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English 300, section 90 -- Writing in the Professions [This is an online course]

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

What types of writing do you need to know for the workplace? Are you prepared to present research information as a supporting basis for a proposal? How do you incorporate research into project planning or lesson plans? This course will address these issues, along with providing a foundation for future graduate school writing.
Our look at writing in professional contexts will cover various documents. We will do some research on a topic, write for academic and professional audiences, read about and discuss perspectives which may shape the interpretation of our writing, and prepare a porfolio of work as a start to a job application.
Reminders: Online classes do not have an Attendance and Absence policy. You are expected to attend scheduled in-class sessions. If you are unable to attend ALL in-class sessions, you may wish to reconsider whether you should take this course online. You are expected to complete your online work in a satisfactory manner. Please note that assignments should be submitted to VSpace. I will not accept assignments via e-mail. *more*
Reviewing the in-class Assignments policy, the SVSU policies, the Online computer skills and Myths about online classes is beneficial. You will also find specifics on grading and the minimum effort. These are links to additional syllabus page information, with which you are expected to be familiar.
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 300-90] to prevent your e-mail from being misplaced as possible spam. Please identify the reading & homework assignment that is the focus of your question. 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.

Overview: You will learn the difference between academic and workplace writing through reading, research, and writing for specific needs. This course will -- require reading texts which will provide a foundation of strategies for producing similar texts and documents. encourage consideration of an audience's system of aesthetics, values, and ethics. require responses to supplemental presentations and provide strategies for producing responses through oral, written, and electronic responses. provide students with strategies for developing and supporting various professional communication modes.

The course objectives not only include equipping students with a wealth of strategies for lifetime writing situations in their chosen field of study, but also enables students to: develop their processes for critical reading and writing [Analytical report] develop strategies for "reading" audiences and analyzing texts [Annotated bibliography] develop their professional communication strategies in oral, written, and electronic formats [Class discussions, Progress report, Letters, Memos] develop strategies for using visual communication [Syllabus response] initiate or supplement a resume [Letter of transmittal] develop and fine tune interaction with small groups and project teams [Evaluate 1st draft of analytical reports].

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 300-90], to prevent your e-mail from being misplaced as possible spam.

NOTE: All responses and work for the course (work portfolio) will be burned to CD and turned in at the end of the semester. Documents should be saved as .RTF files. Include your resume on the CD.

Required texts--please bring them to all in-class sessions:

• Porter, Sullivan, and Johnson-Eilola. Professional Writing: Custom Edition for Saginaw Valley State University. ver. 2. Pearson, 2007. ISBN 0536322937
• Williams, Mark A. The 10 Lenses. Capital Books, 2001. ISBN 1892123592
• 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
• Your local public library *elsewhere*

Course weekly schedule:
Activities are DUE on the date indicated by the course schedule. Please review to plan your time wisely. Presentations are linked below--including audio component. If you are not able to make all the in-class sessions, you may wish to consider dropping this course.

Notes
Class days: M = Monday; W=Wednesday; IC=in class; OL=online
Texts: PW=Professional Writing; TTL=The 10 Lenses; ASW=Adios, Strunk and White
Presentations: Online presentations are visual links with audio narration.
Assignments: "Dallas1.rtf" is the sample name for assignments. Please replace my last name in the sample assignment names with your last name when turning in your assignments. Your assignments should be saved as "RTF" (rich text format) files.

Each response will be typed for this class. The cover page of the document should be formatted as such:

[your name]
English 300-90
Dr. Dallas
[date]

Then start your response on the next page. The documents will be typed, single-spaced, with one-inch margins. Use Arial 12 point, Bookman Old Style 12 point, or Century Gothic 11 point fonts. NOTE: MS Word 2007 uses Calibri font, 1.15 inch line spacing, and 10 pt. spacing after lines. Check the Paragraph dialog box to make necessary changes.

When directed, upload your paper to VSpace assignments. You should name your file by this format: [lastname+assignment number], or "Dallas1.rtf" (Examples are listed in the assignment schedule above). Please ensure your original file has the same name, or change it in the Properties box in the document. Your assignment should be saved as an RTF (rich text format) document, and not a DOC, WPD, or DOCX file. I will deduct one point for incorrectly named files. You should save and close your assignment before attempting to upload it to VSpace. An open file uploaded to VSpace will be corrupted.

The online assignments are due by 5 p.m. on the date indicated. For each day (or portion thereof) that your assignment is late, two (2) points will be deducted.

Syllabus response -- 5 points:
Read over the webpages to the online syllabus and formulate a response (see above specifics) in the following format:
~ Structure--one page and at least 300 words covering the Content and Question sections below:

Annotated bibliography -- 15 points:
This is a ten-citation bibliography for a research paper or analytical report, with 100- to 150-word summaries of each article read. Included in the summary is a comment on the usefulness of the articles read. The summaries are single-spaced, and follow the reference cited. There should be a minimum of ten sources, seven print and three electronic (not Library databases) sources, and should not be books, dictionary, or encyclopedia references. No more than three sources should be from the same journal or magazine--"research" means looking at widely varying sources. These sources should not come from prior research. The three electronic sources should not come from wikipedia.com. Additional information is provided through the online presentation linked in the syllabus above and also linked on VSpace.

Discussions -- participating -- 10 points:
Each student will be expected to contribute to the message board discussions on The 10 Lenses. The specific message response format will be discussed in VSapce. Minimum discussion will be reflected in minimum points.

Genres - Progress reports -- 10 points:
This report will offer an opportunity for you to understand the basic structure of a progress report, and additionally provide information on the status of your reseach paper.

Genres - Letters and memos -- 5 points each; total of 20 points:
This writing will provide guidance for the preparation and structure of many typical business, educational, governmental, and public documents. Guidance will consider audience composition, audience feedback, and organizational constraints. The structure of these documents will be in the form of responses to chapters in The 10 Lenses. See the assignment instructions at VSpace for assignment details.

Genres - Analytical report & letter of transmittal -- 25 points:
This is an in-depth research project that reflects research in your field. Research will be conducted in the Zahnow Library and online to locate resources within your respective disciplines. A research paper that reflects academic style for your discipline may be written for this course. The final paper will be a four- to five-page document that may use some visual graphics and figures, but is primarily a research venue for a topic of interest. (Your visual images should not constitute the majority of your paper) This paper will be an individual effort, but collaborative discussions and feedback on the first draft will show how writing is always social in nature. The letter of transmittal will be included with the final draft.

A. The first draft is due 3/25/09 and will be peer-reviewed by your classmates. It should be at least three pages, single-spaced, and include the annotated bibliography of at least ten sources (seven print and three electronic). Bring three copies for this review. This is worth 10 points.

Make sure you save a copy of your draft separate from your revised final version.

B. The final draft of of four- to five-pages and single-spaced, will be due on 4/18/09, and should include your annotated bibliography of at least ten sources (seven print and three electronic). These sources are in addition to any assigned text or article for the class that you might cite. This is worth 10 points.

NOTE: Include your annotated bibliography with your analytical report drafts. Please make sure you use the same font type for the report and the annotated bibliography. The annotated bibliography is not counted with the requisite page totals for the analytical report.

C. The letter of transmittal will provide a synopsis of your analytical report. This letter is intended to generate interest in your research, and should entice the reluctant reader to read your analytical report. This is worth 5 points.

Course CD -- 5 points:
Turned in at final examination period. See Note above course texts for specifics.

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