ENGL 4206 Writing for the Real World
Instructor Contact:
Rachael Deagman Simonetta
Email: deagman@colorado.edu
About the Course:
To prepare students to write in the real world, this course explores the types and conventions of writing produced in different fields such as public relations, marketing, or business. Students will analyze and generate a range of written genres, from basic correspondence to more complex podcasts, blogs, and websites. We will study real world documents and then apply and adapt the models to suit the rhetorical conventions necessary to communicate with target audiences within specific contexts. Students will hear from real world supervisors at English internship sites, study sample documents, and then write, revise, and edit prose that will be of value in the professional environment.
Learning Goals:
By the end of the course, students will:
- demonstrate specialized rhetorical knowledge by composing texts in a variety of disciplinary forms and genres for specific audiences and purposes;
- argue persuasively with evidence, using field-specific forms and genres to present ideas and information;
- demonstrate enhanced critical reading skills;
- reflect on and refine the writing process;
- demonstrate specialized information literacy by applying research to real world questions/issues;
- apply language conventions appropriately, including format, documentation, spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Required Text:
Course text might include:
Charles Marsh, David W. Guth, and Bonnie Poovey Short, Strategic Writing: Multimedia Writing for Public Relations, Advertising and More, 4th edition. New York and London: Routledge, 2018.
Grading:
Assignments and grading rubric are subject to change. Assignments might include the following:
Syllabus Quiz 2%
Discussion Posts/Journal entries 25%
Job Application Documents (2 genres) 5%
Business Correspondence (2 genres) 10%
Sales and Marketing Documents (2 genres) 10%
Public Relations (4 genres) 20%
Real World Writing Portfolio 20%
Revisions/Writing Workshops 8%