| Which Professional Writing Course Should I Take?
English 390 | English 391 | English 392 | English 393 | English 394 | English 395 | English 398
Professional
Writing faculty urge students to register for the Professional Writing course that matches their majors and their planned careers:
Every Professional Writing course teaches the research, analysis, writing and language skills that students will need in their lives beyond the classroom. Select the course that will address your individual needs.
COURSE
DESCRIPTIONS:
ENGLISH
390: Science Writing (New
Course Number: Effective January 2007)
This course is appropriate for science majors interested in further study in the physical and biological sciences. It is grounded in the discipline of the rhetoric of science, which focuses on the conventions and genres characteristic of the writing professional scientists do. Students learn the conventions of scientific prose used in research articles and proposals, in particular; they also learn to accommodate scientific information to general audiences. In addition, English 390 teaches students how to use stylistic and visual devices to make information more accessible and how to edit their work as well as that of their peers.
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ENGLISH
391: Advanced Composition and ENGLISH 391H: Advanced Composition for Honors Program students
Based in a rhetoric of argument, this course teaches writing beyond the classroom. Students learn to distinguish between types of arguments–definitions, claims of fact and cause, evaluative critiques and proposals–and to accommodate their ideas to various audiences. English 391 emphasizes analysis of situations in which students write and the preparation of persuasive evidence through careful research. Assignments include a series of linked papers on a topic within a student's professional expertise, as well as personal statements for graduate school.
>See
General Sample Syllabus*
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ENGLISH
392: Legal Writing (New Course Name)
This course is appropriate for students who wish to pursue careers in law and public policy; it teaches the conventions of legal writing and research. Some assignments may address the needs or interests of a client, but the writing is less argumentative than informative or "predictive." Students learn to read and write about cases and/or statutes, to apply legal principles to fact scenarios, and–most importantly–to organize and present a written analysis that meets the needs of a specialized reader, usually a lawyer. Assignments may include law-school application essays, case briefs, legal memos, and client letters, as well as other formats that use forms of reasoning typical of the legal professions.
>See
General Sample Syllabus*
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ENGLISH
393: Technical Writing
This course teaches students how to make the technologies they work with understandable to many different types of readers. The course teaches students how to accommodate information to specific audiences; how to use stylistic and visual devices to make information more accessible; and how to edit their work as well as that of their peers. Students will apply skills they learn to a wide variety of formats, which may include technical descriptions, letters/resumes, instructional manuals, brochures, research reports, memoranda, progress reports, and proposals. Assignments parallel the writing demands, students will face both in college and in the workplace.
ENGL
393H: Technical Writing for Honors Program students
These courses are usually reserved for students in
University Honors programs or Departmental Honors programs.
English
393X: Technical Writing for English as a Second Language Students
X
sections are limited to students for whom English is a second
language
and who have a score below any of the following: SAT 400, TOEFL
575, CELT 250. The only difference between X sections and non-X
sections is class size; X sections are a bit smaller. The same
material will be covered.
>See
General Sample Syllabus*
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ENGLISH
394: Business Writing
This course exposes students to the forms, scenarios and conventions of organizational communication, including electronic media such as email and computer-assisted oral presentations. Placing strong emphasis on fundamental skills and rhetorical principles, this course prepares students to produce clear and concise documents, including memos, letters, marketing plans and brochures; to plan and organize their writing; and to adapt their prose to the needs and expectations of their intended audiences.
>See
General Sample Syllabus*
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ENGLISH
395: Writing for the Health Professions
This course helps students interested in health professions make the transition from college-level writing to "real world" professional communication. The course exposes students to advanced research resources and strategies particular to the health professions in order to produce professional documents, including cover letters, resumes, personal statements, project proposals, and review articles. The course covers the complex process writers need to learn to accomplish this goal, including how to accommodate information to specific audiences; how to use stylistic and visual devices to make information more accessible; and how to edit their work as well as that of their peers.
>See
General Sample Syllabus*
ENGLISH
398: Special Topics in Professional Writing ( NEW
NUMBERS: Effective
January 2007)
Special topics courses enhance the range of offerings students may choose from to meet their fundamental studies professional writing requirement. The following Special Topics courses are offered this semester, including our newest course, ENGL398L: Scholarly Writing in the Humanities.
ENGL 398A: Writing about the Arts.
Students study the situations and genres in which working professionals write about art and artists, as practitioners, advocates, administrators, and educators. Assignments may include analyzing and composing artist statements, an arts manifesto, art education guides, press releases about artists and their work, critical reviews of exhibits and performances, and proposals to funding agencies and foundations.
ENGL 398C: Writing Case Studies and Investigative Reports.
This course is designed for students interested in becoming police investigators, educators, case workers, insurance adjusters, nurses, program evaluators, or in entering branches of the social sciences that investigate cases and value reports based on accurate descriptions and compelling narratives. Such reports must be factual and yet useful to decision makers, unbiased and yet focused. English 398C students study genres and language skills from careful summarizing to convincing storytelling. In addition to case studies and investigative reports, students also prepare professional resumes and personal statements.
ENGL 398E: Writing about Economics.
Students examine the rhetoric of economics, moving from the neutral (such as testimony from the Chairman of the Federal Reserve) to the political (campaign slogans or policy papers). Students learn to read and decipher economic "spin," to tailor reports for specific audiences, and to argue persuasively. The course examines discipline-specific writing about economics (agriculture, geography, public policy, sociology, for example) and discusses the values of careful document design and effective visual rhetoric. In addition to the standard resume and proposal assignments, students also write a press release, an op-ed, and a letter to the editor of a major newspaper. The course demonstrates that good writing can make economics less of a "dismal" science.
ENGL 398L: Scholarly Writing in the Humanities (New Course!)
This course treats academic scholarship as a genre of professional writing and comprises a series of assignments that investigate the norms and procedures of advanced academic writing; the course is aimed primarily at students considering graduate work in the humanities. Assignments may include a graduate school application essay, a genre review, an annotated bibliography, a journal article, and an oral presentation of article subject matter. ENGL 398N: Writing for Nonprofits.
Students analyze and compose writing typical of nonprofit organizations, such as artistic, civic, educational, and service institutions. Writing assignments include press releases and other public relations material, position papers, reports, and grant proposals. Students research and analyze the writing of local and national nonprofits and write for real-world situations. Students may also have the opportunity to choose a service learning component to the course by working with and for an area nonprofit.
ENGL 398R: Nonfiction Narrative Writing and Editing
This course focuses on nonfiction narrative–a kind of writing influenced by fiction, magazine journalism, memoir, and personal essay. Students learn to use many of the same tools as fiction writers, including scene shifts, dialogue, vivid description, developing characters, nonlinear structure, and shifts in tense, time and points of view. Assignments include nonfiction narrative essays, query letters, audience analysis, and publisher analysis. The skills learned in this course are in high demand. Beyond a traditional job in publishing, students looking at careers that involve proposal writing, work documentation, lobbying, social marketing, political commentary, and even blogging can benefit from a foundation in the nonfiction narrative form.
ENGL 398V: Writing about the Environment
This course is specially designed for students with a career interest in the environmental sciences. It applies principles of technical writing to a range of scenarios and issues particular to the intersection of scientific knowledge and environmental policy. Students practice writing to public audiences as well as decision-makers.
*The
standard course syllabi and the individual instructor syllabi work
to achieve these goals; however, individual instructors may take
different approaches to teaching the course. |
