ENC 3416-06 Writing and Editing in Print and Online (WEPO)

http://myweb.fsu.edu/jjm09f/WEPOFall2011/index.html WMS 317

TR 9:30-10:45

Instructor: Josh Mehler Office: WMS 329 Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 10:45am-12:00pm or by appointment Email: jmehler@fsu.edu

Course Description ENG 3416 (WEPO) is one of three core courses for EWM, and as such, it helps to provide a foundation for your major. To develop this foundation, the course will introduce you to the principles of composing and editing as they are enacted across different media environments, paying special attention to the constraints of each environment and the changes (challenges) that occur as you work in and across each type. WEPO aims to teach a meta-cognitive awareness of composing-editing processes, one that will help you to develop a language you can use to understand and describe (1) the texts you create and the processes by which you create them, (2) the interactions you invite through the media you employ, and (3) the changes that emerge in your composing-editing processes as you work across different media. If the course is successful, you will find that you create and read texts differently, that you are much more informed about how others will interact with your texts, and that you bring a new theory and intentionality to your composing and editing.

The goals of this course are as follows: (1) to increase your composing-designing proficiency within and across different media, (2) to increase your editorial/editing proficiency, and (3) to increase your awareness and control of the rhetorical principles that infuse each. To achieve these goals, you will both work individually and collaborate with others to create works in a variety of print, screen, and network media, and you will learn how to edit those works appropriately per the media in which they appear. You will also re-purpose (remediate) at least one of those works for another medium. Course Outcomes Students who complete this course will:

• Know the theories and principles of composing in print and digital media environments • Be able to employ these theories and principles both to read and to create works within and

across various media • Possess a meta-cognitive awareness of rhetorical principles as they apply to working within

different media environments • Read and write within and against the genre

conventions appropriate to different media and texts Keywords This semester we will be exploring several different concepts and as a result you will be reading about and then defining the following terms: rhetoric, visual rhetoric, remediation, the five canons of rhetoric, rhetorical situation, kairos, audience, logos, ethos, pathos, genre, literacy, meaning, communication, design, digital, digitality, remix, interfaces, image, edit/rewrite/revise, visual, cultures, text, hypertext, collaboration, reflection Undoubtedly, we will encounter and need to define even more terms as we progress in our work. Key Questions We will explore these questions through class discussions, and you will answer them in various composing spaces—the class blog, written reflections and your main assignments:

• What is rhetoric? • What is visual rhetoric? • What is remediation? • What does it mean to write and compose? • What does it mean to communicate? • What are the differences in communicating in one medium—say, print—as compared to the

screen as compared to online? • What is the role of genre in communication? • What is the difference between reading a book and “reading” a hypertext? • How do we assess our own work? • What are some principles of editing for ourselves and editing the texts of others? • What is your theory of composing?

Texts Bolter, Jay David and Richard Grusin, Remediation: Understanding New Media. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1999. In addition, we will be working with a collection of assorted PDFs and other online resources. However, it is also strongly recommended that you consider purchasing a handbook (preferably The McGraw-Hill Handbook which is widely available on campus) for assistance with writing and research citation (We’ll be doing lots of both). Course Requirements In order to receive course credit, you must submit the following materials (all of which I will describe in further detail on the assignment sheets):

1) Weekly Projects (50% of your final grade): These five assignments will provide you with an opportunity to put the theories and principles we will learn from our readings into practice.

2) Assignment One: Remediation 2.0 (25% of your final grade): This assignment will be a collaborative project in which you will work with a group of classmates to write, edit, and circulate edited and revised chapters from Bolter and Grusin’s Remediation in print form.

3) Assignment Two: Remediation 3.0 (25% of your final grade): This assignment will be similar

to your Print Media Project except that you will be required to individually write, edit, and publish edited and revised chapters from Bolter and Grusin’s Remediation in a digital form.

In addition to the assignments listed above, you must be a thoughtful, active, and responsible participant in class, which includes engagement in class discussion, proper preparation for class, participating in any in-class exercises, and consistent attendance. Evaluation and Grading I will write detailed responses to your Assignment One and Two projects. My responses will

evaluate your performance on the projects according to criteria I will identify on your assignment sheets. The criteria will be specific to the rhetorical principles you learn during the semester and to the particular medium in which you are working. My responses will also serve as an opportunity for us to enter into a dialogue about your progress toward the course outcomes. (Please be aware that you will earn a failing grade on these assignments by not submitting them within the allotted time frame. More specifically, you are eligible for full credit on the day the project is due, but your grade will drop by one letter for each day the project is late. After the fourth day you have not submitted your work, you will have earned an “F”).

As for your Weekly Projects, I will assign them a number out of ten. Again, you are eligible for full credit on the day the projects are due (Fridays by Noon), but your grade will drop by two points for each day the project is late. After the fourth day you have not submitted your work, you will have earned an F. I will identify specific expectations for each Weekly Project as I assign them. Attendance Attendance is a requirement. Attendance and participation are an important part of the learning process. Our classroom community will function based on how much everyone contributes and participates-if you are not here, the community isn’t complete. Therefore, I expect you to attend every class. Seriously. Excessive absenteeism will result in the deduction of your grade. Documented emergencies and illness will be considered on an individual basis. However, I enforce an attendance policy according to which you are allowed 4 absences--at which time you will be given a warning. At more than four absences (a full two weeks’ worth of classes!), you cannot pass this course. Period. Please contact me via email if you know you will be legitimately missing a class. I’d also strongly encourage using your class peers as a resource to help you catch up if you ever miss a class. Finally do not be late. Continued lateness (after I have taken attendance--which I will begin each day at 9:30 am--you are late) will be counted as an absence. Three lates equal one absence. This includes leaving early for any reason. Please do NOT make appointments during our class time, no exceptions. Plagiarism Plagiarism is unacceptable (as well as being incredibly tacky in an advanced-level class.). Deliberate plagiarism on any scale will result in a failing grade.

According to the Faculty Senate, “You are expected to uphold the Academic Honor Code published in The Florida State University Bulletin and the Student Handbook. The academic honor system of The Florida State University is based on the premise that each student has the responsibility (1) to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity in the student’s own work, (2) to refuse to tolerate violations of academic integrity, and (3) to foster a high sense of integrity and social responsibility on the part of the university community. The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University’s expectations for the integrity of students’ academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those

expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to “. . . be honest and truthful and . . . [to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University.” (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at http://dof.fsu.edu/honorpolicy.htm.) Grading When determining and calculating grades, I use the 4-point system described in the Academic Regulations and Procedures for FSU, including +/- grading. Keep in mind that at the university level, C-level work means "average" in that it meets the basic requirements of an assignment; B-level work goes beyond the basic requirements to demonstrate an above average or "good" level of development and completion; and A-level work shows an "excellent" level of development and completion. Grading Scale (See FSU General Bulletin 2010-11, http://registrar.fsu.edu/bulletin/undergrad/info/acad_regs.htm):

Definition Grade Quality Points Per Credit Hour

Excellent A 4.00

A– 3.75

Good B+ 3.25

B 3.00

B– 2.75

Average C+ 2.25

C 2.00

C– 1.75

Poor D+ 1.25

D 1.00

D– 0.75

Failure F 0.00

The two major assignments will receive a letter grade from the above scale. Assignment descriptions outlined in the assignment description documents will serve as my rubrics for determining these letter grades. Weekly Projects (which includes the reader’s notebook, short written assignments, short presentations, blog entries) will receive a number out of ten. At the end of the semester, I will add all of the grades of the five Weekly Projects to determine your Weekly Project grade. When I calculate final grades for the semester, I will convert letter grades to the corresponding GPA numbers as displayed above and average these grades according to the percentages listed below. The

cutoffs are at the .5 "fault line" and the .15 "fault lines" (.85 and .15). For example, a final average of 3.49 is a B+, and a 3.51 is an A- (I usually count a 3.5, too). Similarly, a 3.84 is an A- rather than an A, and a 3.14 is a B rather than a B+. Additional Policies and Resources Reading/Writing Center (RWC) The RWC offers one-on-one help for students with their writing, whether they need help with a writing problem, understanding what their teacher wants, or just want to do better on their writing assignments. The Center is staffed both by teaching assistants who are trained in writing and teaching and by undergraduates who have successfully completed the center’s peer tutoring program. Make an appointment by calling ahead (644-6495) or stopping in (WMS 222-C). For hours of operation, visit their website: http://wr.english.fsu.edu/Reading-Writing-Center. Other options include online tutoring (you may submit your work via email to fsu.webtutor@gmail.com) as well as a satellite location in Strozier library. Digital Studio The Digital Studio (WMS 222-B) provides support to students working individually or in groups on multi-media projects and digital assignments such as we will be doing in this class. Students will find consultation assistance at the Digital Studio for such endeavors as designing an electronic portfolio, conducting online research for an essay, creating a blog, selecting images for a visual essay, writing a script for a podcast, and increasing overall capabilities in digital communication. Tutors can assist with brainstorming ideas, providing feedback on content and design, facilitating collaboration for group projects and organizing digital presentations. For hours of operation, visit their website: http://wr.english.fsu.edu/Digital-Studio. You may make appointments by walking in or by submitting an email to FSUDigitalStudio@gmail.com. Americans with Disabilities Act Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center and (2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class. This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request.

For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, contact the:

Student Disability Resource Center 97 Woodward Avenue, South 108 Student Services Building Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167 (850) 644-9566 (voice) (850) 644-8504 (TDD) sdrc@admin.fsu.edu http://www.disabilitycenter.fsu.edu/

Final Note As your instructor, I am committed to helping you achieve the course outcomes. As such, I encourage you to see me during office hours, to schedule appointments with me when needed, and to contact me via email with any questions you might have. I am here to help you succeed. I am also here to foster a collaborative learning environment within the classroom, one in which we will work together both to learn the principles of composing-editing processes and to use those principles to create texts that are reflective of our individual interests and passions. As such, I will bring my curiosity and enthusiasm to the class, and I ask that you do the same.