Course and Contact information

Mary Adams, Instructor
Office phone: x3270 (but email works better)
Office: Coulter 208

Use this email address to contact me: madams@wcu.edu
Do not use WebCT, as I do not check it.

English 303 meets TR from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Coulter 205.
Office hour: right before or right after class (check to make sure)

Link: Go to Discussion Board
Link: Read directions for logging on to Discussion Board

Course Description

This class focuses upon writing as a career choice. It will address opportunities and practices in professional writing, development of professional writing and editing skills in fiction and nonfiction, and preparation of manuscripts for publication. The course will teach editing and writing practices, various stylistic skills (predominantly those pertaining to various genres), and techniques for succeeding as a professional writer.

Goals

Professional Writing Program Goals:

Students will use primary and secondary sources to write at a professional level appropriate to the completion of a Bachelor of Arts degree; specifically, they will:

• Write in a grammatically correct, error-free style.
• Incorporate a style appropriate to the writing situation and audience.
• Incorporate primary and secondary sources properly as needed in a writing situation.
• Demonstrate in writing knowledge of libel law.
• Demonstrate in writing the ability to use proper professional formats (for example, in writing business documents, reports, and other professional documents).

ENGL 303 Course Goals:

Students will:

• Learn about the fields and opportunities available to professional writers
• Learn and apply common proofreading symbols effectively and correctly
• Learn to select and use a range of industry style guides and to create a project style sheet
• Conceive a group project, conduct interviews, write and edit pages, and edit the project for the Internet
• Create and appropriately edit common professional and technical documents
• Create professional and technical documents using
  • Appropriate style
  • Concise and clear language
  • Use appropriate editing technologies
  • Understand fundamental legal issues associated with professional document creation and editing

Required Texts

• Camp, Sue C. Developing Proofreading and Editing Skills. 5th edition
• Anderson, Laura. McGraw-Hill's Proofreading Handbook, 2nd edition
• Goldstein, Norm, editor. Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, 42nd edition. c. 2007.
• Selections from style book (out of print; handout).

Assignments

• Editing assignments and proofreading assignments 20%
• Exams and quizzes (common throughout the semester) 20%
• Individual document creation (memos, letters, press releases, profile, technical document) 30%
• Group writing and editing project 10%
• Portfolio with all writings plus resume 10%
• Attendance and Participation 10%

Attendance

As for jobs in the “real world,” regular attendance is mandatory for you to benefit from this course and for others to benefit from your knowledge and participation. For each absence after your second (excused or unexcused) your Attendance / Participation grade will be dropped a full letter. (i.e. you can miss three classes without penalty). I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences; either way, you have missed required class material. Lateness is disruptive; repeated tardiness may be considered as an absence.

In-class cell phone and computer use (read policy)

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Western Carolina University is committed to providing equal educational opportunities for students with documented disabilities. Students who require disability services or reasonable accommodations must identify themselves as having a disability and provide current diagnostic documentation to Disability Services. All information is confidential.

Using the Text Book: Developing Proofreading and Editing Skills

When assigned a chapter, you should

• Read the chapter. (I suggest taking notes on material covered.)
• Complete the Checkup exercises as you read. (While I will not grade these, they will help you remember and practice the material covered.)
• Keep track of problems you have so that we can discuss in class
• You may want to take the “Pretest” before (or even after) reading the chapter to practice.
• You will be completing select Application Exercises and/or CD Modules either as in-class assignments or as homework. Some of these assignments require material available on the CD.
• In most classes, you will be assigned at least one of the Application Exercises to be turned in

YOU MUST BRING THE TEXT BOOK AND CD TO EVERY CLASS
(as well as a disk or other means with which to save your work).