Calendar

Follow the links at the bottom of this page for a schedule of assignments for each week this semester. Within each week, you will find daily listings of assignments. Each bullet point for the day is a different task for you to complete. Unless specifically noted otherwise, all assignments are to be completed before class on the day listed.

This course calendar may be updated throughout the semester. I'll notify you about any major changes, but you are still responsible for keeping up with the current schedule.

IMPORTANT: You must visit all of the links provided within the course calendar. There are many links to follow and read. Make sure you visit all of them. Some links provide easy access to other parts of the class site which will help you in your assignments. Some links are to required readings. Others provide you with detailed instructions on completing the assignments. Eventually, you may come to know the instructions which supplement assignments that are repeated throughout the course, but it's still a good idea to continue to revisit the instructions to make sure that you are satisfying all of the requirements.

Week 1

Tuesday, January 8

For Next Time

Thursday, January 10

For Next Time

  • Read: Peeples, ix – xi, 1 – 100 for 1/15
  • Post: Memo, What is Professional Writing?
  • Post: Launch Posts (Team Corax) by 1/14; Query Posts (Team Gorgias) by 1/15; Extension Posts (Team Isocrates) by 1/16; Meta-Comments (Team Protagoras) by 1/18. All posts due by midnight of the day due
    • For information on Forum Roles click here
    • For tips on successful blogging (to use throughout the semester) click here
    • Reminder: Students not posting a meta-comment are assigned an additional “floating” post which should take the form of a query or an extension post
  • Remember to "sign" your post.

 

 

Week 2

Tuesday, January 15

For Next Time

Thursday, January 17

For Next Time

  • Read: Peeples, 100 – 170 for 1/22
    • A note on reading research articles: focus on evidence and implications and pay attention to research methods
  • Read: "American Collapse"
  • Post: Launch Posts (Team Gorgias) by 1/21; Query Posts (Team Isocrates) by 1/22; Extension Posts (Team Protagoras) by 1/23; Meta-Comments (Team Corax) by 1/25. All posts due by midnight of the day due
    • Remember that Launch Posts are to essential advance a claim (and a supporting argument) with respect to the readings
    • For information on Forum Roles click here
    • For tips on successful blogging (to use throughout the semester) click here
    • Reminder: Students not posting a meta-comment are assigned an additional “floating” post which should take the form of a query or an extension post

Week 3

Tuesday, January 22

For Next Time

  • Forum Posting
  • Interviewing

Thursday, January 24

  • In-Class Exercise: Creating a communications architecture (exercise 2, option 1, page 169)

  • "Basic HTML" (ppt)
    • Using HTML allows you to organize your memos and make them easier to access online
  • Discuss Forum Posts:
    • Meta-Comments: post as separate threads within the forum
    • Click here for an excellent example of a meta-comment provided by JenniS
    • Excellent Extension Post and Query Post posted by jennifer 14
    • Remember to label your posts
    • Remember your first post should be 500-600 words and your second post (unless you post a meta-comment) should be around 300 words
  • Review Attendance Policy

For Next Time

  • Memo: Who Teaches Professional Writing? Due 1/27 (post to blog and select category as "Who Teaches PW? Memo")
  • Read (in light of "decision architecture"): Peeples, 267-268 and 319 – 383 (1/24)
  • Post: Launch Posts (Team Isocrates) by 1/28; Query Posts (Team Protagoras) by 1/29; Extension Posts (Team Corax) by 1/30; Meta-Comments (Team Gorgias) by 2/1. All posts due by midnight of the day due
  • Be prepared for in-class composition of the “Profile of a Professional Writing Teacher” report
    • Review the interview reports of your fellow team members

Week 4

Tuesday, January 29

  • Professional Writing Club Guest Speaker
  • New Feature: Student Spotlight: see your fellow PW majors in action. Click Here.
  • In-Class Composing: Profile of the Professional Writing Teacher
    • Draw on your interview and the interviews of group members in composing a professional document with a specific purpose and audience.
    • Groups will be assigned one of the following audiences: 1) prospective graduate students, 2) current graduate students, 3) head of professional writing program, 4) chair of English department, or 5) the dean of Liberal Arts
  • Here is a brief instructional video on using Google Docs to compose collaborative documents

For Next Time

  • Forum Posting
  • Finished Assigned Reading

Thursday, January 31

  • "Rhetoric, Professional Writing, and Social Space" (ppt)
  • The Office as social space ("Conflict Resolution")

  • This short clip is an interesting take on the effect of email communication. Notice how the metaphor can easily be read as literal: the clip communicates the material impact of symbolic action and how communicative acts create environments. In many ways, it is a nice supplement to the episode of The Office we watched today:

For Next Time

  • Read: from Beyond Words (pdf)
  • No forum posting next week. Use the time to review and brainstorm for the mapping project. I will be introducing the project Tuesday.

Week 5

Tuesday, February 5

For Next Time

  • Brainstorm Mapping Projects

Thursday, February 7

  • Mapping Exercise: Representing Humans to Aliens
  • The limitations of "accuracy" as an assessment: photographs
    • This story discusses a famous, Pulitzer Prize winning photograph of a South Vietnamese general executing a member of the Viet Kong
    • Importantly, it includes the thoughts of the photographer (now deceased) about the photograph
    • Note both the original photographer's (Eddie Adams) comments, the comments of photographer Philip Jones Griffiths, as well as some of the comments to the story (and how they seem to "miss" the full implications of Adams's views about the photograph)

For Next Time

  • Post: Mapping Project Proposal, 2/10 (by midnight, categorize appropriately)
  • Read: The Ghost Map, 1 – 109
  • Post: Launch Posts (Team Protagoras) by 2/11; Query Posts (Team Corax) by 2/12; Extension Posts (Team Gorgias) by 2/13; Meta-Comments (Team Isocrates) by 2/15. All posts due by midnight of the day due

Week 6

Tuesday, February 12

  • Discuss Proposals:
    • Instructor Feedback
    • Meet in small groups to discuss maps - be constructive
  • Discussion Observations: Short Handout Here (pdf)
  • Book discussion: have questions ready - you will lead the conversation

For Next Time

  • Forum Posting
  • Begin researching

Thursday, February 14

  • DLC Workshop on Document Design
    • Workshop will focus on using Microsoft Publisher. You are, of course, not obliged to use this software, but many of you might find the tutorial useful.
    • We will be discussing design principles in class, as well, to aid you in producing a visually appealing and effective map

For Next Time

  • Post: Analysis Document, 2/17 (categorize appropriately)
  • Read: The Ghost Map, 110 – 228
  • Post: Progress Report, 2/20 (categorize appropriately)
  • Post: Launch Posts (Team Corax) by 2/18; Query Posts (Team Gorgias) by 2/19; Extension Posts (Team Isocrates) by 2/20; Meta-Comments (Team Protagoras) by 2/22. All posts due by midnight of the day due

Week 7

Tuesday, February 19

  • Book Discussion: Research and Scope (have your questions from last week)
  • Forums: Revisit the Meta-Comment

For Next Time

  • Progress Report Due 2/21 (categorize appropriately)
  • Forum Posting

Thursday, February 21

For Next Time

Week 8

Tuesday, February 26

  • Discuss: Ethos, Audience, and Context of Use
    • We will spend this week working to complicate/sophisticate standard rhetorical concepts
    • As professional communicators, you will need a more robust rhetorical theory (i.e., something beyond merely considering your audience and picking the proper voice) for your equally robust rhetorical practices
  • We will also continue to problematize notions of communication as conveyance, presentation, transmission, etc. While we have read about and discussed communication as productive and generative of knowledge, forum conversations still generally rely on transmission-oriented views of communication.
  • TMNT Exercise

For Next Time

  • Post: Draft of Map by 2/27, midnight (categorize appropriately)
    • Good drafts are rough in terms of polish and fullness, but all major components of the map should be present
    • That is, to count as “drafts,” maps must be in need of revision, not completion
  • Begin reviewing and commenting on student drafts (to be completed by 3/1)
    • In terms of the workshop, students should review and comment upon at least two drafts (be sure to "spread the wealth" - if one map has received multiple comments find a map with fewer)
    • Critiques should be constructive, specific, and designed to help fellow students improve their maps. Comments like “this is cool” or “this sucks” are equally unconstructive and unhelpful, and are not sufficient in and of themselves
    • Students will also receive feedback from the instructor at this stage

Thursday, February 28

  • Discuss: Ethos, Audience, and Context of Use
  • Discuss Presentations
    • Presentation Software
    • Handouts and Visual Aids
  • Discuss Map drafts

For Next Time

  • Complete On-Line Map Workshop by 3/1
  • Presentations Next Week
  • Final draft of map due 3/6

Week 9

Tuesday, March 4

  • Presentations of Mapping Projects: Round 1. Be sure you are prepared. We must make it through all ten presentations. Being prepared with respect to technology is important. Have any materials you need on a jump drive, attached to course site, or as an email to yourself. We won't have time to log in and log out for each speaker.
    • Order of Speakers
      • Darcie
      • Jackie
      • Sam
      • Holly
      • Anne
      • Matt M.
      • Jennifer N.
      • Jenni S.
      • Nick
      • Arrika
    • Five Minutes
    • Include a Visual/Handout

For Next Time

  • Final Draft of Mapping Project Due, 3/6
    1. Email pdf version to instructor
    2. Submit hard copy to instructor in manila envelope
    • Where applicable or necessary, students should work out alternative ways of submitting assignments (websites, etc.)

Thursday, March 6

  • Final Draft of Mapping Project Due, 3/6
  • Discuss Project Assessment Document
  • Presentations of Mapping Projects: Round 2. Be sure you are prepared. We must make it through all ten presentations. Being prepared with respect to technology is important. Have any materials you need on a jump drive, attached to course site, or as an email to yourself. We won't have time to log in and log out for each speaker.
    • Order of Speakers
      • Moira
      • Matt B.
      • Brian
      • Marc
      • Leroy
      • Karley
      • Erin
      • Ingrid
      • Kaye
      • Brad
    • Five Minutes
    • Include a Visual/Handout

For Next Time

  • Project Assessment Due, 3/18 (post and categorize appropriately)
  • Read: Weiss, 1-60 (for 3/20)
  • Enjoy Spring Break!

Week 10

Tuesday, March 11 – 13

  • Spring Break: No Class

For Next Time

  • We will be starting the Interviewing Project when we return

Week 11

Tuesday, March 18

For Next Time

  • Prepare for in-class exercise

Thursday, March 20

  • Weiss Reading Quiz
  • Discuss Weiss reading
  • In-class Interviewing Exercising

For Next Time

  • Be prepared to introduce your fellow scholar. Construct a short narrative (less than two minutes) that allows us to identify (with) them as a scholar. Select "relevant" and concrete details
  • Read: Weiss, 61 – 150
  • Post: Interview Proposal Due, 3/25 (categorize appropriately)
  • Brainstorm interview questions

Week 12

Tuesday, March 25

  • Interview Proposal Due (post and categorize appropriately)
  • Weiss Reading Quiz
  • Discuss Weiss
  • Scholar Introduction Reports
  • "Interviewing: Preparation" (pdf)
  • Develop Interview Questions

For Next Time

  • Scan/review Charlie Rose's interview with Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO. We will be discussing it in class Thursday

Thursday, March 27

  • Discuss interview strategies.
  • Interview analysis. View segment of Charlie Rose's interview of Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos:
  • Note and discuss the following elements (in terms of Weiss):
    • What is the interview's substantial frame?
    • What story is Charlie Rose trying to tell?
    • How is the interview partnership maintained?
    • How do Rose's questions work together?
    • How does Rose direct Bezos's responses?

For Next Time

  • Read: Weiss, 150 – 222 (read all appendices)
  • Read: Peeples, 171 – 218
  • Post: Launch Posts (Team Gorgias) by 3/31; Query Posts (Team Isocrates) by 4/1; Extension Posts (Team Protagoras) by 4/2; Meta-Comments (Team Corax) by 4/4. All posts due by midnight of the day due
  • Review Updated Project Description: note changes to Progress Report
  • Post: Progress Report by 4/1 (categorize appropriately)

Week 13

Tuesday, April 1

  • Post: Progress Report (categorize appropriately)
  • Guest Speaker: Professor Jenny Bay will be speaking on her recently completed research project: "Professional Writers Writing Project" (please follow the link to explore the project's website before Dr. Bay's presentation). The project consisted primarily of interviews with professional and technical writers.
  • "Professional Ethics: Part One" (pdf)

For Next Time

  • No Class Next Time

Thursday, April 3

  • No Class Today

For Next Time

  • We will be discussing "The Ethics of Professional Writing"

Week 14

Tuesday, April 8

For Next Time

  • Review: Handout on Presentations
  • Post: Interview Report Draft Due 4/11 (categorize appropriately)

Thursday, April 10

For Next Time

  • Interview Report Draft Due 4/11 (post as a pdf and categorize appropriately)
  • Read: Rivers, “Some Assembly Required" (pdf)
  • No Forum Posting for next week. Be prepared to discuss above article in class in class.

Week 15

Tuesday, April 15

For Next Time

  • Work on Final Drafts of Reports

Thursday, April 17

For Next Time

  • Submit: Interview Final Report on Friday, April 18 (hard copy to instructor in manila envelope). There will be a box outside of HEAV 414 until noon
  • Read: Peeples, 385 – 441
  • Post: Launch Posts (Team Protagoras) by 4/21; Query Posts (Team Corax) by 4/22; Extension Posts (Team Gorgias) by 4/23; Meta-Comments (Team Isocrates) by 4/25. All posts due by midnight of the day due
  • Presentations Next Week

Week 16

Tuesday, April 22

  • Return Permission Forms (I have extras up front)
  • Professional Writing Presentations: Round One. Be sure you are prepared. We must make it through all the presentations. Being prepared with respect to technology is important. Have any materials you need on a jump drive, attached to course site, or as an email to yourself. We won't have time to log in and log out for each speaker.
    • Order of Speakers
      • Matt B.
      • Brian
      • Marc
      • Leroy
      • Karley
      • Kaye
      • Erin
      • Matt M.
      • Brad
    • Five Minutes
    • Include a Visual/Handout
  • Post presentation materials to blog (put in "Final Presentation" category)

For Next Time

  • Prepare for presentations
  • Forum Posting

Thursday, April 24

  • Professional Writing Presentations: Round Two.Be sure you are prepared. We must make it through all the presentations. Being prepared with respect to technology is important. Have any materials you need on a jump drive, attached to course site, or as an email to yourself. We won't have time to log in and log out for each speaker.
    • Order of Speakers
      • Darcie
      • Jackie
      • Sam
      • Holly
      • Anne
      • Jennifer N.
      • Jenni S.
      • Nick
      • Arrika
    • Five Minutes
    • Include a Visual/Handout
  • Post presentation materials to blog (put in "Final Presentation" category)

For The Final Time

  • Post Presentation Materials
  • Forum Posting (finish off the semester)