RPW 215W: Introduction to Professional Writing

Sunday, December 12, 2010

What My Students Learned This Semester

Taking inspiration from Jo(e), I passed out index cards and asked my students to write down one thing they learned in class this semester. These are the anonymous responses I received in the order in which I received them.

I learned how much of a difference ten years of research and planning can make and how wrongly the media can inform that public during times of panic.

I learned how to refine my writing, pretty much learned how to write like an adult. I learned that writing like a professional could equal some serious cash once I get myself a career.

I learned how a factual book such as Columbine can be sound and effective. I also learned how not to handle a school shooting.

This is one of the few classes where the real world is actually applied to the lessons. I can see myself using a lot of this material in the workforce.

I learned that I can actually read a whole book during the semester for a class. Was a great one, too!

I learned many important skills to be successful in the business world, like how to properly format and write an email, memo, report, and give a Pecha Kucha presentation.

I learned that media can jump to conclusions and do whatever they can to get a story.

I learned that Columbine was more than just a shooting by two outcasts and that my school could learn from it even.

The Columbine killers were not a cult of gothic outcasts!!

Report writing is wicked hahd, but the final product is worth all of the effort.

I learned a lot about the details/truth behind the Columbine shooters and the people involved.

I learned how to write a memo. It sounds simple, but there are many steps that go into making a good one.

I learned just about everything that I know about the Columbine shootings, since I barely knew anything about them before reading the book for this course.

Well, first it confirmed my idea that you are awesome. I also learned how to create a good report through instruction and the book. I also learned more about Columbine, which I enjoyed. Happy Holidays!

I finally learned how to properly use a semicolon.

I learned that just because it's researched thoroughly, it can still be lovely to read, if written right. And SWAT used to suck.

Pecha Kucha presentations! Although, I was not a presenter, learning how to make one was very helpful. Presentations are very difficult for me, but this could quite possibly change my view of them.

I learned about memos. A thank you memo was sent after one of my job interviews, and the boss was impressed. Thank you. And the truth about Columbine.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Links for Class on Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Sample Pecha Kucha Presentations.

Wikipedia entry on Pecha Kucha.

TED Talks.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Action List for the Remainder of the Semester

There will be no official class meeting on Thursday, December 2, 2010, but A320 will be available for your use, and I will be in my office for any questions.
Each person needs to email Optional Revisions of the Correspondence Project to me by noon EST on Friday, December 3, 2010; I will not accept late revisions for any reason.
There will be no official class meeting on Tuesday, December 7, but I will be in A109 for any groups that want to meet.
Each group needs to email me your PowerPoint presentation by 2:05 PM EST on Thursday, December 9, 2010.
Each person needs to email me your individual Presentation Memo by noon EST on Saturday, December 11, 2010.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Action List for Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Email the Formal Report to me anytime after class today until 6:00 PM on Monday, November 29; know that the last day you can speak with me to go over a draft is Tuesday, November 23 (though I will answer questions by email over the break; I just will not look at complete drafts).
Remember that DWA #15 (the last DWA) will be held during class.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Action List for Thursday, November 18, 2010

Read "Collaborating on Writing Projects" (Chp. 6 in WTP) and "Professional Presentations" (Chp. 17 in WTP.)
Remember that DWA #14 will be held during class.

Sample Tables of Contents and Executive Summaries

If you wish to review them again, here are the sample Tables of Contents that I went over in class last week. For today's class, you will refer to these sample Executive Summaries.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Extended Office Hours

We're at the point where a lot is coming due, so I have extra office hours this week and next. To guarantee a meeting, schedule a time in class or through email, or you can take a chance and drop in. But I will be in my office at the following times.

Tuesday, November 16 -- 11:00 to 12:00
Wednesday, November 17 -- 11:45 to 1:15
Thursday, November 18 -- 10:45 to 12:00
Friday, November 19 -- 12:00 to 3:00
Tuesday, November 23 -- 10:00 to 12:00 and 2:00 to 4:00

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Action List for Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Read "Abstracts and Executive Summaries" (Chp. 12 in WTP).
Remember that DWA #13 will be held during class.
Choose a focus for your Formal Report.
Continue researching and finding sources for your Formal Report.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Practice Passage for Part Three of the Editing Exam

As requested in class yesterday, I have created another sample passage similiar to what could appear on part three of the exam. As always, read slowly. Perhaps mark subjects and verbs. But go over it and then look at the key. remember, I am only asking for things we covered in class this week. Do not make this harder than this is by looking for other things.

This is the passage to edit.

This is the answer key to the passage to edit.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Action List for Tuesday, November 9, and Thursday, November 11, 2010

For Tuesday, November 9, 2010:

Prepare for the Editing Exam.
Continue conducting research for the Formal Report.

For Thursday, November 11, 2010:

Prepare to spend class time doing some prewriting activities for the Formal Report (you may wish to bring a laptop).
Remember that DWA #12 will be held during class.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Action List for Thursday, November 4, 2010

There is nothing specific to do for class. You may wish to bring Tuesday's readings to class for any questions you have. Thursday is when we will go over sample questions in detail, and it will count as DWA #11.

Guidelines for the Editing Exam

You will be taking the Editing Exam in class a week from today. On that exam, you can expect the following types of questions.

There will be questions that ask you to define terms in bold in WTP and terms in italics from the scanned reading. For example, what is the difference between a clause and a phrase? Also, what is a nominalization? This section will be worth twenty points.
There will be questions that ask you to apply the knowledge in these chapters to actual sentences. For example, I could ask you to classify sentences according to the four sentence types. Also, I could ask you to rewrite passages so that they are more parallel. Finally, I could give you a passage or a few sentences and ask you to cut the fat. This section will be worth forty points.
There will be passages that you must edit fully. For example, I could give you a passage and ask you to edit it using all of the ideas in both readings. Also, I could ask you to take a passage and edit it to create a final, usable document (much like the exercise we did in class where you created a library handout based on the large clump of text I gave you). This section will be worth forty points.

If you miss the exam, I will give you a makeup, but it will consist of a different format and different questions than the exam I give during class. You will most likely be asked to do more with less, meaning there will be fewer questions that you have to edit in multiple ways.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Action List for Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Read: "Editing for Style" (Chp. 5 in WTP) and "Style: Shaping Sentences for Precision and Emphasis" by David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen (PDF).
Remember that DWA #10 will be held during class.
Remember that it will be Election Day, so vote!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Action List for Thursday, October 28, 2010

Read Columbine, Chps. 51-53 and the Afterword (pgs. 338-70).
Prepare for Reading Quiz #8 (your last quiz in this class).

Prompt for Optional Correspondence Project Revisions

As I've mentioned several times, you have the option to revise your correspondence project. If you wish to revise, you need to do the following things.

Revise your essay, obviously. Remember that revision is more than fixing a few commas and awkward phrasings. You should take my comments into account, but revising an essay means more than treating my comments as a checklist. You should go over your essay, my comments, and what we have done in class since to decide what needs to be done to make the project better.
Describe your revision process to me. In the email to which you attach your revised essay, you should tell me what you did to revise. This means saying more than, "I fixed the organization." It means telling me what you did to make the organization better. Did you just move things around? Did you cut one section to make room for a new one? Tell me what I should see. I will not grade any revision that arrives without such a description.
Email your revision to me by noon on Friday, December 3. I cannot accept late revisions for any reason because it's already the end of the semester, and things will be tight.

You can turn in this revision at anytime before the deadline. You can only revise once, though, but you can complete the revision now or later. I recommend bringing your revised draft by my office for us to discuss if you are especially concerned about your grade.