Arizona State University



Dr. Karyn Riedell

ENGLISH 301: WRITING FOR THE PROFESSIONS

OFFICE: LLB348

OFFICE HRS: TUES & WED, 12:30-1:30, 3-4 AND BY APPOINTMENT

PHONE: 928.476.4910

E-MAIL: riedell@asu.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

English 301, Writing for the Professions, will allow students to engage in inquiry into writing in their professions. English 301 is not an academic writing course. Rather, students will examine rhetorical issues related to documents found in their chosen professions, particularly how differing rhetorical situations alter purpose, audience, writer, and text. Online class participation will include invention activities, writing/revising, drafting, peer evaluation, group discussions, editing, and project collaboration.

GOALS FOR THE COURSE:

To help you transition from academic to professional writing

To help you understand how a writer adapts to a discourse community

To help you understand and use strategies appropriate to a particular professional discourse

To help you question the strategies appropriate to various professional discourses

To help you develop methods of inquiry allowing you to continue to research, question, read, write, and reflect on professional discursive practices in your future profession

To help you revise and edit your own work and that of others

OUTCOMES:

At the end of this course, you should be more self-conscious about your writing so that you can analyze the rhetorical situation for each piece of writing, understand what needs you must fulfill in that piece of writing, and select the most appropriate genre, organizational pattern, strategy, and style.

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ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATON

Class attendance and participation are both critical to success. It is important to post all assignments on the scheduled due dates. In addition, you should be an active participant in the class in order to receive a grade of A or B for class participation. Thus, at least four or five substantive postings per week are necessary for an above-average grade in participation.

LATE PAPERS

Reports are due on the day specified in your syllabus. Late papers will go down one letter grade for each day they are late.

PEER REVISION AND WORKSHOP SESSIONS

These sessions are not optional, and you will be graded on how you peer revise another student’s work. On the day when a draft is due, you should have completed a typed draft that you will post online for peer revision. You should not miss these sessions. They count toward class participation, which plays a very big role in this class.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

You will be required to write one employment package, one team report, and four individual reports, some informal assignments, and a portfolio as your final exam.

REPORT FORMATS

Reports must always be typed and double-spaced. Although in professional writing, you would usually single space your work, I ask that you double space so that I have room to write my comments.

GRADING

I use the standard A through E grading system. I assign the following point system to letter grades when I calculate your overall grade:

|A = 4.0 C = 2.0 | |

|A- = 3.7 C- = 1.7 | |

|B+ = 3.3 D+ = 1.3 | |

|B = 3.0 D = 1.0 | |

|B- = 2.7 D- = .7 | |

|C+ = 2.3 E = .3 | |

|No paper = 0 | |

| | |

|Employment Package 10 percent | |

|Process Manual 10 percent | |

|Proposal 10 percent | |

|Progress Report 10 percent | |

|Recommendation Report 20 percent | |

|Team Evaluation Report 10 percent | |

|Portfolio 10 percent | |

|Participation 20 percent | |

| | |

| | |

Since final grades are reported as well as whole numbers (i.e. there are no plus or minus final grades), the following scale will be used to determine the final grade. A student will receive a final grade no lower than the grade determined by the following formula:

A = 3.5-4.0

B = 2.5-3.49

C = 1.5-2.49

D = .5-1.49

E = .49 & below

OFFICE HOURS

Office hours are times I set aside to meet with you and discuss problems you may have with a concept we have discussed in class or specific problems you may experience on a paper.

PLAGIARISM

Knowingly presenting the language or ideas of another person as one's own is plagiarism. It is stealing. Plagiarism is cheating yourself and someone else. The consequences are severe, including failure for the assignment, probable failure for the course, disciplinary referral to the dean, and possible expulsion from the university. Whenever you borrow a phrase, sentence, paragraph, or even an idea from any outside source without giving credit to that source, you have plagiarized.

KNOWLEDGE OF CRIMES:

In this course please do not write about any criminal activity of which you have knowledge--as a witness, a victim, or a perpetrator. If you do write about such activity, I may be legally required to report it to the authorities.

THE WRITING CENTER

Located on the 3rd floor (B wing) of the Durham Language and Literature Building, the Writing Center offers excellent free tutorial services for those needing any kind of help with writing, research, or brainstorming skills in one-on-one tutorial sessions, workshops, and computer modules.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Markel, Mike. Technical Communication. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2001.

Williams, Joseph M. Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace. 6th ed. New York: Longman, 2000.

Optional additional materials:

• Access to the style manual used by your profession. For example, MLA and APA are both popular styles.

• A grammar handbook

• An up-to-date dictionary.

Employment Package (10%):

• Resume

• Cover Letter

Process Manual (10%):

• This should be a document of at least two pages (typed and single-spaced) explaining a particular process. Ideally, this process should be a work-related matter.

Proposal (10%):

• This is a document of at least two pages in which you will present your proposal for your recommendation report.

Progress Report (15%):

• This is a report of at least two pages in which you discuss your progress on the recommendation report.

Recommendation Report (20%):

• In this report (of at least six pages), you will present a recommendation concerning some change you would like to see at ASU or at your workplace.

Team Report

In this report (of at least three pages), you should evaluate some aspect of Arizona State University. For example, you might evaluate the new president’s performance.

Portfolio (10%)

1. The portfolio is divided into three sections.

2. In section 1, you present your portfolio analysis containing a self-examination of your work this semester.

3. In section 2, you record and keep all in-class work.

4. In section 3, you keep all reports, drafts & key invention work for reports.

Participation (20%):

20% of your grade will come from your participation in class

Course Schedule

Week One

Aug. 27 Orientation

Aug. 29 Chapter 1 Markel (Introduction to Technical Communication)

Week Two

Sept. 3 Lesson 1 Williams (Understanding Style)

Sept. 5 Chapter 3 Markel (Understanding the Writing Process)

Week Three

Sept. 10 Lesson 2 Williams (Correctness)

Sept. 12 Chapter 16 Markel (Preparing Job-Application Materials)

Week Four

Sept. 17 Peer editing of resume/cover letter; Read Chapter 9 (Drafting and Revising Definitions and Descriptions)

Sept 19 Lesson 3 Williams (Clarity-Actions); Resume/cover letter due

Week Five

Sept. 24 Chapter 5 Markel (Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose)

Sept. 26 Lesson 4 Williams (Clarity-Characters)

Week Six

Oct. l Chapter 20 Markel (Writing Instructions and Manuals)

Oct. 3 Lesson Five Williams (Cohesion and Coherence)

Week Seven

Oct 8 Process Report due for peer editing; Chapter 7 Markel (Researching Your Subject)

Oct. 10 Lesson 6 (Emphasis); Process Report due

Week Eight

Oct. 15 Chapter 17 Markel (Writing Proposals)

Oct. 17 Lesson 7 Williams (Concision)

Week Nine

Oct. 22 Chapter 19 Markel (Writing Formal Reports)

Oct. 24 Lesson 8 Williams (Shape)

Week Ten

Oct. 29 Proposal due for peer editing; Chapter 8 Markel (Organizing Your Information)

Oct. 31 Proposal due; Chapter 18 Markel (Writing Informal Reports)

Week Eleven

Nov. 5 Lesson 9 Williams (Elegance)

Nov. 7 Chapter 2 Markel (Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations)

Week Twelve

Nov. 12 Lesson 10 (The Ethics of Prose)

Nov. 14 Progress Report—peer editing; Chapter 13 Markel (Designing the Document) and Chapter 14 (creating Graphics)

Week Thirteen

Nov. 19 Progress Report due; Chapter 4 Markel (Writing Collaboratively)

Nov. 21 Chapter 6 Markel (Communicating Persuasively); Chapter 10 Markel (Drafting and Revising Coherent Documents)

Week Fourteen

Nov. 26 Chapter 11 Markel (Drafting and Revising Effective Sentences) and Chapter 12 (Drafting and Revising Front and Back Matter); Peer editing of Recommendation Report

NO CLASS DURING THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

Week Fifteen

Dec. 3 Team Report due (rough draft); Chapter 23 Markel (Designing the Document)

Dec. 5 Recommendation Report due

Week Sixteen

Portfolio due; Team Report due (final draft)

Important dates and deadlines to note during the fall semester:

Aug. 26 First day of instruction

Aug. 26-Sept. 1 Late registration; Drop/Add

Sept, 20 Unrestricted course withdrawal deadline

Oct. 16 Midterm grades

Nov. 1 Restricted course withdrawal deadline

Dec. 4 Restricted complete withdrawal deadline

Dec. 10 Instruction end

Dec. 12-18 Final exams

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