EN306C - PROFESSIONAL WRITING IN THE DISCIPLINES: ADVANCED EXPOSITORY AND RESEARCH WRITING
Summer 1999, Dr. Jeff Glauner
Office: Copley 310, Phone Ext. 6352.
Class meets 1-3:30 p.m., TR, CO 202.

I. COURSE DESCRIPTION: Professional Writing in the Disciplines is the third course in the required writing sequence at Park College. It emphasizes professional writing skills and expectation in various disciplines while developing further basic writing skills. Specific departmental courses may be deemed equivalent and may be used to satisfy the EN 306 requirement. EN 306C develops further skills in advanced expository writing: long essays or articles for publication in journals or trade magazines, arts or literary publications, the teaching of writing, and general critical or argumentative pieces. If there is any question as to whether EN 306C will meet the requirements for your major, see your discipline coordinator or advisor immediately for confirmation. In order to be admitted to or receive credit for EN 306 you must have received credit for EN 105 and EN 106, passed Park’s Writing Competency Test, and completed 60 semester hours of acceptable college credit.

II. PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES:
A. Students will demonstrate their writing skills through the completion of several writing assignments approaching a variety of types of writing.
B. Students will demonstrate their ability to conduct independent research in their scholarly/professional disciplines by producing a research paper in multiple drafts.
C. Students will provide evidence of their oral communication skills in regard to ideas developed in the course through frequent formal and informal recitation and discussion and through oral presentation of their research findings.
D. Students will clarify their personal values through examination of ideas emerging from class discussions, and individual presentations
E. Students will participate in the on-going development of the course by negotiating writing topics and course content with the professor.

III. COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
A. Attendance is required. The normal penalty for each absence is the loss of forty (40) points from the your final semester point total. A limited number of excusable absences (two except in unusual situations) may be made up through submission of an acceptable written explanation along with a 500-word summary and analysis of the materials that were to be discussed in class on the date of the absence (especially, the assignment from the Maner textbook). These documents must be submitted within a week after your return from the absence. Additional absences may be made up only with verifiable documentation of the acceptable reasons for the absences. Any absence, no matter how excusable, for which appropriate written documentation and a 500-word summary and analysis has not been submitted within a week after the absence remains unexcused and counts against the student’s grade. Tardiness costs grade points in that quizzes are administered during the first 10 minutes of class periods and may not be made up unless the tardiness is verified as excusable. Excessive tardies will also be reflected in your participation grade. Discuss unusual situations in regard to attendance and timeliness with me as they occur.
B. Each student will be required to study sections of the textbook and respond to them in quizzes.
C. Each student must prepare a research project including prospectus, three drafts, and oral report on a focused topic in compliance with the requirements outlined in written instructions from the professor.
D. Each student must complete all writing assignments (including drafting, peer group work, and oral presentations) as required by the syllabus and the professor’s oral and written instructions.

IV. TEXTBOOKS:
Maner. The Spiral Guide to Research Writing. Mayfield, 1996.

V. CLASS POLICIES: Academic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism) will result in a zero for the particular assignment. Repeated offenses will result in failure for the course. Attendance and timely arrival in class are required. Assignments must be submitted on time. An automatic reduction of one letter grade per class period is assessed for late submission. Make up of missed work is possible only with ironclad, compelling excuses. Except in unusual circumstances, make up must be submitted within one week of the original due date for the assignment or be subject to grade penalties for lateness. Quizzes must be made up on the class day a student returns from an excusable absence.

Attendance See Section III.A.
Participation 100 points
Quizzes 100 points
Research Project (three drafts equally weighted) 400 points
Expository Essay from Sources 150 points
Student’s Choice (Expository or Creative Essay) 150 points
Final Examination (Comprehensive Style Exam.) 100 points
Total 1000 points

Grade Conversion:
900-1000 points A
800-899 points B
700-799 points C
600-699 points D
0-599 points F

(NOTE: To avoid misunderstandings, please read the following carefully and believe it. The grade for average work is a C. The grade of B means better than average work. An A is given for excellent work. D means inferior work. F means failing work (but there is a major difference between an F+ (40%) for poorly prepared or late work, an F (20%) for obviously failing or very late work, and a 0 for work not submitted). Grades in my classes tend toward the high end of the scale because I provide opportunity for improvement, and students usually respond positively to such opportunity. Do not, however, expect high grades for sloppy, perfunctory, or late work; nor should you expect a high course grade if your attendance is irregular or if you are habitually late for class.