Introduction to Professional Writing
English 290
Handout 9— Contract - 10 points

Syllabus

Handouts

TEMPLATE

The Contract

The contract itself is worth 10 points, and fulfillment of the contract is worth an additional 20 points. Because these two are intimately linked, you'll want to take great care elaborating your contract.

Write your contract in plain English. Your purpose is to clarify for yourself just what you'll need to do over the next four weeks of class, to gain my assent, and to give me standards by which to measure your performance.

What to include in your contract--some guidelines:

1. Begin with an overall description of your assignments and roles as content editors and team members. Feel free to use the language I've provided you in my messages entitled Contract I, II, III, IV, V, but you'll certainly want to improve upon my notes toward a job description. Iinclude the mission of your team: what role does your team play in assembling the web site? What's your role on the team?
2. Make a list of "deliverables" and the dates of delivery. This part is very very important, as I'll measure your performance by these documents. Since we can't foresee every need, you may add deliverables as you go along or petition me for changes. The contract serves to protect you as well as direct you, so be as specific as you can about deliverables. You'll circulate some of your deliverables among classmates as needed--please note these actions in your logs. You'll also keep copies and turn in a portfolio of deliverables at the end of the semester. Note: I highly recommend keeping a log or journal of activities and counting this log among the deliverables. Include drafts and revisions of your content writing in this portfolio. Include drafts and trials of your team documents in the portfolio.
3. Use the calendar (below) to establish due dates for your deliverables. You must adhere to these dates unless your team determines otherwise and asks for a change.
4. Slot one or more progress reports into your agenda. Try to figure out the best timing for these reports.

Professional writers specialize in using words to impose order on chaos, and you've practiced doing so when you composed a resume and a job letter from a mass of personal data. You also practiced imposing order on chaos when you wrote your definitions of technical writing. This assignment asks you to address the messy business of creating a web site collalboratively, to define your role in relation to the roles of others, and to understand your role as essential to the successful outcome. Note that your own contribution (contract and its fulfillment) earns you 30 points total but that the finished product--the site itself--earns you another 25 point. This grading structure is designed to encourage your investment in everyone else's work as well as your own. And remember that our educational goals include the experience of some frustration and the experience of dealing with it productively. Frustration is part of the deal.

CALENDAR

subject to revision and updating

Tuesday April 3: Proposal assignment due - all students

Tuesday April 3: Final discussion of visual choices.

Thursday April 5: Proposals returned to owners

Thursday April 5: Splash and main graphics due. Photos of students begin.

Tuesday April 10: Draft 1 due all articles

Thursday April 10: Drafted versions of web pages on exhibit

Thursday April 12: Photos of class and students due

Thursday April 12: Draft 1 returned for revision

Tuesday April 17: Draft 2 due all articles

Tuesday April 17: Finalize article templates

Thursday April 19: Draft 2 returned

Thursday April 19: Begin incorporation of some finished articles. This is the date that doesn't mesh with text editor dates. Maybe we can assign some Friday and Monday due dates or encourage some writers to finish up early.

Tuesday April 24: Final articles due. Finish incorporation of articles.

Thursday April 26:All aspects of website completed