and follow conventions and best practices for the design of various genres of documents so that they meet readers’ expectations and have a professional appearance.
REFLECTION, REVISION, AND PROOFREADING: You should be able to understand and deploy strategies required to produce competent, professional writing through planning, drafting, revising, and editing.You will be expected to engage in meaningful revision of your own drafts and to give editing advice to fellow students on their drafts. You are expected to use resources at your disposal – textbooks and other readings, the Writing Center, classmates, librarians, and other individuals whom you trust to make a good judgment of your writing. Part of the course objective is to learn how to use all these resources. You will be prompted to give written reflection on each assignment about specific strategies you used to complete the assignment, in response to specific skills taught in class. You will also be given assignments to reflect on your writing skills at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester.
COLLABORATION: You should be able to work collaboratively with fellow students as colleagues to compose, revise, and improve written documents and to deliver oral and PowerPoint presentations.

Requirements of the Professional Writing Department: This course is structured to meet the basic requirements of any professional writing course, although it may exceed these requirements (as many of the P.W. courses do).

A minimum of six writing assignments in the semester
At least three assignments directed to an audience other than instructor and classmates
A minimum of 25 pages (about 6,250 words) of original writing (not including revisions). Many Professional Writing Course assignments result in a higher overall word count.
Research sufficient to give the writer authority on the topic of the writing
Some type of collaborative assignment
Structured peer review of at least three assignments

ELMS:

I rely heavily on ELMS for posting assignments and other documents, for receiving completed assignments, for communicating with the class, and for providing additional learning resources.

In “Modules,” you will find a list of each week’s assignments, readings, and activities. In “Files,” you will find electronic versions of assignment sheets and various required or recommended readings and resources, organized by topic. Students who are having trouble with ELMS should ask me for help, and you should also be able to get guidance from the Division of Information Technology. I expect students to be able to master ELMS, as in the workplace you’ll be expected to master use of a variety of computer programs. I’m also happy to receive your suggestions on ways in which my ELMS site could be improved.

WORKLOAD IN THIS COURSE: