Instructor
- Kevin G. Smith
- Email: k.smith@neu.edu
- Office: Holmes Hall 435
- Office hours: T/TH 3:15-4:15 PM, M/W 12:15-1:15, F by appointment
Course Materials:
- Selected Readings (PDFs and links on Bb)
- A back-up method for all course work, such as Dropbox, a flashdrive, cloud, etc. (“my computer is broken” or “my flashdrive was lost” are not excuses I will accept for missed assignments).
- A laptop that can run </oXygen> XML Editor (see: https://www.oxygenxml.com/xml_editor/download_oxygenxml_editor.html for requirements). While you can compose XML in any text editor, Oxygen has a range of features (validation, auto-completion, prompts, etc.) that are particularly helpful for using it in this setting.
Course Information
About AWD (from the Writing Program): Advanced Writing in the Disciplines (AWD) considers issues in writing appropriate to students who are undertaking intensive study in their major field and who are beginning to contemplate life after college. Therefore, students should have accrued 64 academic credits (including the current semester) before they take AWD and have completed or received credit for College Writing. Further, AWD is best taken after a student’s first co-op experience, thus providing useful reference points for the rhetorical issues addressed in class. Additionally, student writing is the main object of attention and analysis, with students frequently sharing and discussing written work in class. Finally, AWD takes seriously the proposition that differences among fields have consequences for the kinds of writing pursued by members of those fields. As a result, students work to develop an understanding of the function of writing and research in their disciplines in contrast to abstract or universal ideas about “good” writing and research. It is this focus that makes AWD unique.
About 3302 (from the Writing Program): Advanced Writing in the Technical Professions provides writing instruction for students in the College of Engineering and the College of Computer and Information Science. Students practice and reflect on writing in professional, public, and academic genres, such as technical reports, progress reports, proposals, instructions, presentations, and technical reviews, relevant to technical professions and individual student goals. In a workshop setting, students evaluate a wide variety of sources and develop expertise in audience analysis, critical research, peer review, and revision. Prereq. (a) ENGW 1111, ENGW 1102, ENGL 1111, or ENGL 1102 and (b) junior or senior standing.
Submission and In-class work Guidelines:
- On Time—I penalize late work by subtracting a letter grade for each day, including weekends, that the assignment is submitted. Work is due by class time (1:30 PM) on the date stated in the course outline. Extensions are granted only in cases of emergency and only in advance (not the night before the assignment is due).
- Paper less—I try to keep a paperless classroom. This means that all of your work will be submitted electronically via email or Blackboard. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to back-up your work. This also means that I encourage you to bring in readings and drafts on your laptop or tablet. You can expect to bring your laptop to class nearly every day of class.
- With an Appropriate File Type and Name—electronic files should be submitted as a .doc or .docx. No other file types will be accepted. Please name your files with your last name and project number. For example, if I submitted Project 1 electronically, I would name the file: Smith_Project1. Please, no spaces. The more uniform your file type, the less likely your file will be lost in my “downloads” folder, which is huge and chaotic.
- Meet the Basic Requirements—review the assignment guidelines on Blackboard under Assignments before handing in your work.
- Use Appropriate and Professional Citations—in both working and final drafts. This means following the style guide required for your field.
Attendance:
Writing Program policy requires regular attendance at class meetings. Significant and/or frequent tardiness may be counted as unexcused absences at the instructor’s discretion. Students also have the right to a limited number of excused absences due to a religious observance, illness, death in the family, required participation in athletic events, or other serious and unavoidable life circumstances. Students are responsible for notifying instructors when they must miss class for any reason. Instructors are responsible for determining whether a student will be excused from the class. Instructors are reminded that University Health and Counseling Services will not issue documentation of students’ illnesses or injuries. Because writing classes are conducted workshop-style and focus on revision, a student who misses too many class meetings or falls too far behind in making up work, even with a legitimate excuse, is not earning credit for the same course as the rest of the class. In that case, the instructor may suggest, but not require, that the student to withdraw from rather than fail the course.
My attendance policy allows for two no-questions-asked, unexcused absences during the Summer term. The third unexcused absence will result in the reduction of a major assignment (whichever assignment we are working on at the time of the absence) by one letter grade. Each subsequent unexcused absence will reduce your overall course grade by one letter.
Communication Policy:
You can feel free to e-mail me throughout the week if you have questions or concerns about what is expected of you. However, think carefully before sending an email. Check the syllabus, course calendar, and project descriptions to make sure your question is not answered on any of those documents. Please do not expect an instantaneous response to emails. I generally respond to emails between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm. Also, please note that I expect a professional and respectful tone in all email communication—consider all correspondence in this course as practice for the professional world. Emails that do not adhere to professional email etiquette (“what’s up!” / no salutations) or that have an obvious answer on the syllabus will not receive a response.
Readings and Discussion:
Please bring the assigned reading into class with you, either printed out or on your laptop or tablet. You will be required to reference these readings during class, engage in group work, and occasionally you may receive a surprise pop reading quiz (if I am feeling like discussion is lacking). Always be respectful of your peers and your instructor and refrain from engaging in snarky behavior during discussion (such as rolling your eyes, interrupting your peer(s), giggling, texting, or chatting).
Other Policies
Academic Honesty: Northeastern University is committed to the principles of intellectual honesty and integrity and to respecting intellectual property. All members of the Northeastern community are expected to maintain complete honesty in all academic work, presenting only that which is their own work on tests and assignments. In required writing classes, this definition of plagiarism applies not only to borrowing whole documents (other students’ papers, internet articles, published articles) but also to borrowing parts of another’s work without proper acknowledgment and proper paraphrasing or quotation. In these courses, students will receive instruction on using sources properly as well as feedback from instructors and peers. They will also be directed to important resources on avoiding plagiarism.
However, students bear the responsibility for writing, revising, editing, and proofreading their own work. Writing instructors who determine that plagiarism has been committed are obligated to respond. In cases of student error, instructors may provide additional instruction, require the student to repeat the assignment, and warn the student about the consequences of further infractions. If instructors determine that an incidence of plagiarism is intentional, they consult a Writing Program administrator. Based upon the severity of the infraction, the student may a) fail the assignment, b) fail the course, c) be reported to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, or d) any combination of these. Students may be failed regardless of whether the matter has been sent to OSCCR and regardless of that office’s findings.
Be Respectful: Remember that the writing you complete in this class is read and reviewed by your peers and by me, including any writing you complete in your blog posts. In this sense, all of your writing is public writing, and should be conducted with our classroom community in mind. Researched writing may feel messy, chaotic, experimental, and challenging. Peer review in particular may make you feel insecure but it also is an excellent way to share ideas, learn about your own writing, practice constructive criticism, network with potential colleagues, and make friends. Keep in mind that we are all growing as writers, so treat your peers and your instructor the way you would like to be treated as a budding professional and writer.
Also, I highly recommend you check out: 10 Things Every College Professor Hates
Writing Center Support: The Northeastern University Writing Center offers free and friendly tutoring for any level writer, including help with conceptualizing writing projects, the writing process (i.e., planning, researching, organizing, drafting and revising), and using sources effectively. The Writing Center has two locations: 412 Holmes Hall (x4549) for advanced appointments and 136 Snell Library (x2086) for last minute appointments. Online appointments are also available. During Summer 2 The Writing Center is open from 10am-5pm Monday-Thursday, July 6th-August 17th. To make an appointment or learn more about the Writing Center visit www.northeastern.edu/writingcenter. For writing tips and updates about the Writing Center, follow us via facebook at NEUWritingCenter and Twitter @NEUWrites. Questions about the Writing Center can be directed to Belinda Walzer, Writing Center Director, at neuwritingcenter@gmail.com.
Other Support: If you have specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require accommodations, please let me know immediately so that we can work together to appropriately meet your learning needs. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Resource Center, located in 20
Dodge Hall (x2675)
