Instructor: Jan Babcock
Email: jra125@psu.edu
Office Location: 166 Burrowes Building
Mailbox Locations: 112 Burrowes
Office Hours: Immediately following class and By Appointment

English 202A course packet purchased at SBS, downtown. It would be a good idea to have this packet every class meeting.

Schall, Joe. “Style for Students: Effective Technical Writing in the Information Age”

*We will use this book as a resource. You will find this book very helpful for the job/graduate application assignment. You can purchase it, obtain a copy via the reserve reading room in Pattee, or borrow my copies during my office hours. Readings from this text are also available via online course reserve.

This course is a workshop not a lecture and you are expected to participate in class discussions. Although some assigned readings may or may not be discussed in class, they all are relevant to your assignments and will only aid in your writing process. There may also be additional readings that do not appear on the syllabus. Make sure you keep on top of all your work and plan ahead. If you have questions or problems address them asap.

Assignments: All assignments must be turned in at the end of class on the day they are due. I will not accept any e-mail submissions of final work. See the course policies on late/missing work and grade deductions. Since this is a summer course, we are on a modified schedule so you may be working on more than one assignment at a time. If you get behind, see me asap. Don’t fall behind with your assignments.

Readings: Do them. If I get the sense you’re slacking on the readings (for instance, if you’re unable to answer a question in class), you’ll be marked absent for that day. You should also use the readings as talking points for your Response Papers (see course packet for more information)

Attendance: I expect you to attend all classes, to be on time and prepared to discuss the readings. If you must miss a class, make arrangements to submit any work due that day or pick up any class assignments. The university allows three missed days. Any additional absences will result in grade deductions. If you miss eight or more times, you will automatically fail. See course policies for attendance/participation concerns.

*Online Course Reserve is abbreviated as “OCR” through out the syllabus. All handouts may also be found via online library course reserves through ANGEL under “Tools” or directly through LIAS under “Babcock”. The course packet and books are available on course reserve in the library.

*This syllabus is subject to change at any time. Official syllabus will be handed out in class.

Date

Topics Under Discussion

Readings Due

Writings Due

Week 1

Thurs 6/30

Overview of Course and Class Policies & Diagnostic Essay

Introduction to the Rhetorical Situation

Introduction to Assignment #1:

The Rhetoric of a Job/Graduate School Application

Course Packet: Course Policies

OCR: “What is Rhetoric”

OCR: “The Rhetorical Situation”

OCR: “Social Sciences”

Course Packet: Assignment #1 section information and examples

Locate a job/internship and a higher education program you will be using for assignment #1.

Locate an interview candidate for assignment #2.

Complete Topic Proposal Memo #1 on ANGEL by Midnight, 7/3.

Week 2

Tues 7/5

Applying Rhetorical Analysis

What to do during a Peer Review Workshop

Schall Book: Ch. 7, 8 & pgs. 14-17

OR

OCR: “Cover Letters”, “Resumes”, “Personal Statements”

Becker: “Editing by Ear” Chapter. 4, “A Final Word” Chapter 10, “Terrorized by the Literature” Chapter 8

Thurs 7/7

Peer Review Workshop #1

*missing a peer review workshop counts as (2) absences

Introduction to Assignment #2:

Surveying Your Professional Territory

OCR: “Revising Your Research Paper”

Course packet: Assignment #2 info and examples

Rough Draft #1 Due

*I will not collect them but will come around to check them during the workshop.

Complete Topic Proposal Memo #2 on ANGEL by Midnight, 7/10

Week 3

Tues 7/12

Introduction to the Discourse Community

Assignment #2: Part I Discussion, the Interview

Course packet “Writing in Academic Communities”

Becker: “Learning to Write as a Professional” Chapter 5

Final Draft #1 due

*Review your checklist. Any missing items will result in a grade deduction

Thurs 7/14

Assignment #2: Part II Discussion, the Journal Evaluation

Course Packet: “Proving Your Points” & “The Rhetorical Appeals

Becker: “Freshman English for Graduate Students” Chapter 1

Week 4

Tues 7/19

Peer Review Workshop #2

Rough Draft #2 due

Thurs 7/21

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos (The Rhetorical Appeals)

Introduction to Assignment #3:

Researching and Defining a Problem in your Field

***Class meets in
1 Sparks

Course Packet: “Perils of Indifference” Elie Wiesel

“A Whisper of Aids” Mary Fisher

“The Ballot or the Bullet” Malcolm X

Course packet: Assignment #3 info and examples

Handout: “Annotated Bibliographies” from Schall pg. 8

Final Draft #2 due

Topic Proposal Memo #3 will be written in class.

Week 5

Tues 7/26

Assignment #3 Sessions: Writing a Literature Review

Introduction to Assignment #4:

The Recommendation Report

***Class meets in
1 Sparks

Course packet: Assignment #4 info and examples

Course Packet: “A Death in Texas”

Course Packet: “Regional Drug Initiative: Position Paper In Opposition To The Legalization of Drugs” (Skim this reading)

OCR: “Barbaric Americans”

Thurs 7/28

Peer Review Workshop #3

Rough Draft #3 Due

Complete Topic Proposal Memo #4 on ANGEL by Midnight, 8/1.

Week 6

Tues 8/2

Introduction to Assignment #5:

Translating Your Recommendation Report into a Pragmatic Proposal for a Lay Community

Training Session for Assignment #5

***Class meets in
23 Willard (across from Willard Computer Lab)

Course packet: Assignment #5 info and examples

OCR: “Translation in a Borderless World”

Final Draft #3 due

Topic Proposal Memo #5 written in class

Thurs 8/4

Peer Review Workshop #4

Rough Draft #4 Due

Week 7

Tues 8/9

Peer Review Workshop #5

Last Day of Class

Course Evaluations

Final Draft #4 Due

Rough Draft Work due for assignment #5

Thurs 8/11

No Class

Assignment #5 Due by 4pm in my mailbox in 112 Burrowes. No later or your final grades will be delayed.