Fall 2006

Course Overview and Goals

This course will introduce you to the basic principles of editing documents for grammar, syntax, organization, professional style, emphasis, and audience awareness. The course will focus on the common methods of marking documents using established symbols and conventions as well as electronic methods of editing. We'll also cover distinguishing between grammatical and stylistic comments; principles of contextual editing; basic editorial activities; methods for analyzing, critiquing, and revising manuscripts for different audiences; and techniques for creating successful writer/editor dialogue.

This course allows you the opportunity to investigate different styles and style manuals and will ask you to create documents using styles to demonstrate your comprehension of the various formats and conventions. We'll also discuss the role of the editor in organizational settings and ethical issues in editing. The course objectives are

1. To give you practical knowledge of both hard copy and electronic editing
2. To provide opportunities for you to use copy marking symbols and style manuals, to create and apply a style sheet, and to learn about the indexing process
3. To provide you with skills, strategies, and conceptual knowledge to help you understand aspects of editing and managing the document production process.
4. To prepare you to communicate effectively, ethically, responsibly, and professionally in a professional environment as an editor
5. To help you understand the symbiotic relationships among form and content; audience and purpose; and the tasks of writers, editors, and others

While working on editing problems will certainly help you with your own writing (both stylistically and mechanically), I'm assuming that you all have a good grasp of English grammar. However, if you have any problems or questions about grammar issues or about grammar terms, let me know.

  Texts

Required:

Carolyn Rude, Technical Editing, 4th Edition. Allyn and Bacon, 2005.

Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Ed.

Dictionary

Other Recommended Texts

The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. Ed. Norm Goldstein. Cambridge MA: Perseus Publishing,    2002.

Economist Style Guide, 8th . Ed. London: Profile Books, 2004.

Rubens, Philip. Science and Technical Writing: A Manual of Style. NY: Routledge, 2001.

Woolever, Kristin R. Writing for the Technical Professional. 2nd Ed. NY: Longman, 2002. ISBN 0-321-08416-0 

Technical or Business Writing Handbooks such as:

Jones, Dan. The Technical Communicator's Handbook. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000.

St. Martin's Press also publishes Handbooks for both Technical and Business Writing, authored by Alred, Brusaw and Oliu.

Cook, Claire Kehrwald. Line by Line: The MLA's Guide to Improving Your Writing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1985.

Projects

For each of the following assignments, I'll start a discussion thread on Blackboard that will include a link to a more complete description of the assignment requirements and evaluation criteria.

Evaluation

Evaluations will reflect how well you have met an assignment's requirements, your use of professional style, tone, and conventions; and your correct use of English. Papers that contain serious grammatical errors (sentence fragments, run-on sentences, comma splices, etc.) cannot receive a grade higher than "C." Other evaluation criteria include the following:

Grade	Criteria
A	Demonstrates a superior analysis of the assignment; excellent attention to the content, organization, design, and style that addresses both the practical and rhetorical requirements of the particular situation. Excellent choice and use of editing concepts, guidelines, and styles. Writing is clear, coherent, fluid, and stylistically appropriate. Has no major mechanical errors, few minor errors. Shows insight, perceptiveness, originality, and thought.
B	Demonstrates thorough, well-organized analysis of the assignment. Shows judgment and skill in the presentation of material appropriate for the situation. Supports ideas well with concrete details. Generally effective use of editing concepts, guidelines, and styles. Written work is interesting, precise, clear, and free of major mechanical errors. Strong, interesting work, although minor problems may be present.
C	Meets all basic requirements of the assignment. Provides a satisfactory analysis of the task. Accomplishes its purpose with adequate content, design, and detail. Uses details, organization, appropriate expression, and acceptable mechanics for the context. Shows understanding of editing concepts, guidelines, and styles, though application may not be consistent throughout document. Nothing remarkably good or bad about the work. Equivalent work could be used in the professional world with minor corrections.
D	Weak in one of the major areas (content appropriate for purpose, organization, style, or mechanics) or offers a routine, inadequate treatment. Application of editing concepts, guidelines, and styles is inadequate or inappropriate. Shows generally substandard work with some redeeming features.
F	Fails to meet one or more of the basic requirements of the assignment. May fail to cover essential points, or may digress to nonessential material. May lack adequate organization and show confusion or misunderstanding of genre or context. May use an inappropriate tone, poor word choice, or awkward sentence structure. May be unclear. Poor application of editing concepts, guidelines, and styles. Contains an unacceptable level of major and minor errors.

Policies & Procedures

Start up

To begin the class, you need to follow the instructions for "start up" on the TPC Web site and in messages from Dr. Southard. Please note these instruction differ according to the number of TPC classes you have taken.

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Scheduling and Deadlines

I'll post new materials, activities, and discussion threads on Monday of the week they're noted on the schedule. Make sure to check the Schedule and the Blackboard course site to keep current.

All the readings are listed on the Schedule. Please do the readings as early in the week as possible so you're ready for discussion and activities.

All projects and activities are due by midnight of the due date indicated in the Schedule. If a project cannot be completed on time, contact me via email before the due date to arrange an extension.

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Formatting, Naming, and Transmitting Projects

The formatting for assignments will vary depending on the documents and editing styles we're working with. However, some general formatting, naming, and transmittal guidelines will apply to most assignments:

1. Format your files with one inch margins (unless the assignment requirements differ)
2. Use legible fonts that are available on multiple platforms such as Times (serif) or Arial (sans-serif) in a readable size such as 11 or 12 point.
3. Save electronic documents as Rich Text Format [rtf] files or, if you're using Word, Word .doc files.
4. Name the files with your last name and the project number. For example, my first project submission would be named "kain_1.rtf" or"kain1.doc." When I return graded assignments electronically, I'll add the word "graded" to the files name (e.g., "kain_1_graded.rft"). Don't use your social security numbers.
5. You have two alternatives for submitting most electronic assignments.
   
   (a) Submit work via the digital drop box in Blackboard. It's very easy. Go to the digital dropbox and follow the instructions to drop and send the file. You can only attach one file at a tiem with this methods, so you may have more than one drop per assignment. If you have software to zip several files into one file, do that and attach your zip file. The drop box delivery is the method I would prefer that you use and it will save you space in you ECU e-mail account.
   
   (b) Alternatively, you may send files as e-mail attachments to my campus e-mail (kaind@ecu.edu). If you e-mail files:
   
   • In the email provide your name and title of project or project number in the subject line.
   • Do NOT send blank email messages.
6. Some activities and assignments require that you mark-up hardcopy. To submit these tasks, you'll need to fax them, mail them, or drop them off. Alternatively, if you have a scanner handy, you can scan the marked-up document and place the assignment in the digital dropbox in Blackboard (preferred) or attach the electronic version to an e-mail.
   
   • Mail assignments to:
     Dr. Donna Kain
     Department of English
     Bate Building 2139
     East Carolina University
     Greenville NC 27858-4353
     (please allow one or two days for mail to reach me)
   • Fax assignments to:
     Dr. Donna Kain
     c/o Department of English
     Fax: (252) 328-4889
     (on the fax cover sheet include you name, 6721, and the assignment number.)
   • Place scanned hard copy in the Blackboard digital dropbox.
   • Send e-mail with attachment to:
     kaind@mail.edu.edu
   • You may also drop assignments off at the English department office if you live close by. The office is open until 4:30.
   I'll respond to your paper assignments by scanned copy attached to an e-mail.

Academic Honesty

In this course, plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty will be treated based on the East Carolina University Code of Conduct.

We'll be discussing ethical issues related to editing, citing sources, and acquiring permissions as part of the course. Because this is a graduate level course, I'm assuming that you are all familiar with what constitutes improper uses of sources and copyrighted materials. Sometimes, however, the rules for adequately citing sources and/or the procedures for acquiring permissions are not entirely clear cut. We should discuss any issues as they arise, particularly in terms of the ways in which these areas impact editors and editorial decisions.

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East Carolina University and the Americans with Disabilities Act

East Carolina University seeks to fully comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  Students requesting accommodations based on a covered disability must go to the Department for Disability Support Services, Brewster A-114, to verify the disability before any accommodations can occur. The telephone number 252-328-6799.

• In the subject line, include "6721:" followed by the subject of the posting.
• Include your name and email address in all postings.
• When submitting a project via e-mail, attach the file to an email message; do not paste it into the message.
• When submitting a project, include a brief message stating your name and project number.
• Files incorrectly named will be returned.

I try to return e-mails twice a day, late morning and late afternoon. Sometimes I'll respond or send e-mail in the evenings. I don't always respond to e-mails on Saturday. I generally check e-mail on Sunday afternoon.

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