Welcome to Special Topics: Professions in Writing Arts (WA 01404) *1 credit course, 5 weeks (September 3- October 3) Tuesdays &

Thursdays: 4:45-6:00 pm Library, Room 403 Prof. Laura Mangini Course page: writingarts.weebly.com Office: James Hall 3076 Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday afternoons by appointment only **I will be in my office most T/Th after 1:00 until class time E-mail: ManginiL@Rowan.edu Course Description: Careers in Writing Arts (WA 01470) provides students the opportunity to learn about the various and wide-ranging career opportunities available to writing arts students by exploring career and graduate school options in the field of writing. Class topics may include statements of purpose and letters of application; internships, field experience, and volunteerism; and publishing opportunities. Professionalism and entrepreneurial approaches to job seeking are also emphasized. Discussions and workshops will be supplemented by guest speakers and readings. Objectives for the Course As part of this course, students will: Increase understanding of how to delineate themselves as writing arts graduates, and how this major, minor or sequence distinguishes them from others Increase understanding of how to locate and apply for jobs in the corporate, nonprofit, and teaching sectors Create and critique statements of purpose, letters of application, and related documents Become aware of the role of internships, field experience, on-campus positions and volunteering as key aspects of career preparation Understand how to research, target and apply to graduate schools, including graduate school funding and fellowships Become aware of how to research, target and follow through on publishing possibilities Topical Outline for the Course As this is a one-credit course, class will meet twice per week for five weeks. The outline below contains six major topics posed as a series of questions: Topic 1: What do writing arts majors do? (Defining yourself as a writing arts graduate) Topic 2: Where are the jobs? (Corporate, nonprofit, and teaching sector positions) Topic 3: How do I fit my qualifications to the market? (Statements of purpose, career goals statements, letters of application)

Topic 4: What can I do prior to graduation to help my career opportunities? (Internships, field experience, on-campus positions and volunteering) Topic 5: Why would I want to go to graduate school? (Researching, targeting and applying to graduate schools) Topic 6: Now that Ive done all this writing, how can I publish it? (Opportunities and processes for publishing) Required Materials: You must bring the following items to every class. There are no exceptions. A notebook & pen for note taking. A flash drive or other means to store and revise word-processed essays. A website/blog through http://weebly.com/ -- information for this will be provided in class Course Requirements: Attendance is incredibly important in a one-credit course. We only meet 10 times. It is imperative you attempt to attend ALL ten meetings. You may miss one class meeting without your grade being affected. Blog: Please post at least two entries per week to reflect and explore concepts covered in class as well as during your research, writing, and reading. Oftentimes we will base class discussions from your responses. Blog posts pertaining to class readings are always due before class begins. Readings: Critical reading and responding to readings is a key component of this course. Therefore, it is vital that you complete all of the assigned readings so you can participate in class discussions and write meaningful responses in your essays. Once during our 5 weeks together, you will be responsible for bringing in discussion leading questions dealing with the weeks readings and leading class discussion. Class participation and involvement will also be evaluated. Your final grade will be comprised of the following: Weebly Blog2 substantial, thoughtful entries per week 20% Participation & attendance (includes non-blog related 10% homework & general preparedness) Leading class discussion/discussion leading questions 15% (once during the semester) Introduce a writing career to the class (once during the semester) Rsum with cover letter (specific or generic) 15% 15%

Statement of Purpose for Graduate School OR equivalent 10% (query letter, etc.) Social Network Identity (LinkedIn or Academia.edu); means of branding yourself 5%

Reflective letter/narrative (include future goals) There will not be a final examination for this course.

10%

Specific Requirements for Blogging: Your blog entries provide the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the assigned readings and key concepts explored in the class. From time to time, I will ask you to reflect, return to previous ideas, or to respond in various creative ways in regards to the reading or discussion in class. Be certain that each blog entry is substantial. Refer to specific passages in the text or ideas discussed in class. Entries on readings that ramble about personal experiences ONLY often demonstrate that you did not read the text. Feel free to ask questions, mention passages that confused, angered, or enlightened you. Interact with readings and ideas rather than regurgitate them. Blog entries offer you the chance to work through what you are learning, so take advantage of this online space. No blog entry completed out of class should be less than 250 words. See specific blog assignments for word requirements. Leading Class Discussion: On the date that you are responsible for leading class discussion, you will have certain additional responsibilities in addition to coming to class with your readings and blog entry completed. * By noon on the day you are to lead (or help to lead) discussion, you will post your discussion leading questions (at least 3 thought-provoking discussion questions) to your blog. * Your questions should indicate that you have read the readings; avoid overly generalized, opinionated questions. Avoid yes/no questions. Aim for open-ended discussion. The open-ended question: Ask for the hows and the whys instead of the whats. * Email me your discussion leading questions so that I can compile them for the class discussion along with other discussion leaders. * Come to class extra prepared to discuss the readings. Do additional readings if necessary. You may bring in additional materials if you would like. * Be prepared to briefly summarize and discuss readings for the class if called upon to do so. * Help facilitate class discussion as time necessitates. For extra participation points on these days, you may also read and summarize one of the optional readings to discuss with the class. Career Discussion: presented on your web page & to the class Once during the semester, you will be presenting a writing career to the class. This will require some research that you will complete ahead of time (so start soon). Your sign-up dates and additional information are listed below. Requirements for Career Exploration Discussion/Presentation Once you have signed up for a career to present, you should begin your research. You will compile information (as outlined below) on your career that you plan to present. All of this information will be compiled in an interested, appealing way on your Weebly site on a separate page tab. Plan on discussing the career you choose for at least 10-15 minutes with the class on

the day you have signed up. You will come to class with the following: * A brief explanation of the career (in your own words) This can be printed out if you would like to give a handout to the class, but you are also to provide all of this information on a page of your Weebly site. You can present from your Weebly site in class. * Some sample, possibly noteworthy people who have this career (provide links to their web sites if possible) * Provide further readings for the class to learn about this career (linked on your site) * The potential salary for this career * The necessary skills for this career * A sample "day in the life" of someone for this career * A sample of the type of work done by someone with this career * The necessary education for this career Suggestion: link possible programs that would prepare you for this career * A suggested or sample job search; are any jobs available or advertised for this position? Provide a sample for the class. Classroom Attendance & Participation: Students are expected to attend every class. However, circumstances may arise that are beyond your control and result in a missed class. If you miss class, it is YOUR responsibility to find out what material you missedthis includes getting access to class notes and reading/writing assignments. You cannot pass this class if you miss more than the maximum number of permissible absences. As this is a 1 credit course, 1 absence will be permitted that will NOT affect the final grade. AFTER the 1 absence, your final grade will be reduced by one letter grade. Remember that the total number of unexcused and excused absences must not exceed two (2) for this 5week semester or you will have to withdrawal from the course. You cannot miss more than 1/5 of the course meetings and still be an active participant in the course. You will be permitted to make up missed work for excused absences only. These include: religious observances official University activities illness death of a family member or loved one severe inclement weather

For an absence to be considered excused, you must provide official or verifiable documentation. If you exceed the maximum absence limit, even for reasons that are excused, you must withdrawal from the course. Normally, you will receive a grade of WF (Withdrawal Failing) on your transcript, but the Dean of Students, in consultation with your instructor, may change this to a simple W.

Is it also important that you arrive to class on time and stay until the class ends. Three (3) late arrivals or early departures will equal one (1) unexcused absence. A late arrival is considered arriving any more than five (5) minutes after the scheduled starting time of class. An early departure is considered leaving any time before your instructor ends class. If you are more than thirty (15) minutes late to class, you will be marked absent. Finally, in addition to attending class and arriving on time, it is also required that you actively participate in classroom discussions and activities. Throughout this semester, you will come to learn that skillful academic writing is actually a result of a social process that includes discussion and feedback among yourself, your peers and your instructor. It is essential to your success in this course that you are an active participant in this learning community.

Your Responsibilities as a Student: YOU are responsible for understanding and abiding by the policies set forth in this syllabus. You are expected to come to class on time, to be prepared for class, to come to conferences as scheduled, to be familiar with the course requirements explained on this syllabus, to have materials when required, and in general to conduct yourself as a responsible student, learner, and adult. Sometimes we may not discuss all the assigned reading material in the next class, but you will still be held accountable for the concepts you read about. You should become familiar with the vocabulary, and to ask questions if you are confused. Feel free to e-mail me or stop by my office with questions; I will respond as quickly as I can, but Im not online or available 24-7, so allow a reasonable amount of time for me to get back to you. That being said Office hours: My office hours provide an opportunity for you to meet one on one with me. You may drop in during these times or make an appointment with me to talk about any questions or comments you have about your progress in the course. Academic Integrity Policy: All students at Rowan are responsible for understanding what constitutes academic dishonesty and knowing all the procedures, rights and obligations involved in the Universitys Academic Integrity Policy. The complete policy can be found at www.rowan.edu/studentaffairs/infoguide/ Early in this semester we will discuss Rowans Academic Integrity Policy in depth, but until then you should basically know that academic dishonesty, in any form, will not be tolerated. Students who commit an act of academic dishonesty will be subject to disciplinary sanctions up to and including expulsion from the University. Academic dishonesty includes submitting a paper with plagiarized material, fabricating research, and representing someone elses work as your own. Policy on the Recycling of Papers: The Department of Writing Arts does not allow students to turn in the same writing assignment for more than one class. Students must receive express permission of their instructor to submit writing (or a substantial part of a written text) previously submitted in another class. Not doing

so is considered academic dishonesty and, following the policies laid out by Rowan, may result in an F for that assignment and possibly an F for the course grade. Policy on Authorized and Unauthorized Assistance: The Department of Writing Arts makes a clear distinction between authorized assistance when students receive extra help with an assignmentand unauthorized assistancewhen students have someone else write a paper or sections of a paper for them. A tutor or a second reader may help you develop your ideas, better organize your thoughts, and locate grammar and mechanical errors, but should not do your writing for you. All of the writing that you submit in class must be your own work. Do not attempt to represent someone elses work as your own. Doing so will be considered a violation of Rowans Academic Integrity Policy and may result in an F for that assignment and possibly an F for the course grade. Late work: I expect assignments to be turned in on the day they are due (blog and online assignments should be posted before class startsnot during class). You may turn in late assignments for partial credit if you make arrangements with me prior to the due date. For each class day an assignment is late, one letter grade will be deducted. If you are too ill to attend class, have someone bring your paper to class for you. I will only accept e-mailed papers if you have contacted me in advance. Classroom Etiquette: The following actions will not be tolerated and will be documented to affect your participation grade. Continued misbehavior as outlined below could result in removal from the classroom: Disruptive outbursts, foul or sexually explicit language, irrelevant personal comments. Chronic tardiness. Use of cell phones/text messaging, iPods, or other electronic devices. Degrading ethnic, racial, sexist, or homophobic remarks. Special Needs: If you have a university-recognized disability that requires an accommodation, please make an appointment with me to discuss your needs. It is your responsibility to contact me, as I will not be aware of your needed accommodations otherwise. Changes to Our Syllabus: A syllabus is always a work in progress, so changes to our syllabus canand probably will occur as the term progresses. I will always announce changes to our syllabus in class, and also via email or on the course Weebly. If you miss class, be sure to check with me or a classmate to see if there are any changes in assignments. I will also announce changes over email, using Blackboards email function. If you have multiple email accounts, be sure to check your Rowan account regularly.