You will complete four major projects (80% of your overall course grade), along with related drafts and other artifacts.
The remaining portion of your grade (20%) is based on your Discussions in Canvas and quizzes on the course readings and related writing.
My Teaching Philosophy
I cannot teach you everything you will ever need to know about writing. Every workplace requires different skills, and new writing formats are created all the time. Without a magic wand, it’s impossible to know what each of you will need in the future.
Instead, we will focus on how to survive in the workplace without a teacher telling you how to write. We will go over some kinds of writing specifically, but my goal is to teach you how to research writing in your field and then to develop a procedure for determining how to write anything you need.
Five Facts about the Four Major Projects
- You must complete all major assignments and requirements in order to pass this course.
- You will share your draft for each project in the Discussion forum for peer review feedback.
- Revise each project extensively before submitting it for a grade. There are no rewrites or revisions after work is graded.
- Submit all your projects online by uploading the file in Canvas. Nothing else is accepted.
- Find details on how to submit each project posted on the course website the Tuesday before the project is due.
Descriptions of the Major Project
Project 1: Professional Biography Statement. Due Monday, July 11. Worth 15%.
Imagine that you have taken a new position with a company or organization, and write a short biographical statement for the company newsletter or the team section of the company website. The underlying goal is for you to introduce yourself to me and the rest of the class. You may be able to use some of this assignment later in the term when you work on your Job Application Materials.
Project 2: Analysis of Writing in Your Field. Due Monday, July 18. Worth 15%.
You will survey the kinds of writing people in your intended career do and arrange the information in a table. You’ll provide a short description of the different kinds of writing, identify the typical audiences and purposes, and classify the kinds of writing, matching the items to the chapters in our textbook and resources online. This chart will be a go-to resource once you are in the workplace.
Project 3: Proposal and Job Application Materials. Informal proposal due Tuesday, July 19. Project due Monday, July 25. Worth 15%.
You will explore the kinds of documents you need in order to apply for a job, an internship, or a scholarship. You’ll propose what you want to write (anything goes—a traditional resume, a personal website, a LinkedIn profile, a well-documented GitHub repository, etc.). Based on your findings, you will create the job application materials that you need, whatever they may be.
Project 4: Genre Analysis Report. Formal proposal due Monday, August 1. Progress report due, Monday, August 8. Project due Saturday, August 13. Worth 35%.
You will learn everything there is to know about a kind of writing you will do in your career. You will find online resources, interview people in the field, and analyze examples. You’ll publish your findings in an analytical report that explains how the genre works. You will write a short proposal and a progress report, in addition to the final report.