Course Description:

This course is designed primarily for students pursuing an MA in English with an emphasis in Writing, Discourse, and Community, but is appropriate for any graduate student wishing to learn how to use practical experiences (internships, etc.) to better understand how writing and discourse function within a particular community (work setting, school, agency, business, etc.). Students in this course will be asked to develop a research plan for examining the writing and discourse in a particular setting, to follow up on that research, and to share their work with other students in the course both through presentations and written papers. Students will thus finish the course better able to understand the way in which oral and written discourse works within particular settings, to frame appropriate research questions, and to report what they have learned or discovered effectively in their own writing.

This class will be run as a seminar in which students will be expected to share information and their work with each other. At the beginning of the semester, students will read and discuss works which provide general discussions of doing research on work settings. As the course progresses, students will share drafts of their own work and collaborate to develop effective strategies for completing their own projects.

Students in this course will be required to develop, write, and turn in a semester-long project related to their experience. Thus, students will be required to submit:

a project proposal
15% of final grade

a background review
20% of final grade

a project draft
20% of final grade

a project presentation
15% of final grade

a final project
30% of final grade

Recommended materials will be handed out during class.

Course outline: see attached syllabus

Grading
A: Outstanding work (90-100 %)
B: Above average work (80-89%)
C: Average work (70-79%)
D: Below average work (60-69%)
F: Failing Grade (0-59%)