Professional Writing

34 English 375

 

Instructor

Assistant Professor, Dr. Joel Peckham—Ph.D. in English with a Dissertation on American Literature from The University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 1999

Office Location

272B Snyder

Office Hours

M,W,F  12-1pm

Office Phone Number

 

Email Address

Joel_peckham@yahoo.com

Homepage

http://www.joelpeckham.com

 

 

Course Description

Students learn to develop audiences, geared to either business or professional / creative goals.  Each student develops a portfolio to showcase their writing, including a realistic marketing plan or developmental goals.  Students use the writing course to complete certificate studies and to develop toward publishing.

Required Texts


2008 Writer’s Market, Robert Brewer

Five Journals Purchased from Borders or Ordered On-Line (4 Creative, 1 Educational—1 on-line journal is acceptable)

 

Course Work:  What You Are Expected to Do

Reading and Reports. The most important work in this course will be careful, patient, thorough reading of the journals you’ve purchased yourself. You will need to read one journal a week the entire way through and you will need to report on that journal’s

Participation in Class and on Discussion Board.  There will be a class discussion board and one of your first responsibilities after reading the syllabus will be to join that discussion board and begin answering questions posted there.  Class participation is not about being in class (the chairs have excellent attendance as well), but actively answering and posing good questions about the readings.

Written Work and Service-Learnings. The writing in our course will consist of:

1) 3-5 poems prepared for publication

2) one piece of fiction prepared for publication

3) one 3-5 page paper written about the use of creative writing (poetry) as a teaching tool in a an elementary-level classroom and prepared for submission to an education journal.

4) a service-learning project.  Design a poetry lesson for a 1st-grade classroom that will help to improve language skills through the teaching of imagery, symbol, line, rhythm and rhyme.


Grades. In determining final grades, each course requirement carries the following weight:

Poetry Packet ......................................................................30%
Fiction Packet ……………..................................................20%
Education Paper................................................................... 20%
Service Learning Paper and Field-Work............................. 20%

Short Reports......................................................................10%

Portfolio of all work listed above (including marketing plan) totaling 100% of grade.

Administrative Procedures: 

A.       Completion of the drop/add process and the withdrawal process is the responsibility of the student.

B.       Absence Policy:  Absences will damage your grade, particularly because I do not allow students to make up pop quizzes and because class participation is a substantial portion of your grade in the course.  Don’t miss classes.

C.       Tardiness.  If you are late at all, you will find the door closed.  Do not open it.  The only thing I dislike more than a student who misses classes is one who is so disrespectful as to show up late for one.

D.      Policy for make-up work.  Students are responsible to complete any work they miss during an absence.  Missed work can only be made up if the student has a legitimate excuse for missing the class and provides supporting documentation.  Legitimate excuses include illness, serious family obligations, and sanctioned college activities for which absence is required. 

E.       Harassment Policy:  I see sexual and racial harassment as a direct attack not only on the victim, but on the entire community.  Harassment is any behavior that would either threaten a reasonable person or inhibit that person’s ability to learn or work by creating an uncomfortable environment.  Don’t say or do anything to a fellow student that you wouldn’t say or do to your own mother, father, sister, or brother.   Sexual or racial comments made in the classroom, even if not directed at anyone in particular and even if made in jest, will be considered harassment.   The presence of materials that demean others –inappropriate or offensive  t-shirts or magazines for example—will also be considered harassment.  Such behavior will directly affect the offending student’s grade for class participation and may result in dismissal from the class for the day or even for the quarter. 

F.       Dress Code:  Though there is no official dress code for this course, I encourage students to dress in a manner that reflects a respectful attitude towards their peers, the professor, and themselves.

G.      Late Assignments:  I do not accept late assignments.  Assignments should be ready for submission at the beginning of class on the day that they are due.  Because I understand that events may happen that are beyond a student’s control, I allow for one 24 hour pass a semester.  That means that one time during the semester, for whatever reason you might have, or for no reason at all, you may hand in an assignment 24 hours late.  If an assignment is due on a Friday, I expect you to send it to me over the e-mail by attachment or as text by Saturday, 11am.  If electronic submission is not possible, contact me and I will arrange another method for you to hand in the assignment on time.  I urge students to use this option only when and if they desperately need it. If a student must miss a class on the day an assignment is to be turned in, the student must find another student to turn it in for them or must send the assignment to me via e-mail by the beginning of class on the day the assignment is due.  I will make rare exceptions if I have ample reasons. The 24 hour pass cannot be used for an exam, a pop-quiz, or a term-paper.   A late term paper or a missed final will assure failure in the course.

Withdrawal

The standard University of Cincinnati policy.

Plagiarism 

Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. This is the University’s definition of plagiarism:

•Submitting another's published or unpublished work, in whole, in part, or in paraphrase, as one's own without fully and properly crediting the author with footnotes, citations or bibliographical reference.

•Submitting as one's own original work material obtained from an individual or agency without reference to the person or agency as the source of the material.

•Submitting as one's own original work material that has been produced through unacknowledged collaboration with others without release in writing from the collaborators.

American with Disabilities Act policy

The policy of the University of Cincinnati Clermont College requires students with physical or learning disabilities to identify themselves to the coordinator of disability services, Jennifer Radt, in the Student Services Building, for appropriate academic assistance.


Schedule of Major Assignments

Academic Calendar--Spring Quarter, 2008

 

 

Classes Begin: Monday, March 31

Memorial Day: Monday, May 26

Classes End: Friday, June 6

Exams Begin: June 7

Exams End: June 12

Spring Quarter Ends: Saturday, June 14

Commencement: Saturday, June 14

49 Instructional Days(M-F)

Week One (March 31-April 6)

Introduction to the Course

Week Two (April 7-April 13)

Report One Due Friday / Schedule Meeting for Review of Poetry Packet

Week Three (April 14-April 20)

Report Two Due Friday / Schedule Meeting for Review of Poetry Packet Revision

Schedule Service Learning

Writer’s Market Readings

Week Four (April 21-April 27)

Poetry Packet Due—Prepared for Submission

Writer’s Market Readings

Week Five (April 28-May 4)

 No Due Friday / Schedule Meeting for Fiction Packet

Service-Learning Lesson Due

Week Six (May 5-May 11)

 No Report Due Friday /  Service Learning Week

 

Week Seven (May 5-May 11)

Report Three Due Friday / Fiction Revision Due

Week Eight (May 12-May 18)

No Report Due / Rough Draft of Service-Learning Project Due

Week Nine (May 19-May 25)

Report Four Due Friday / Revision of Service-Learning Project Due

Week Ten (May 26-June 1)

Report Five Due Friday

 

Week 11 (June 2-June 6)

Packets Turned in For Submission