MEDAILLE COLLEGE
AGASSIZ CIRCLE
BUFFALO, NEW YORK 14214

COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Number and Title ENG 360 Advanced Proposal and Report Writing

CRN 20176 Section 01 Tuesday, Thursday 2:20 - 3:45 pm in H217 computer classroom
Semester Spring 2012
Number of Credits 3
Prerequisite ENG 200

Instructor Douglas Anderson

Office 85 Humboldt upstairs at the end of the hall
Hours before and after our class -- Tuesday Thursday 2:00 - 2:20,  3:45 - 4:15 -- as well as Monday, Wednesday 11:30 - 12:30
I have several email addresses, but I would appreciate it if you sent all mail related to this course to me at eng360s12 at gmail.com

Please note: Grading of student papers will reflect standard English usage. The APA bibliographic style will be used for this course.

Catalog Description of Course

This course teaches advanced critical thinking and writing skills for application in various academic disciplines and professional contexts. Students also learn how most effectively to produce professional and academic discipline specific texts that are print-ready, coherent, and cohesive. Students produce a portfolio in both print and web-based media that will include an advanced research report and a proposal.

Student Objectives

After completing this course, you will be better able to:

- Employ the basic genres of professional and academic writing with an understanding of the major similarities and difference among them;

- Access and know how to use the research tools available to professional and academic writers;

- Develop an argument that utilizes evidence and conventions specific to a particular professional context and academic discipline;

- Identify and apply rhetorical strategies, critical thinking, and problem solving skills in specific writing situations to produce coherent and cohesive documents;

- Use web-based media and other electronic tools to produce and print web-based publications and confident oral presentations;

- Utilize multiple and diverse perspectives, and the concerns of various audiences, to produce professional-quality texts.

Outline of Course Content

The Internet - what it is and how it works

open source - HTML and the LAMP stack

content mangement systems - wikis and information design

the media development process - from proposal to proof-of-concept to reporting

setting up and operating a TikiWiki installation

writing effective reports: proposal, progress, and final

Method of Evaluating Students

I try to engage each of you in an ongoing discussion of your learning. If you aren't getting enough feedback from me, ask for more. As you'll see, I'm big on formative feedback and Socratic questioning.

This is a service course in the sense that it rewards skills that will let you prosper in your other courses and in your career. The bottom line is your ability to write a research (or similar) report from start to finish using the most recent version of the APA (or other appropriate) manual. If you write one of those, you'll pass this course. If you don't write one, no matter what else you do, you won't pass this course.

reports - 3 reports, 10% each

    proposal
    progress
    final 

wiki - 3 checklists, 10% each

    configuration decisions
    parts and features
    titles and intros

tests - 3 tests, 10% each

    Internet
    HTML/OS/CMS
    TikiWiki

oral presentation - final report to client 5%

participation/ engagement 5%

timely completion - + or - points
class attendance - + or - points
self-assessment

Course letter grades: A for around 95 points out of the total of 100 on the table above, B for around 85, C for around 75, and D for around 65. If I think you might be headed for a C or below, I will let you know loud and clear as soon as I can. If you are worried about it, feel free to ask at any time.

Course Attendance/Timeliness Policy

You should come to class. I'll do my part to make it worth your while. I expect you to do your part to get something out of it.

In my experience, students who miss class also have other problems. I encourage you to keep me notified, especially via email, about your absences.

timely completion    
1 late, no change
2 or more late, subtract one point from final grade for each late assignment and one more for each late week

class attendance    
0 absences, add 2 points to final grade
1 absence for any reason, add 1 point to final grade
2 or 3 absences for any reason, no change
4 or more absences for any reason, subtract 2 points from final grade for each absence

Textbook

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS OF COURSE

In order to prosper in business, you must be able to do many things other than write. These four also apply to meeting the course objectives listed above.

manage digital information
explore and discover
tolerate ambiguity
think big
assess yourself

Statement on Disabilities

Any student with a disability who believes he/she needs accommodation(s) in order to complete this course should contact the Office of Disability Services as soon as possible. The staff in the Office of Disability Services will determine what accommodations are appropriate and reasonable under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Office of Disability Services is located in the Main Building, Room M031, and can be reached by phone at (716) 880-2391.

Academic Integrity

Medaille's faculty and administration expect all students to complete their academic assignments with honesty and integrity. Students who engage in any form of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating on a test, forging a signature or an entire college document) will be dealt with severely, with penalties ranging from an F on a given assignment to failing a course or even academic suspension. Students should consult their Student Handbook for full details on the college's policy and procedures for handling formal charges of academic dishonesty.

Campus Emergency Closure

In the event of a campus emergency closure, please log onto your BbVista course link at http://learning.medaille.edu to continue with your course requirements and to communicate with your instructor. You should access this course link early in the semester to familiarize yourself with it. Report any access or usage problems to the course instructor.