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English 400, section 01 -- Editing

1. General information 2. Course information 3. Overview and Objectives 4. Homework & schedule 5. Assignments & Grading

 

NOTE: This syllabus may change as class needs dictate.

This course helps you develop the skills for reading and writing to effect change. Revising your own work helps you to develop the skills to be an effective editor. Considering how the reader may receive your work provides a perspective to consider in the reviewing process.
The magnolia tree in my back yard...	Reminders:
	Reviewing the Attendance policy, the Assignments policy, and the SVSU policies is beneficial. You will also find specifics on grading and the minimum effort.
	If you need to contact me by e-mail at "fidallas@svsu.edu," the subject line should contain your last name, course and section number [for example, using my name the subject line would be: Dallas, English 400-01] to prevent your e-mail from being misplaced as possible spam. Please ensure that you use your SVSU e-mail account for a reply within 48 hours, otherwise a reply may take up to 96 hours.

 

 

Rex is pooh-poohing your editing efforts...

ENGL400: Developing and applying principles of editing. Includes comprehensive editing (content, organization, form, style, and visual design); sentence-level editing (clarity and conciseness); copyediting for correctness (grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and consistency); and preparing documents for publication. Prerequisite: ENGL 300 or 301 or 304 or permission of instructor.

Overview: This course is designed to help you learn how to edit by editing your own work. Practice makes perfect, so we will apply this principle in this class. We will look at editing from three levels: 1. Developmental: comprehensive editing to look at the overall document 2. Substantive: sentence-level editing that also checks for content and meaning 3. Copyediting: checking for correctness, accuracy, and completeness And consider a fourth level: 4. Style: often depends on the audience or discourse community		animation courtesy of animationfactory.com
animation courtesy of animationfactory.com	Course objectives are designed to enable students to: develop strategies for critical reading, thinking and analysis of texts [chapter responses] write a substantive, thorough, researched article by applying editing skills [course paper and four drafts] gain experience in writing with a purpose or audience in mind, and receiving constructive feedback on work [editing exercises, peer reviews] collaborate in groups and on project teams to encourage shared learning and experience different viewpoints [class discussions, peer reviews].

If you need to contact me by e-mail at "fidallas@svsu.edu," the subject line should contain your last name, course and section number to prevent your e-mail from being misplaced as possible spam.

NOTE: All responses and work for the course (course portfolio) will be burned to CD and turned in at the final examination period.

Required Texts:

• Scholes, Robert. The Rise and Fall of English. Yale University Press, 1998. ISBN 0300080840
• Strunk, William. The Elements of Style. Coyote Canyon Press, 2007. ISBN 0979660742
• Hoffman, Gary & Glynis Hoffman. Adios, Strunk and White. 4th ed. Verve Press, 2007. ISBN 0937363200

Other resources:

• Student Technology Center, 2nd Floor, Zahnow Library http://www.svsu.edu/stc
• The Writing Center, Science East 123 http://www.svsu.edu/writingcenter/
• Research assistance at SVSU Zahnow Library here
• Information Technology Services @ SVSU here
• English Department grading rubric here [downloads RTF file]
• Your local public library *elsewhere*
• Pop Cap Games (Bookworm) here

Course weekly schedule:
Activities are DUE on the date indicated by the course schedule. Please review to plan your time wisely.
Class days: W=Wednesday
Assignments: indicated by bold text
Texts: RFE=The Rise and Fall of English; ES=The Elements of Style; ASW=Adios, Strunk and White

Format for assignments:
Each assignment will be typed, single-spaced, with one-inch margins. Use Arial 12 point, Bookman Old Style12 point, or Century Gothic 11 point fonts. The top of the paper should be formatted as such:

[your name]
English 400-01
Dr. Dallas
[date]

Then skip a line and center the title of your article or story. Skip another line and begin your response. Your chapter response should be ready to be turned in upon arrival in class. For each calendar day (or portion thereof) that your assignment is late, two (2) points will be deducted.

Chapter responses -- five chapter responses toThe Rise and Fall of English of 5 points each for a total of 25 points:
These chapter responses are to help you understand the underpinnings of English Departments and how the figuring of "correct English" may be fraught with misconceptions and omissions. Each chapter response will follow the format listed above and be two pages, single-spaced. Your response should:

1. summarize the chapter
2. cover the good points and list items of agreement
3. cover the bad points and list questionable concepts
4. offer your comments on what you will use for future writing

For each day your chapter response is late, two points are deducted. I will not accept assignments via e-mail. They are due in class on the assigned day, in order to facilitate our class discussions.

Course paper -- 40 points total; four rough drafts worth 20 points and final version is worth 20 points:
One major outcome of this course will be to write a paper that provides an opportunity for you to exhibit your editorial skills, and be a paper that is suitable for publication. Students will have the option to pursue any research interest of their choosing, including developing a paper from a previous class. Your course paper should be prepared for submission to any number of academic journals, and will also be submitted to the PTW online journal. Peer reviews are also a part of this process, so we will conduct them in class.

Rough draft 1: A minimum of three pages, single-spaced, with formatting as listed above. Depending on the journal for submission consideration, the references will be formatted as APA, MLA, Chicago Style, Turabian, or other identified style sheet. The rough draft will use at least seven credible outside sources or references, is worth 5 points, and is due week 3.

Rough draft 2: A minimum of four pages, single-spaced, with formatting as listed above. Depending on the journal for submission consideration, the references will be formatted as APA, MLA, Chicago Style, Turabian, or other identified style sheet. The rough draft will use at least ten credible outside sources or references, is worth 5 points, and is due week 6 .

Rough draft 3: A minimum of six pages, single-spaced, with formatting as listed above. Depending on the journal for submission consideration, the references will be formatted as APA, MLA, Chicago Style, Turabian, or other identified style sheet. The rough draft will use at least twelve credible outside sources or references, is worth 5 points, and is due week 9.

Rough draft 4: A minimum of eight pages, single-spaced, with formatting as listed above. Depending on the journal for submission consideration, the references will be formatted as APA, MLA, Chicago Style, Turabian, or other identified style sheet. The rough draft will use at least fifteen credible outside sources or references, is worth 5 points, and is due week 12 .

Final version: A minimum of eight pages, single-spaced, with formatting as listed above. Depending on the journal for submission consideration, the references will be formatted as APA, MLA, Chicago Style, Turabian, or other identified style sheet. The final version with at least fifteen credible outside sources or references is worth 20 points and is due week 15.

Editing Exercises -- 10 points total; (five points for two different applications of an ASW principle):
You choose which ASW principle you want to apply through writing a two-page, single-spaced paper about it. Your response should be turned in at the time the principle is under discussion.

Bookworm -- 5 points:
This is an online game that challenges your word skills. You are expected to play at least one hour per week. Keep track of your point total and levels achieved.

Class discussions/Peer reviews -- 5 points:
Each student will be expected to contribute to the class discussions and peer reviews. Minimum discussions or peer review contributions will be reflected in minimum points.

Course Portfolio -- 5 points:
Your chapter responses, editing exercises, four drafts, and final course paper will be burned to CD. Your work should be saved as .RTF files. This item is due at the final exam period.

Final exam -- 10 points:
The final exam details will be provided during the examination period.