Course Description

Instructor and Course Information

English 515, "Advanced Professional Writing"
Instructor: Dr. David Blakesley
Section: 001
Office Hrs: T-Th noon-1 p.m. and by appt.
Office: Heavilon 302c
Ph: 765.494.3772
Fax: 206.600.5076
E-Mail: blakesle@purdue.edu

Overview

Production of documents and coordination of publishing projects for clients and users; applications of advanced principles of document design, rhetoric, collaboration, and project management; and team writing in a computer-networked environment. This semester, students will also learn the principles and practices of professional editing and consulting, with the goal of developing expert-level editorial skills. Principles of editing will be applied to a variety of documents in various stages of production for book and journal publishers. In addition, students, will develop and publish a professional portfolio in print and digital forms and consisting of employment- and project-related documents produced in this or other Professional Writing courses.

Required Texts

• The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition. ISBN: 0-226-10403-6 (cloth). University of Chicago Press. Available at Von's Books and through online retailers.

Recommended Resource Texts and Other Course Readings

The texts listed here are not required reading but will prove useful in a number of ways for students in Professional Writing as they move forward in their careers. They have not been ordered through local bookstores, but you may find them in stock. There won't be any required reading from these texts.

• MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. 3rd edition. MLA, 2008.
• The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th edition. American Psychological Association, 2001.
• The Columbia Guide to Online Style. 2nd edition. (Walker and Taylor). Columbia University Press, 2006.
• The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage. Rev. and expanded edition. 1999.
• Writing: A Manual for the Digital Age (MLA 2009 edition) by David Blakesley and Jeffrey Hoogeveen (2008, Cengage)

Course Readings will occasionally appear on the course calendar and are meant as resources for in-class discussion or examination. You will also occasionally see online (free) readings on the course calendar.

Course Goals

• Learn the principles and practices of professional editing and consulting that you can flexibly apply to future editing and publishing challenges
• Improve your knowledge and facility with the digital tools that are often used in professional editing and the publishing industry
• Work collaboratively as part of an editorial team in a networked environment
• Learn the principles of effective portfolio design and how to use them in creative and liberating ways to present a professional ethos
• Develop high quality materials for your professional portfolio

Course Projects and Activities

Professional Portfolio

For this project, you'll design create a wireframe and working design for your professional portfolio, which will be publishable in complementary (but not identical) print and digital formats. The portfolio project will begin early in the semester and be divided into a series of clear steps. As you develop your portfolio, you'll receive peer feedback. The portfolio will consist of, at minimum, a resume or vita, and five or more samples of your work in this or other courses. Some class time will also be spent helping you develop and design your resume. We will also spend time discussing and reviewing a variety of portfolio designs and purposes. (30% of course grade)

Principles of Professional Editing

Beginning early in the semester, you'll study and practice principles of effective and efficient editorial practice across a range of publishing venues, including book, journal, and magazine publishing. You'll study the Chicago Manual of Style and then apply the editorial principles you learn to real projects presently in production with a press, journal, or other publishing entity. You will also learn effective methods of working with clients and authors and the principles and practices of professional consulting. Deliverables for this element of the coursework will include your editorial work on documents that will be provided to you, a midterm editing exam, and templates to use in your future work as an editor or consultant. Note for Graduate Students: Your editorial work will consist of longer, more complex documents, and you may be asked to coordinate the editorial work of a group. (40% of course grade: 20% editorial work, 10% midterm, 10% templates)

Reading Quizzes

Each Thursday, starting in Week 2, there will be short, in-class quizzes on assigned reading, primarily from The Chicago Manual of Style. Quizzes will consist of true/false, yes/no, short answer, or identification/mark-up questions. Quizzes cannot be made-up, so you must be present to take them. Each student will get to drop the lowest quiz score. (15% of course grade)

In-Class Exercises and Peer Review

As we work through readings and class project, there will be at least one in-class activity per week that may ask you to appy what you've learned about editing, complete peer review, respond to a short reading on the course website, or revise and develop elements of your portfolio. These in-class exercises cannot be made up, so you must be present to complete them. (15% of course grade)

Grading

The Professional Portfolio and Professional Editing will be comprised of several components, each of which will be worth a percentage of your final grade. Components will be graded on the standard plus-minus letter-grade scale: A=100-94, A-=93-90, B+==89-87, B=86-84, B-=83-80, C+=79-77, C=76-74, C-=73-70, D+=69-67, D=66-64, D-=63-60, F=59 or below.

Students with questions about final grades should review university policies regarding grade appeals, which are outlined by the Dean of Students in this brochure: http://www.purdue.edu/ODOS/osrr/gradeappeal.pdf (PDF file).

Technology Requirements

In order to participate fully in the course, you should already be able to use the technology platform and applications listed below.

• Mac OS X (in class) and Mac OS X or Windows XP or Vista (out-of-class)
• Microsoft Office for the PC or Mac (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) or Apple counterparts (Pages, Keynote, Numbers)
• Web Browser (Firefox is recommended)
• Adobe Acrobat and Reader (for PDF documents, collaborative review, editing)

Technology Responsibilities

Familiarity with certain technologies is crucial for participation and success in the course. If you need any assistance now or at any point during the semester, please do not hesitate to ask. Students will be encouraged to help each other with new technologies, and much of our time in class will be spent developing projects so that you can receive help.

During the semester, you'll need regular access to the Internet and email. Because the course home page is the main locus of the class community, you are responsible for reading and keeping current with all content posted there, including what has been submitted by both the instructor and your fellow students. You'll be responsible for configuring your system to access course materials, to read course email and participate in online discussions, and to submit your work. Very early in the semester, you will be asked to demonstrate that you can meet these responsibilities:

• Register for the course website and complete your profile information.
• Post a message (comment) about yourself and your interests in response to the instructors "Introductions" post on the front page of our course site.
• Read the course description and calendar, then ask questions when you are uncertain about requirements or activities.
• Check the course calendar before each class meeting.
• Become proficient participating in the class Drupal space and at the class's Drop.io site.
• Become more proficient with unfamiliar computer technologies and applications, including document cycling systems, desktop publishing applications, and graphics programs.
• Maintain back-up copies of all assignments.

Because computer problems are a fact of life, always work to complete your assignments early and make frequent backups to multiple media.

Attendance

Attendance is required at all scheduled meetings. Three absences may result in your final grade being lowered by as much as a letter grade. More than three absences can result in a failing grade for the course. Excused absences will only be granted for religious holidays or university-sponsored events, provided you make a written request to me no less than two weeks in advance and that you complete any required work before the due date. Being excessively or regularly late for class can also be counted as an absence.

Academic Integrity

Purdue students and their instructors are expected to adhere to guidelines set forth by the Dean of Students in "Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students," which students are encouraged to read here:

http://www.purdue.edu/ODOS/osrr/integrity.htm

The preamble of this guide states the following: "Purdue University values intellectual integrity and the highest standards of academic conduct. To be prepared to meet societal needs as leaders and role models, students must be educated in an ethical learning environment that promotes a high standard of honor in scholastic work. Academic dishonesty undermines institutional integrity and threatens the academic fabric of Purdue University. Dishonesty is not an acceptable avenue to success. It diminishes the quality of a Purdue education, which is valued because of Purdue's high academic standards."

Academic dishonesty is defined as follows: "Purdue prohibits "dishonesty in connection with any University activity. Cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University are examples of dishonesty." [University Regulations, Part V, Section III, B, 2, a] Furthermore, the University Senate has stipulated that "the commitment of acts of cheating, lying, and deceit in any of their diverse forms (such as the use of substitutes for taking examinations, the use of illegal cribs, plagiarism, and copying during examinations) is dishonest and must not be tolerated. Moreover, knowingly to aid and abet, directly or indirectly, other parties in committing dishonest acts is in itself dishonest." [University Senate Document 72-18, December 15, 1972]"

If you have any questions about this policy, please ask.

In Case of a Campus Emergency

In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines and grading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances. You can acquire updated information from the course website, by emailing me, or by contacting me through the English Department at 765-494-3740.

Late Work

The majority of missed class assignments cannot be made up. If a serious and unavoidable problem arises, however, you should contact me in writing prior to the deadline to determine whether or not an extension for the work will or will not be granted.