Introduction to Professional Writing

English 290
Susan Romano
HUM 362
Office Hours W 1-3
sromano@unm.edu
Policy Statement for Spring 2002

Student Pages Syllabus Policy Handouts ProPencity Romano Home

policy

Hello and welcome to the Spring 2002 version of English 290.001: Introduction to Professional Writing. Here you'll be studying the sorts of writing that people in the twenty-first century do for pay, and you'll find the range of activities called "writing" both extensive and diverse. Of course, this means you'll be rethinking your notion of what it means to be a writer and deciding whether your talents and interests are sufficiently eclectic to add "writing" to your list of academic and professional credentials. In short, English 290 surveys the field of professional writing as an academic discipline, a professional expertise, and a workplace activity. Course writing projects aim to ensure your conceptual and practical grasp of the opportunities in the field and to preview the training you must undergo if you intend to credentialize yourself as a professional writer.

texts

Savage and Sullivan, Writing a Professional Life
Williams, The Non-Designer's Design Book


writing assignments and grades

1 Clarity and Concision Project Part I (group) - 10 percent

2. Clarity and Concision Project Part II (individual) - 10 percent

2 Visual Design Makeover Project Part I (group) - 10 percent

3 Visual Design Makeover Project Part II (individual) - 10 percent

4 Writing a Professional Life Extended Letter to Authors and Editors - 15 percent

5 Resume Packet - 20 percent

6 Review of Professional Literature - 20 percent

7 Attendance and Participation - 5 percent

 


note well

Attend carefully to presentation when you devise your responses to writing assignments. Document design is part of audience awareness in the academic world as well as in the business world.

Be prepared to review the work of your classmates and to submit your work to classmates for review.

Preface your writing projects with a short memo letting me know what documents you've included and what matters you'd like to draw my attention to.

Examine the syllabus regularly, as I will adapt it to meet class needs. All changes will be announced in class; it follows that you must be in class to hear these announcements.

Read the attendance policy carefully.

Late work, if accepted, earns you a reduced grade.

Five percent of your grade corresponds to participation. By participation I mean that you arrive in class on time, are absent no more than 3 times, do the readings in advance, participate in class discussions actively, work well with your classmates, and in general contribute to the well being of the class.


attendance policy

You may miss three classes for whatever reason you find appropriate, including illness, car trouble, and family emergency. Please notify me beforehand or immediately after each absence (email is best). If you miss more than three class periods, your ability to keep up with coursework will be in jeopardy, and I'll encourage you to drop the course. If you choose to stay, I'll be obliged to deduct two points for each absence, regardless of the reasons you may have for not attending class. Repeated tardy arrivals will be counted as absences.