About the Course
ENG 501 - Introduction to Professional and Technical Writing
Fall 2008, August 26 - December 9
T 7:20 - 10:00pm, IN 317
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Course Description
English 501 provides a historical and theoretical introduction to professional writing as a field of study. We'll inspect the rise of professional writing against the backdrop of rhetoric and composition as a scholarly field with a focus on key theoretical issues. We’ll be examining “professional writing and rhetoric” both as local institution (the PWR program at GMU) and as the foundation for occupations that require the inter-related practices of writing and rhetoric. The course is conceptualized as both seminar and practicum, challenging students with writing tasks that probe the historical and theoretical issues being presented. These tasks will include: developing an annotated bibliography and literature review related to a research question of your choosing, writing short papers, leading class discussion on a selected topic, developing a journal review report, and producing a final portfolio of past and current writing projects related to professional, technical, or editorial work along with a reflective essay that examines this work in the context of the class readings and discussions.
topCourse Goals
This course is designed to:
- provide a rhetorical foundation for each student's future coursework in the program,
- provide practice in writing a variety of genre related to professional writing,
- provide experience in close reading of documents/texts,
- and provide the opportunity to apply effective principles of document design.
Texts and Materials
Johnson-Eilola, Johndan & Stuart A. Selber. (2004). Central Works in Technical Communication. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515705-2.
Other readings listed in the schedule will be distributed online as PDFs or web links.
topTechnology Responsibilities
Because the exchange of information and materials in this class will be almost entirely electronic, familiarity with certain technologies is crucial for participation and success in the course. In order to participate fully in the course, you should already be able to use the technology platform/s and applications listed below:
- Windows and/or Mac OS System
- Microsoft Office (Word)
- Firefox and/or Internet Explorer
- Email programs (including attachments)
Class Activities/Structure
Each class will include some time devoted to each of the following four activities:
- Discussion of readings
- Brief in-class presentations
- In-class writing assignments
- Project work (which may include production, progress reports, team meetings, peer-review, etc.)
Assignments
Reading and discussion/participation: Students are expected to have completed the assigned readings and to contribute to class discussions. We will also be doing some shorter in-class writing and research assignments; these are considered part of the participation grade. Participation counts for 20% of the final course grade.
There are four major projects: a series of short reading-response or research report papers assigned throughout the semester, an annotated bibliography and literature review, a journal review, and an online professional writing portfolio. Each of these projects is made up of several components – these components (which are generated as both part of the research and writing process and as evidence for your engagement with all aspects of said processes) will not be individually graded. Each of the major projects will be evaluated based on all of the written components, including the final product. Each of these major projects will count for 20% of the final course grade.
topCourse and Institutional Policies
Attendance: Because this is a class that requires collaboration and discussion, you are expected to attend class and be prepared. We will often work on projects and other exercises during class time, and there is no substitute for your presence in class. This is particularly true when we have clients or guest speakers visiting class. Unless you have made prior arrangements with me, each missed class beyond the first will lower the final course grade by 5%.
Late Work: Late assignments will lose 5% of their points for each calendar day that they are late. Late-work penalties cannot be changed through revision.
All institutional policies (including those that address issues of academic honesty, ethical conduct, and collegiality) are in force and should be adhered to.
English Department Statement on Plagiarism: Plagiarism means using the exact words, opinions, or factual information from another source without giving that source credit. Writers give credit through the use of accepted documentation styles, such as parenthetical citation, footnotes, or end notes; a simple listing of books, articles, and websites is not sufficient. Plagiarism is the equivalent of intellectual robbery and cannot be tolerated in an academic setting.
Student writers are often confused as to what should be cited. Some think that only direct quotations need to be credited. While direct quotations do need citations, so do paraphrases and summaries of opinions or factual information formerly unknown to the writers or which the writers did not discover themselves. Exceptions to this include factual information which can be obtained from a variety of sources, the writers' own insights or findings from their own field research, and what has been called common knowledge. What constitutes common knowledge can sometimes be precarious; what is common knowledge for one audience may not be so for another. In such situations, it is helpful to keep the reader in mind and to think of citations as being "reader friendly."
In other words, writers provide a citation for any piece of information that they think their readers might want to investigate further. Not only is this attitude considerate of readers, it will almost certainly ensure that writers will not be guilty of plagiarism. Consult the George Mason Honor Code for more information.
Students with Disabilities: Students with documented disabilities are legally entitled to certain accommodations in the classroom. If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the DRC. I will be happy to work with students and the DRC to arrange fair access and support.
The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus and schedule if warranted by pedagogical or logistical exigency.
topCourse Schedule
| Week | Date | Readings/Assignments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8/26 | 1st Class: Introductions |
| 2 | 9/2 | Histories CW: Connors, Rutter, Durack |
| 3 | 9/9 | Rhetoric CW: Miller, Driskill |
| 4 | 9/16 | Rhetoric CW: Rude, Johnson |
| 5 | 9/23 | Theory CW: Dobrin, Thralls & Blyler, Lay 1st Short Paper Due |
| 6 | 9/30 | Theory CW: Slack, Miller, Doak; Johnson-Eilola |
| 7 | 10/7 | Ethics CW: Katz, Sullivan |
| 8 | 10/14 | (no class – Columbus day) |
| 9 | 10/21 | Ethics CW: Herndl, Barton & Barton |
| 10 | 10/28 | Research CW: Harrison, Blyer 2nd Short Paper Due |
| 11 | 11/4 | Research CW: Charney, Sullivan & Porter |
| 12 | 11/11 | Contexts CW: Selzer, Doheny-Farina, Winsor |
| 13 | 11/18 | Contexts CW: Allen et al., Pardis, Mirel |
| 14 | 11/25 | Digital CW: Selfe & Selfe
Bibliography and Literature Review due |
| 15 | 12/2 | Teaching CW: Selber, Bosley, Brasseur 3rd Short Paper Due |
| 16 | 12/9 | Final Exam Date – (all work due) Online Portfolio Due |