English 101: Composition I



English 101 (Section #) Instructor Name

Semester/Year USM email address

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ENG 333: Writing in Professional and Public Contexts

COURSE DESCRIPTION

English 333 aims to prepare students to read, conduct research, and communicate more effectively in a range of academic, professional, and public settings. Specifically, you will complete a number of projects designed to acquaint you with the audiences and types of documents you are likely to use as you advance in your educational and professional careers. Because successful communication in the 21st century increasingly requires writers to engage their audiences in a variety of media and formats, in addition to producing traditional print documents (i.e., letters, reports, proposals, etc.), you will also be exposed to a number of digital genres.

Two assumptions will be key to this work:

• Writing and speaking are rhetorical: effective communicators must carefully consider their audiences and their purposes as they plan, draft, and revise their communications.

• Academic, professional and public audiences often differ in how they read and respond to communications: effective communicators must learn to recognize and negotiate such shifting demands in each new context they face.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

• Johnson-Sheehan, Richard. Technical Communication Strategies for Today. Boston: Pearson, 2011.

• Regular access to the internet to complete assignments and download materials from our Blackboard companion site at: usm.

• A USB flash or jump drive with at least 2GB of storage

ONLINE ACCESS

To access the online components of this course, you must first go to , then follow the log-in instructions. You will need to have your EMPLID and password (the same information you use to access SOAR and register for classes). If you have any questions or run into difficulty accessing the Blackboard material for this course, please call the iTech Help Desk at 601-266-4357 or helpdesk@usm.edu. You can also get specific instructions on how to use components of Blackboard by visiting usm.edu/elo.

Student Learning OUtcomes

ENG 333 is a GEC course at USM, and students taking this course are expected to meet the following GEC learning outcomes:

the student is able to develop a topic and present ideas through writing in an organized, logical, and coherent form and in a style that is appropriate for the discipline and the situation.

1. the student can observe conventions of Standard English grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage.

2. the student can find, use, and cite relevant information.

In addition, the Composition Program at Southern Miss has identified specific learning outcomes for each of its first-year writing courses that are meant to complement our GEC outcomes. At the completion of ENG 333, students will be able to:

• Analyze a writing task and its rhetorical context, including the purpose of the document, its audience, its uses, and its constraints.

• Understand the basic features of several academic, professional and public genres, and how to modify these features in response to new audiences and situations.

• Create usable, persuasive, clear, accurate, and readable documents.

• Understand the specific expectations of audiences in you chosen academic and professional field, and to adapt your communications to more effectively address these expectations

• Develop a professional style of working in teams and managing group projects.

• Conduct more advanced research in a variety of contexts, and to more effectively incorporate this research in you writing.

COURSE DESIGN [Needs to be modified for online courses/ other formats]

English 333 is what is known as a “hybrid” course, meaning it combines traditional face-to-face class meetings with several elements of online instruction. This design should ideally give you more flexibility in terms of how you go about studying and learning. Given that this course may be very different from others you have taken, however, you may need to adjust how you think about and prepare for class.

Each week the course will be composed of three different but closely related components: 1) face to face course lectures; 2) drop-in hours in the Multimedia Writing Studio; and 3) online and traditional writing assignments. In order to succeed in this course, you will need to actively engage in all of these components on a regular basis.

Multimedia Writing Studio

To assist you in completing your weekly writing assignments, and to help you learn more about communicating in digital contexts, we have created a computer lab specifically for students enrolled in this course, the Multimedia Writing Studio. The Studio is located in LAB 334, and it is equipped with several workstations, each loaded with a host of web design, image, video and audio processing applications. In addition, a limited number of video cameras, laptops, and microphones will be available for students to check out for use in conjunction with their final group projects. The Studio schedule will be posted in the coming days.

REQUIREMENTS

In order to earn at least a “C” in this course, students must satisfactorily fulfill all of the following:

• Complete all reading assignments and participate in classroom discussion;

• Complete all weekly discussion forum and journal assignments, to be posted online;

• Submit all four course projects (see Course Schedule for details);

• Compile a final portfolio to be submitted with a final self-evaluation (in lieu of a final exam); and

• Maintain regular attendance, actively participate in course discussions, and complete any additional homework or activities assigned.

GRADE DISTRIBUTION

Discussion Forum and Teamwork Journal Assignments (10 pts total)

Short writing assignments related to material covered in readings and course lectures. Each student is responsible for completing the assignments by the posted due date.  Students who complete all weekly writing assignments will receive 10 points.  Students will lose points for not submitting assignments, assignments that do not meet expectations, incomplete assignments, and late assignments.  This can result in a negative grade for this portion of the class.  

Project One—Employment Project (10 pts)

An individual project in which students create a resume and cover letter targeting a specific position or opportunity and present them to the instructor via a professional, introductory email.

Project Two—Team Project: Analysis and Recommendations (20 pts)

A collaborative project in which students will work in groups to propose and then create a series of documents that address a business scenario requiring analysis, recommendations, and a presentation. The group project will consist of several components, and all members will receive the same grade on all items.

Project Three—Brochure (10 pts)

A design project requiring students to rethink a previous piece of writing and design an original instructional or marketing brochure.

Project Four—Problem/Proposal Project (25 pts)

A longer project requiring students to think about the wastes and inefficiencies we encounter on a daily basis and compose a proposal, a progress report, and either a research report or a multimedia composition and an activity report for management.

Final Portfolio (15 pts)

Each student will submit a final portfolio at the end of the semester containing the following items:

• Portfolio Cover Letter

• Revised Career Cover Letter (Project 1)

• Edited Analytical Report or Activity Report (Project 4)

Participation (10 pts)

Your contributions to course discussions; participation in group work; use of the Multimedia Writing Studio; etc.

Note: For program assessment purposes, some final portfolios may be randomly selected for institutional review at the conclusion of the semester. In such cases, portfolios will be collected anonymously from among all available sections of English 102H. This review is intended solely to improve the quality of the curriculum and will not affect your grade in any way.

ADDITIONAL COURSE POLICIES

PREPARATION [May be altered to suit instructor preference]

In addition to completing all reading and writing assignments, preparing for class means being ready to discuss and intelligently question issues raised by the material. This does not mean, however, that you must master the material. On the contrary, it is perfectly reasonable that you may be confused by some readings the first time we encounter them. But in such cases you should be prepared to discuss what you specifically found puzzling, aggravating, thought-provoking, engaging, or difficult about the assignment. In other words, if you feel you have nothing to state about a piece of writing, you should actively develop a list of questions about it. Remember, much of your grade in this course will be determined by how much you improve over the course of the semester, so there is really no such thing as a stupid question, provided that you ask it in the spirit of honest inquiry.

ACTIVE PARTICIPATION [Optional—feel free to use, delete, or modify]

Being physically present in class is not enough; you must also be mentally present. Sleeping, engaging in distracting behaviors (such as interrupting discussions, texting, playing on social media, doing work for other classes, etc.), or refusing to participate in class activities and discussions is unacceptable and is grounds for being counted absent. If you have a hard time staying awake, concentrating, or sitting still at your desk, you may stand up or move around, provided you do so in a non-distracting way.

ATTENDANCE

The framework of this course – with its emphasis on class discussion and group work – demands that you attend class regularly. Failure to complete in-class work, such as peer reviews, in-class writing assignments, and group meetings will result in the lowering of your overall grade. Indeed, no in-class activities (including quizzes) may be made up due to tardiness or absence, and students who accumulate more than three absences over the course of the semester (or two courses in a class that meets two days a week) will automatically have their final grades lowered. There is no distinction between excused and unexcused absences. More than six absences (or four absences in courses that meet two days a week) in a semester will result in your failing the course.

LATE WORK [Wording may be altered, but instructors are strongly encouraged to include a late work policy that requires students to contact you prior to the assignment due date if they desire credit for a late assignment]

Late work will only be accepted if you can demonstrate that you have encountered a valid obstacle before the deadline (i.e., that you’ve been working on the project in good faith, but have run into some problems). If you feel you may be unable to complete an assignment on time, you should contact me as soon as possible, but no later than two days before the due date. After reviewing all the work you’ve done on the assignment, we will set a new deadline together. In all other cases, late work will automatically be docked one letter grade per day past the deadline, beginning on the day the assignment was due and including weekends.

Note: Unless specified otherwise, no papers submitted electronically will be accepted, and work magically appearing in my mailbox without a prior agreement with me will also be considered late.

PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES [Note that there are two different electronic device statements. Utilize a version of one that makes you most comfortable as an instructor]

Except when I specify otherwise, the use of portable electronic devices (such as cell-phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) is prohibited in class, and such devices should be turned off and placed in your bag and/or out of sight under your desk. Students who use such devices in class without permission may be asked to leave and/or may be considered absent for attendance purposes.

OR [Be sure to delete the paragraph you do not use]

Students are encouraged to utilize portable electronic devices (such as tablets and laptops) for constructive purposes. Students who choose to use these devices for our electronic readings must show evidence of annotation and analysis via an annotation program (iAnnotate, Good Reader, etc.). Texting, checking email and social media sites, gaming, listening to music, doing work for other classes/purposes, and other distracting uses of technology are unacceptable. If I notice that you are using technology in an inappropriate way, I will not (further) distract the class by pointing it out, but I will deduct a point from your final average for each infraction.

PLAGIARISM

All members of the academic community at the University of Southern Mississippi are expected to take responsibility for academic honesty and integrity. Plagiarism – the willful copying/presenting of another person’s work as if it were your own – and other forms of cheating are unacceptable. The penalties for such behavior can include failure of the course and, in some cases, even expulsion from the university. If you have any doubts about what constitutes plagiarism, please refer to your student handbook, to USM policies on Academic Honesty, or come talk to me.

EMAIL AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION ETIQUETTE [Optional—Feel free to delete, use, or modify]

 

We will do most of our writing in digital spaces—some formal, some informal.  As we will discuss throughout the semester, different spaces and situations require different styles of communication.  An informal message to a classmate, for example, may be casual in style and tone, while a polished project should have a style and tone appropriate for an academic audience.   An important part of learning to be a successful student and writer is knowing what is appropriate in a given situation.  An email to me, to any other faculty or staff member on campus, or to anyone in any position of authority must be respectful and professional in tone, should come from your official USM email account, and should follow this format:

 

Subject: Request to schedule an appointment *A subject line is always required and should clearly and briefly represent your purpose for emailing.  Emails with no subject line may not be read.

 

Dear Professor Your Name Here,  *Always use a formal address, such as Professor, Dr., Ms., Mr.  Never use the person’s first name unless you have been given explicit permission to do so.

 

I am a student in your ENG 101 H01E class, and I would like to schedule an appointment with you in your office to discuss my draft of the argument essay.  I am having trouble with my thesis statement and hope to get your help in clarifying it.  Are you available to meet this Wednesday afternoon?  *State your question, concern, or request briefly and clearly, using standardized English.  Maintain a polite, respectful tone and avoid using exclamation points, emoticons, texting abbreviations, or coarse language.  Avoid asking questions that are answered on the syllabus or assignment sheet, such as “When is our paper due?” or “What is our homework for tomorrow?”  Emails that are not professional in style or tone, or that ask questions that are clearly answered on the syllabus or assignment sheets, may be ignored.

 

Thank you, *Use a formal closing, such as “Sincerely,” “Respectfully,” “Thank you,” or “Best regards.”

Kim Jones  *Always sign your full name at the end of your email.

ADA NOTICE

The University of Southern Mississippi is committed to providing equal access to its programs, services, and activities for people with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that reasonable accommodations be provided for students with physical, sensory, cognitive, systemic, learning, and psychiatric disabilities. If you feel you may need accommodations in this or any class, please contact the Office of Disability Services (118 College Dr. #8586, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001) at 601-266-5024 (Telephone), 601-266-6837 (TTY), or 601-266-6035 (FAX).

THE WRITING CENTER

The Writing Center is a free program available to all student writers at the University of Southern Mississippi. It offers one-on-one help with any kind of writing project, at any stage of the writing process. The Writing Center is located in Cook Library 112. The Writing Center will play an important role in the design of this course. For more information, and hours of operation, you may contact The Writing Center at 601-266-4821, or visit the website at: .

THE SPEAKING CENTER

The University of Southern Mississippi offers a Speaking Center, with consultations available at no cost to all students, faculty, and staff.  The center is available for advice on all types of oral communication—formal individual presentations, group presentations, class discussion, class debates, interviews, campus speeches, etc.  Tutors at the Speaking Center will work with you on brainstorming, organizing and outlining, editing and revising, and practicing delivery.  The center also offers several practice rooms for recording presentations and practicing with delivery aids (PowerPoint and internet access are available).  Visit the center in Cook Library 117, call the center at 601-266-4965, or visit the website at usm.edu/speakingcenter. 

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Week 1: Overview of the Course

Reading: TCST Chapter 1

Discussion Response 1: Mission Statement

Week 2: Readers and Context of Use; Introduction to the Job Search

Reading: TCST Chapter 2

Discussion Response 2: Website Comparison

Week 3: Résumés and Cover Letters

Reading: TCST Chapters 5 &11

Discussion Response 3: Beginning Job Search

|Project 1: Résumé and Cover Letter Due |

Week 4: Teamwork

Reading: TCST Chapter 3

Discussion Response 4: Individual Strengths

Week 5: Work Plans; Decision Making

Reading: TCST Chapters 7

Discussion Response 5: Website Evaluation

Teamwork Journal Entry 1: Four Stages of Teaming

Project 2: Work Plan Due

Week 6: Recommendation Reports

Reading: TCST Chapter 16

Teamwork Journal Entry 2: Progress Report

Week 7: Editing Reports; Presentations

Reading: TCST Chapter 10

|Project 2: Recommendation Report Due |

Week 8: Presentations

Project 2: Team Presentations

Week 9: Introduction to Document Design; Writing for Brochures

Reading: TCST Chapters 7 & 8

Discussion Response 6: Chart Analysis

Week 10: Employing Design Principles; Desktop Publishing

|Project 3: Brochures Due |

Week 11: Introduction to Problem/Proposal Project; Research Methods

Reading: TCST Chapters 6 & 14

Discussion Response 7: Research and Report

Discussion Response 8: Junk Science

Week 12: Research Methods; Writing Proposals

Project 4: Proposal Due

Week 13: Progress Reports; Conducting Research

Reading: TCST Chapter 15

Project 4: Progress Report Due

Week 14: Analytical Reports; Multimedia Projects; (Thanksgiving Week)

Reading: TCST Chapters 6 & 14

Week 15: Workshop; Final Portfolio Introduction

|Project 4: Final Product Due |

Week 16: Final Portfolio Workshop

|Final Portfolio Due |

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