Course Syllabus - Introduction to Professional Writing | WRI 030, Study notes of Creative writing

Download Course Syllabus - Introduction to Professional Writing | WRI 030 and more Study notes Creative writing in PDF only on Docsity! Writing 30: Introduction to Professional Writing Writing for a Green Revolution Fall 2011 COB 261 John Kennedy Haner Email: jhaner@ucmerced.edu Office: COB 394-20 Office Hours: Wed 2:00-4:00 Turnitin.Com Course ID: 4254793 Course Enrollment Password: Green Course Description From the 2008-2011 UC Merced Catalog: "Students will gain competency in professional writing and speaking, useful in developing effective communications for a variety of disciplines and fields. Assignments in this course will introduce students to a variety of genres of professional writing, emphasizing practical competencies useful for careers, with a focus on responsible and ethical practices in communicating to the professional world." Introduction to Professional Writing is designed to develop effective writing and communication competencies by practicing a spectrum of professional writing and speaking assignments across four modules: Career Opportunities, Marketing, Journalism, and Entrepreneurship. These assignments will foster growth in a variety of competencies, including: writing and speaking as a professional, conducting primary and secondary research, analyzing audiences for strategic planning, using visual rhetoric in page design, and practicing sound approaches to composition, editing, and revision. The "theme" for the course is "Writing for a Green Revolution", which is chosen to create connection between assignments and to build depth of discourse and analysis. By looking at the push into sustainability from the perspective of the job seeker, the marketer, the journalist, and the entrepreneur, we will gain practice in the integrative analytical thinking necessary for entrepreneurial ingenuity. Although assignments are not required to follow the "green" theme, the theme will help when ideas are hard to find. There is always a clear link between effectiveness in communication and success in careers, and this is why it is next to impossible to find a job advertisement that doesn't seek communication abilities as a primary qualification. If meaningful effort is put into the modules you will develop growth in a number of professional communication skills that will be useful in professional careers. Additionally, the portfolios you will produce are designed to be worthy of inclusion as lines on your future resumes. Student Learning Outcomes Students will practice and refine their capacity to: 1. Practice different styles and structures of various genres of professional writing (e.g. journalism, technical writing, entrepreneurship, public policy, new media) in preparation for advanced courses in specialized professional writing. 2. Develop oral communication practices useful for professional settings, through collaboration with peers, interviewing, and delivery of presentations 3. Cultivate inter-personal, intercultural, and leadership communication strategies by working on team-driven projects consistent with real-world professional settings. 4. Analyze the needs of different audiences in various rhetorical situations by adopting appropriate voice, tone, language, format, and style 5. Integrate elements of layout, design, and the visual rhetoric of professional documents 6. Demonstrate the process of professional writing, through invention, drafting, editing, and revision within conventions of responsible and ethical practices 7. Practice credible argumentative strategies designed to appeal to audiences of various professional communication genres and fields. 8. Improve research methods and gain informational literacy necessary to substantiate claims and earn credibility from professional audiences Grades and Assignments: Portfolio One: Job Opportunities 30 Points Portfolio Two: Marketing 30 Points Portfolio Three: Journalism 30 Points Portfolio Four: Entrepreneurship 60 Points Final Professional Portfolio and Assessment Portfolio 30 Points Participation, Peer Reviews, and Engagement 30 Points Required Readings and Textbook: cover letter, and preparation for a job interview. Pay close attention to assignment description posted in CROPS and during in-class instruction. In-class instruction will be integral to your understanding of these assignments. Objectives and Outcomes:  Develop methods for conducting strategic audience analysis for professional purposes.  Produce strategic messaging for the persuasive appeal of target audiences.  Produce a resume, cover letter, and preparation for a job interview.  Practice proper formatting of business letters and email.  Apply professional page-design features to create visually appealing and efficiently organized documents.  Utilize fundamental principles of effective business writing: efficiency, organization, professionalism in tone, and rhetorical and visual appeal. Module One Portfolio Assignments (Include all drafts and editing guides in final portfolio): 1. Professional Bio 2. Brief Professional Goals and Target Audience Essay and Presentation (on your career goals and the path you need to take to achieve them) 3. Cover Letter 4. Resume 5. Job Interview Opening Pitch and Answers to 3 Job Interview questions 6. Journal Reflection 7. Graded Peer Reviews on Turnitin.com Module Two: Marketing Consulting Portfolio In an effort to develop meaningful writing that serves the campus community, we will produce marketing materials (e.g. flyers) to promote sustainability awareness and behaviors in support of Green Campus, a student run organization on campus. Groups of 4-5 will serve as marketing consulting firms contracted to do market research and produce marketing materials. Each group will conduct market research, via a focus group, and produce a market research report offering analysis of the target market. Each student will produce 3 marketing fliers, each with a one- page explanation of the flier's marketing objectives, research, and rationale. Each student will also produce an informative blog post that teaches readers about ways of achieving sustainable behaviors or other useful topics, such as job and internship opportunities in the green sector. Each group will present their market research and marketing at the end of the project. Module Objectives:  Practice techniques of market research by conducting consumer surveys and/ or focus groups to discover audience needs/wants  Produce persuasive marketing materials that generate credibility, inform audiences, and provoke consumer interest  Utilize strategies of graphic design to produce visually appealing professional documents using multiple media  Build interpersonal and team communication effectiveness by collaborating with small groups in a professional scenario Module Assignments: 1. Three fliers each with a 1-page goals and rationale 2. Informative Blog Post on Issues of Sustainability 3. Market Research Report 4. PowerPoint Visuals 5. Journal Reflection Module Three: Journalism This module is intended to provide an introduction to writing for journalism by producing news articles of relevance to students on our campus. Each student will produce two news stories that investigate an interesting or useful topic that could have the potential to be published in The Prodigy. Stories will utilize standard approaches to news article strategies of construction, using proper journalistic style, journalistic objectivity, and useful integration of interviews and research. Objectives and Outcomes:  Develop strategies for choosing relevant, useful stories, and finding ways to make them interesting to a reading audience  Gain understanding of the conventions of journalism, such as composing article ledes, headlines, and employing the who, what, where, when, why, and how approach  Consider the ethical obligations of the journalist, and practice the journalistic objectivity necessary for professional credibility  Gain exposure to the styles and tones of common journalistic writing  Practice copy-editing through peer review of news articles Module Three Portfolio Assignments (Including all drafts and editing guides): 1. Two News Articles 2. Copy Edits of all Articles 3. Journal Reflection Module Four: Entrepreneurship Your goal is to write, with a group of peers, a "mini" business plan, or a "business plan prospectus", for a new venture, and to deliver a PowerPoint presentation on your business concept to a fictional audience of potential investors. A business plan prospectus is often used to seek out initial investment interest, and is often considered the final step in creating a formal business plan. The prospectus should offer an overview of your business concept, discuss initial market and industry research, identify potential customers and discuss financial risks and rewards. This will be a small, simplified version of a business plan that focuses more on the business concept than details. Each person in the group will specialize in some aspect of the business plan and have an equal role in the presentation. The best of groups will capitalize on the individual strengths of its members, while working hand in hand to meet deadlines and goals. Individual grades will reflect the individual effort and will be assessed via the submission of individual work and participation (every member will write a Team Performance Review). Objectives and Outcomes:  Build the interpersonal communication skills necessary to work effectively as a team.  Incorporate integrative critical thinking to discern marketable opportunities.  Develop persuasive professional communications capable of earning credibility from potential investors.  Incorporate appealing and appropriate formatting, layout and design of large business documents.  Practice delivering formal presentations to a professional audiences. Portfolio Four Assignments (Including all drafts and editing efforts) 1. Business Plan Prospectus 2. Individual Work for the Business Plan 3. Presentation PowerPoint Slides 4. Team Performance Review 5. Journal Reflection The Final Portfolio: Beginning the Professional Portfolio