Download the syllabus here: Professional Editing and Revising Syllabus
Contents
ENG 2730, OL07, Professional Editing and Revising, Spring 2021
Asynchronous
Professor R. Ferdinand
Email: Rferdinand@citytech.cuny.edu
Office Hours: Monday: 10:00—11:30 a.m. Mondays and by appointment
Course Description
Students will learn to identify audiences and choose appropriate language, tone, and style in order to write, edit, and revise a variety of communiqués in various workplace scenarios. Revision documents may be internally created or externally appropriated, depending on the instructor’s discretion. Instruction in the protocols of revising, editing, proofreading, and associated tasks. An emphasis on the ability to rethink and adapt to ever-present writing exigencies.
Course Goals
Students will be able to:
- Analyze and understand a variety of communication situations, their needs, expectations, and constraints.
- Critique, explain, and practice the efficacy with which a variety of business and technical publications are able to meet their genre expectations.
- Understand revision as beginning with the process of being able to see the same thing differently and refiguring the project, if necessary.
- Execute, practice, and speak competently upon the differences in content, quality, and nuance between inception and finished piece.
- Understand and practice editing and proofreading as more than mechanical operations of correcting mistakes but as tied to the refinement of thought and expression.
By the end of class, students will be able to:
| Learning Outcomes | Measurement
|
| Perform comprehensive editing, copyediting, and proofreading
|
Final project |
| Use and understand editorial terminology
|
Final project, Daily assignments |
| Understand the profession of editing, including career possibilities and professional and ethical responsibilities
|
Daily assignments |
| Revise for tone, clarity, conciseness, and continuity
|
Daily assignments, grammar tests, final project |
| Use traditional copyediting marks
|
Daily assignments and Final Project |
| Become familiar with project management techniques
|
Final Project |
| Use technologies related to editing
|
Final Project and daily assignments |
Prerequisite: ENG 2700
Required Texts (All Available through Openlab and the Library Website or here)
Murphy, Avon J, and Charles H. Sides. New Perspectives in Technical Editing. Taylor & Francis Group, 2010.
OR here:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/citytech-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3117824
Kaplan, Bruce. Editing Made Easy: Simple Rules for Effective Writing. Upper Access, Inc., 2012.
Permalink: http://cityte.ch/xq
OR here:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/citytech-ebooks/detail.action?docID=915561
Carman, Lindsey, and Publishing Group Atlantic. The Young Adult’s Guide to Flawless Writing: Essential Explanations, Examples, and Exercises, Atlantic Publishing Group, 2015.
Permalink:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/citytechebooks/reader.action?docID=4728989&ppg=234
Shrunk, William. The Elements of Style. 2000. This one is available through Internet Archive for preview and borrowing. Available at: https://cunyny.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_NY/1ik5uu4/alma990049157120106136
Course Structure
This class is asynchronous, which means that we will not meet during a scheduled time frame. Instead, you will log into Openlab and Blackboard to access content for the course.
Our OpenLab site can be accessed through this link: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/ferdinandeng2730spring2019/
Regular attendance and active participation are extremely important, so be sure to log into Blackboard and OpenLab daily. Not logging will negatively affect you in the following ways: You will lose active participation because class writing/activities cannot be made up, you will be less prepared for completing assignments, and you will quickly fall behind on the course concepts covered in lectures and discussions. If you miss a week, it is your responsibility to email me about your situation, to keep up with the reading/homework, and to contact your classmates to find out what you missed.
In order to demonstrate that you are fully present during class, I expect you to participate in lively discussion boards, respond to classmates and to my queries, complete weekly assignments (including quizzes and readings), and to participate in a positive classroom environment (including treating your fellow students and myself with a positive and respectful attitude).
Communication Policy:
Participation in each module is mandatory for this course. Assignments are placed in weekly modules in Blackboard while Openlab has the listed assignments and readings. Some weeks contain short assignments and discussion boards while some weeks require no work to be submitted.
Discussion Guidelines for Discussion Board posts:
Please note that your posting on the discussion board is limited to the week that the topic is being discussed, as it is outlined in the Course Guide. Failure to adhere to the course schedule will result in you receiving no credit for the assignment (s).
Limit Responses:
Limit most discussion responses to 1‐2 screens. That’s approximately 24 lines per screen, depending upon your software package. Please also bear in mind that opening your message may take time, so avoid posts that simply say “Me too!” or “I agree!” Make every effort to ensure that your posts are substantive and concise. And a little humor is always welcome!
Interaction:
While there is a minimum requirement for participation in the discussion forums, it is not a maximum. You are required to respond to other students’ opinions (minimum of 2 students), offer helpful feedback, or answer questions in the interest of continuing the ongoing dialog of topics related to online learning. As always, exercise proper netiquette and maintain a tactful, respectful tone in your comments in this course.
Rubric:
Your posting on the Discussion Board will be evaluated on a scale based on the following criteria:
- Understanding. Student demonstrates a clear understanding of the concepts that are being discussed.
- Writing Skills. Student responses will be assessed based on the quality of their writing, such as spelling, grammar, syntax, sentence structure, etc.
- Application/Analysis. Student application and analysis of concepts are clear, as a result insight has been offered to the discussion.
- Peer Feedback. Student feedback to their peer’s posts are of high quality and timely. High quality demonstrates that the student is adding to the discussion and not just saying “I agree” or “You are right.” Timely means that the students meets the required deadline set for peer feedback.
Grading
| Chapter Summaries (Assignment Worksheet) | 15% |
| Discussion Boards | 20% |
| Grammar Test | 10% |
| Definition Assignment | 15% |
| Other Assignments | 20% |
| Client Project | 20 % |
| Total | 100% |
Chapter Summaries (Assignment Worksheet): Assignment Worksheets allow you to provide a summary of the chapter that you read. They help guide you in your analysis of the chapter by helping you determine the main idea of the chapter, and the major points that the chapter focuses on. You should demonstrate your understanding of the chapter and determine what/if anything, you learned from it.
Grammar Test: We will spend about three weeks covering grammar. Then, you will complete a test where you have to choose the correct answer. This test will demonstrate your understanding of the rules of grammar.
Definition Assignment: This assignment asks you to do some research. You can find journal articles through the library, Google the terms, use your books, or use the Society for Technical Communication (STC) to find information. Make sure your information is reputable and correct!
Devoting a paragraph for each, define the editing roles of the following:
- Proofreader,
- Production Editor,
- Copy Editor,
- Literary Editor,
- Developmental Editor, and
- Technical Editor.
Other Assignments: These are assignments that are in Blackboard.
Discussion Boards: Discussion boards are a very important element of your grade. In the discussion boards, you will post and respond to at least 2 classmates. Your post should show thoughtfulness (more than “I agree”), and should be written in clear, grammatically correct English.
Client Project: For the Client Project, you will work as an editor with a writer from your group. You will edit a technical document (instructions, policy manual, proposal, business plan, brochures, newsletters, etc). More explanation provided in Openlab.
Written Work
- Since writing is a process, you should draft and revise your work before submitting the final draft. While I will not review an entire document via email, I’m happy to conference with you about your drafts and ideas during my office hours. I am also happy to respond to specific questions via email. Feel free to consult with me at any stage in your writing process.
- Your writing should be grammatically correct and free of spelling errors, and it should demonstrate increasingly complex critical thinking and analysis as the semester progresses. If this is a challenge for you, I encourage you to visit my office hours and the Learning Center for help throughout the semester.
- I DO NOT accept late work. All work is due online when indicated or you will get no credit for them. If you have a personal emergency or other circumstances that prohibit you from finishing your assignment on time or turning in work as scheduled, email or see me as soon as possible so we can discuss your situation.
Center for Student Accessibility
The Center for Student Accessibility (CSA) is located in the Atrium Building (A-237) and provides accommodations for students with documented disabilities. For more information, please call (718) 2605143 or email John Currie at jcurrie@citytech.cuny.edu. If you have an IEP or have received extra time on tests in the past, you need to coordinate with CSA early in the semester.
Finally, please keep in mind throughout the semester, if ever any type of question, problem, or confusion should arise contact me so that we can address whatever may prevent you from successfully completing this course.
New York City College of Technology Policy on Academic Integrity
Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. The complete text of the College policy on Academic Integrity may be found in the catalog.
Students are expected to be familiar with the accepted academic principles regarding plagiarism. If ANY section, no matter how small, of your work is plagiarized, you will get a ZERO for that paper, with no rewrites.
Weekly Course Outline (subject to change):
Readings and assignments are due by the beginning of class on the dates shown. This is a list of the major reading assignments for the course. It may be revised as dictated by the needs of the class. Students are responsible for completing all assigned reading before the stated deadline.
For a weekly schedule of readings and homework, see Weekly Course Schedule
