ENGL 395Wappel

Spring 2015

English 395, Secs.SG91, SG92, SG98

Office Hours: TBD*

Email:

(Please use this email address. Do not use the .umd.edu address).

Required Text: Williams, Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace (ISBN: 9780321479358), any edition, but I will be referencing the 9th.Do not buy this text until you hear from me in class.

Nuland, Sherwin, How We Die (ISBN:0-679-414-61)

Class Packet (download TBD).

Recommended Reading: Kramer, Against Depression.

Recommended Reading: Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (ISBN: 9780060589462); Kracauer, Into the Wild (ISBN: 9780385486804).

Course Description: In English 395(Medical Writing), we will examine the rhetorical strategies used in writing the kinds of documents that are customarily required in the workplace. We will examine issues related to the audience the documents are intended for and to the overall purposes of those documents.

In creating the assignments for this class, I have mimicked the types of writing that will be required of you professionally, whatever your profession.Remember that rhetorical principles are universal. Engineers, teachers, accountants, doctors, and attorneys, all find it necessary, more often than you know, to write proposals, progress reports, feasibility studies. And though the professions are very different, the rhetorical principles applied in many of their arguments are not.

In addition, because this is a Medical Writing class, I hope can discuss issues related to the nature of science that will lead you to examine oft-quoted scientific studies (e.g., Framingham Heart Study) as well as studies that you select. The three questions will govern the class: “What is “good” science?” “What is ‘junk science’?” “How do scientists make causal arguments?” I hope that in examining these questions, you will begin to feel more confident about your ability to analyze, create, and critique scientific studies, and then to express your conclusions in well-written prose.

Course Objectives: After completing the course, I hope that you will feel prepared to undertake any writing assignment that comes your way in the workplace. You should understand what you are being asked to write, recognize the requirements of your audience, develop a rhetorical strategy for gathering information and presenting the material, use graphics in a way that enhances your argument, and craft a cohesive, coherent, and sophisticated writing style.

Assignments: You will be asked to complete all of the following assignments:

  • Cover Letter and Resume(one page each, single-spaced). In lieu of the cover letter, you may choose to write a Personal Statement. We will discuss the Personal Statement near the end of the semester.
  • Definition for Lay Audiences (brochure: two pages,double-spaced).
  • Process Analysis (two pages single-spaced)/Instructions (ten instructions, page count indeterminate) or Causal Analysis (five to seven pages, double-spaced).
  • Evaluation Memo(two pages, single-spaced).
  • Formal Proposal,Comparative Critique of Two Studies, Internship Work Manual, or Case History (seven to ten pages, single-spaced).
  • In addition, you will need to complete three very short reflective essays. These essays have been added by the university. I will give you more information about them as it becomes available.

Before handing in each of the papers, we will dedicate one class (perhaps more) to editing and peer reviews of the paper. More than one class will be dedicated to the review of the Proposal. Peer reviews are very important. Attendance and the production of a rough draft will be noted and factored into your final grade.

In addition, there will be approximately four quizzes based on exercises in the Williams text. Missed quizzes cannot be taken at a later date. You will receive a grade of ‘0’for a missed quiz.Quiz dates are highly flexible and will be announced in class as we cover the quiz material.

Late Papers:We all have very tight schedules. You should have a very good reason for turning in a late paper. I cannot guarantee that late papers will be returned before the next paper is due.If I am holding two of your papers at the same time, or if you turn two or more papers in at the same time, one of them will not be graded. Late papers must be turned in at least one week before the next paper is due. This includes quizzes and reflective essays. Please read carefully. Do not regard this as an excuse to turn in a late paper. Papers not graded will receive “0” for the grade and averaged accordingly.

Grading: I will grade papers based on how well you meet the terms of the assignment. Essentially, I am looking for you to demonstrate an understanding of invention discussions, arrangement, and style (Williams).In addition, I require that some, but not all, of your papers include graphics. I also require that all papers be written in Standard English. Excessive grammatical and mechanical errors seriously affect your grade.

Your final grade will be determined as follows:

20%Cover Letter, Resume, three reflective essays.

20% Definition for Lay Audience, Process Analysis/Instructions.

20%Evaluation.

20%Proposal.

20%Four Quizzes.

Attendance: Attendance is expected. Unnecessary absences lead necessarily to failure in the class. See the University Attendance Policy for further information.

Plagiarism:Any student that plagiarizes will automatically fail the class and face the possibility of expulsion from the university. See the policy on academic integrity for further information.

Course Evaluations: You will be asked to complete two evaluations. One is a university produced evaluation that you can complete on-line. But there is also a departmental evaluation that you need to complete at the end of the semester. You cannotcomplete this on-line. It is a paper evaluation that must be done in class.

*I do not have an office at the Shady Grove campus, and I am sure that you do not want to drive to College Park (at least most of you) to meet in my office there. So, conferences will be held before or after class in the classroom.

Weekly Syllabus

Week 1, Introduction, Diagnostic Essay, Diagnostic Grammar Test. Williams, Understanding Style and Correctness, (3-30).

Week 2, Introduction to Resume and Cover Letter.

Week 3, Rough Draft of Resume/Cover Letter due;Audience Analysis; Quiz 1: Concision; Final Draft Due: Resume/Cover Letter.

Week 4,Introduction to Definition; discussion of Lay Audiences.

Week 5,Readings: Definition continued; Rough draft of Definition for Lay Audience. Introduction to Process Analysis.

Week 6, Process Analysis continued;Final Draft Due: Definition for Lay Audience; introduction to Instructions; Quiz 2: Cohesion and Coherence.

Week 7,Instructions continued, discussion of graphics; Rough Draft of Process Analysis and Instructions.

Week 8,Conferences:Final Draft Due:Process Analysis/Instructions.

Week 9, Introduction to Criteria and Evaluation.Quiz 3: Active and Passive Voice

Week 10,Evaluation continued; Rough Draft of Evaluation.

Week 11, Introduction to Proposal and Other Final Paper Options; FinalDraft Due:Evaluation.

Week 12, Proposal and Other Options continued.Quiz 4: Nominalization

Week 13,Draft of Problem section of Proposal, draft of Solution section of Proposal and Executive Summary.

Week 14,Draft of Benefits (Value-Added) section of Proposal; Conferences.

Week 15, Conferences, Final Proposal Draft Due.

You will notice that there are no dates here but only “Weeks.” I will announce the due dates for papers and quizzes in class. Writing them up now is an exercise in futility since they will probably change anyway.

SyllabusPage 1