Dr. Marc C. Santos
www.marccsantos.com
marc.santos@unco.edu
Office: Ross Hall 1140B
Office Hours: Friday, 12:00-2:30 by Zoom link. Available by appointment on M/W (email to request an appointment).
Course Description
I have two goals for this course, both of which should help you whether you are on an academic or professional career trajectory.
First, I want to to explore a series of questions:
- What is professional writing?
- What questions, issues, ideas are professional writing researchers currently exploring?
- What genres, technologies, and skills do contemporary professional writers need?
We will explore these questions through a series of readings and discussions over our first four weeks. We will return to these questions with either a collaborative research article or an academic reflection paper in our last four weeks.
The middle eight weeks of our course will be focused on application and reflection: using our scholarly readings both to inform our practice and to help us question how we might practice otherwise.
I have networked with local non-profits to develop a range of potential projects, including website content development or revision, grant research and writing, and social media management. You will be able to work individually or in teams (and we will begin talking about this more around week 4).
- Poudre River Trail Corridor, Inc.
- Lifestories
- Immigrant Refugee Center
After meeting and talking with these organizations, I know all would be open to a summer internship. Even if that is not a possibility, I can help you set up a volunteer relationship, and I recommend you do so. A major goal of this course is to help you gain invaluable professional experience and (a non-academic job reference) before you graduate.
Major Assignments
We will be working on 3 major projects this semester.
Professional Writing Review Essay (Weeks 1-4)
Our first month’s foray into Professional Writing scholarship will culminate with an analytical / bibliographic review essay. You will select a keyword/topic and trace how that topic has appeared across a range of journals over the past 4 years (so 2018-2021). I am hoping your keyword/idea is narrow enough to focus on 8-12 articles.
Here’s the list of the journals with which we will work:
- Technical Communication Quarterly
- Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly (formerly Business Communication Quarterly) - Technical Communication
- Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
- Written Communication
- IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Your essay will work to create an ontology that helps organize and synthesize contemporary work.
Community Engagement Project (Weeks 5-12)
As I indicate above, the specifics of the community engagement project will vary depending on the needs of our clients. As we begin the project, students will sign up to produce different deliverables. In some cases, I will direct you to contact the client to clarify expectations, and to develop a production timeline (gantt chart) for your project.
In addition to the deliverables for our non-profit organizations, you will design and take a reflection survey ½ through the project and write a more academic final reflection paper (one that puts your writing project/experience in discussion with our theoretical readings) near our course’s conclusion.
Final Project (Weeks 13-16)
I’ve thought about this quite a bit and decided to offer you a few options regarding how to spend the last month of class.
The option that I am hoping you will take involves working with me on a collaborative research article. This article would help me finish a research project on job advertisements that I started back in 2018. I am particularly interested to see how job advertisements for writers have changed since the start of the pandemic.
If you aren’t interested in that option, then I will extend you the opportunity to write your own conference length research paper–one that might grow from / extend your previous review essay.
Write Ups
For each of these books, I would like us to generate write ups to share at the beginning of class. My idea of the Write Up is indebted to Paul Kameen’s notion of the “ideological autobiography” (articulated in his 2000 collection Writing/Teaching: Essays Toward a Rhetoric of Pedagogy) which I discovered in Byron Hawk’s (2007) A Counter-History of Composition. Let’s read the selection (Hawk 225-226).
We will open the next few weeks with a round of read aloud, taking turns reading a one page (boring, normal, regular 8 ½ x 11 paper) response to the readings. I’d like the response to summarize the work as a whole (what would the 2-3 description sentence you use in a thesis or article look like?), focus attention on a particular passage that resonated with you, and connect the work to something else you’ve read. Also, you might supplement the reading with something on the back on the paper–something you’ve copy/pasted from the internet, something else you have written, anything that compliments or juxtaposes with the reading (or your read aloud).
The aim of this class is learning. Write Ups aren’t formal papers–they are informal takes. They are snapshots of encounter and learning. They document struggle and success. You are free to experiment with style, voice, and language. If you don’t use “I” in these papers, then you are doing it wrong. They are personal engagements with the material. No one should be claiming universal mastery here.
Bring enough copies so that everyone in class (including me) can have one.
Course Materials
The majority of course readings will be provided via Canvas. You are expected to have copies of these readings with you in class. While I advise printing paper copies, I do not require it. Though I do require you annotate your reading and can point us to significant passages during discussion.
I would also recommend purchasing one of the following books, depending on what kind of specialized work you would like to do during the Community Engagement project:
- Grant Writing: Karsh and Fox, The Only Grant Writing Book You Will Ever Need (Recommended)
- Document Design: Golumbiski and Hagen, White Space is Not Your Enemy (Recommended)
- Campbell, How to Build and Mobilize a Social Media Community for Your Nonprofit in 90 Days(Recommended)
It is really useful if you bring a laptop or tablet w/ keyboard to class (since we will be doing quite a bit of writing in class).
Grading
Here’s the assignment weights:
- Canvas Assignments / Write Ups / Etc: 15%
- Review Essay 15%
- Community Engagement Deliverables 30%
- Community Engagement Reflection 25%
- Final Project 15%
Late Work
Of course, while I expect all work to be turned in on time, I recognize that life happens. When it comes to reading responses and class preparation work, you can miss one assignment this semester without penalty.
If you need extra time to complete a major project, then please request it via email. Keep me in the loop and let me know how you are doing.
Attendance
This is a graduate course, and as such I expect you will be in attendance for every meeting. That said, things happen, especially given COVID. If you are feeling sick or need to quarantine, then please stay the f*ck home. I will gladly open a Zoom portal so you can at least listen to our class discussions.
You may miss up to one class without penalty. Subsequent absences incur a 10 point penalty. If you know you are going to miss several classes please contact me immediately to see if there’s any way to work something out. The most important thing is to keep me informed so we can make arrangements.
I will excuse any absences for major religious observances provided I am notified of them within the first two weeks of the semester.
Disability Resources
It is the policy and practice of the University of Northern Colorado to create inclusive learning environments. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that present barriers to your inclusion or to an accurate assessment of your achievement (e.g. time-limited exams, inaccessible web content, use of videos without captions), please communicate this with your professor and contact Disability Resource Center (DRC) to request accommodations. Office: (970) 351-2289, Michener Library L-80. Students can learn more here: www.unco.edu/disability-resource-center
Food Insecurity and Basic Needs
Research shows that college students experience food insecurity at higher rates than the American household rate, and that food insecurity can negatively impact academic performance and persistence. In recognition of this problem, UNC offers assistance to students facing food insecurity through an on- campus food pantry. The Bear Pantry is located in University Center 2166A, and is open for regular hours throughout the semester. Please visit www.unco.edu/bear-pantry for more information.
Any student who faces challenges securing their food or housing and believes this may affect their performance in the course is also urged to contact Student Outreach and Support (SOS) for assistance. SOS can assist students during difficult circumstances which may include medical, mental health, personal or family crisis, illness or injury. SOS can be reached at sos@unco.edu or via phone at 970-351-2796.
Academic Integrity
You are expected to practice academic honesty in every aspect of this course. Students who engage in academic misconduct are subject to grading consequences with regard to this course and/or university disciplinary procedures through the Office of Community Standards and Conflict Resolution.
Title IX
The University of Northern Colorado is committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students that is free of all forms of discrimination and sexual harassment, including sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. If you (or someone you know) has experienced or experiences any of these incidents, know that you are not alone. UNC has staff members trained to support you in navigating campus life, accessing health and counseling services, providing academic and housing accommodations, helping with legal protective orders, and more.
Please be aware all UNC faculty and most staff members are “responsible employees,” which means that if you tell a faculty member about a situation involving sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking, they must share that information with the Title IX Coordinator, Larry Loften. Larry or a trained staff member in the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) will contact you to let you know about accommodations and support services at UNC as well as your options for pursuing a process to hold accountable the person who harmed you. You are not required to speak with OIEC staff regarding the incident; your participation in OIEC processes are entirely voluntary. If you do not want the Title IX Coordinator notified, instead of disclosing this information to your instructor, you can speak confidentially with the following people on campus and in the community. They can connect you with support services and help explore your options now, or in the future.
- UNC’s Assault Survivors Advocacy Program (ASAP): 24 Hr. Hotline 970-35-4040 or www.unco.edu/asap
- UNC Counseling Center: 970-351-2496 or www.unco.edu/counseling
- UNC Psychological Services: 970-351-1645 or www.unco.edu/cebs/psych_clinic
If you are a survivor or someone concerned about a survivor, or if you would like to learn more about sexual misconduct or report an incident, please visit www.unco.edu/sexual-misconduct or contact the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (970-351-4899). OIEC is located on the third floor of the University Center in room 3060.
Equity and Inclusion Statement
The University of Northern Colorado embraces the diversity of students, faculty, and staff, honors the inherent dignity of each individual, and welcomes their unique perspectives, behaviors, and world views. In this course, people of all races, religions, national origins, sexual orientations, ethnicities, genders and gender identities, cognitive, physical, and behavioral abilities, socioeconomic backgrounds, regions, immigrant statuses, military or veteran statuses, size and/or shapes are strongly encouraged to share their rich array of perspectives and experiences. Course content and campus discussions will heighten your awareness to each other’s individual and intersecting identities. If you would like to report an incident or learn more about identity-based discrimination/harassment, please visit www.unco.edu/institutional-equity-compliance
Calendar
Week One: What is Rhetoric (The Theoretical Foundations of All Writing Studies)
Readings:
- Herrick, “Overview of Rhetoric”
- Lanham, “The Q Question”
- Corder, “Argument as Emergence, Rhetoric as Love”
Week Two: What is Professional Writing?
- Miller, C. R. (1979). A humanistic rationale for technical writing. College English, 610–617.
- Clark, Dave. (2004). Is professional writing relevant?
- Fadde and Sullivan. (2013). Designing communication for collaboration across engineering cultures.
The Miller and the Clark move us from thinking about rhetorical theory to professional/technical writing–from its humble beginning seeking legitimacy from literature faculty, attempting to identify and explicate its intellectual foundations, to wrestling with the theory/practice divide and how to make application and service-learning something more than “charity work” (for those who have taken 301–the Clark piece haunts me a bit).
While the Fadde and Sullivan speak to cross-cultural situations, their methods of audience awareness, attendance to local power configurations, and action deliberation are relevant to virtually any rhetorical situation.
In class: Fadde and Sullivan activity. Looking at journal titles and keywords.
Week Three: The Job Market for Professional Writers
Reading:
- Clegg et al. 2021. Programmatic outcomes in undergraduate technical and professional communication programs.
- Brumberger and Lauer. 2015. The evolution of technical communication: An analysis of industry job postings.
- Lauer and Brumberger. 2019. Redefining writing for the responsive workplace
- Spartz and Weber. 2015. Writing entrepreneurs: A survey of attitudes, habits, skills, and genres
Class:
Examining Job Ads. My Research conclusions.
Review Essay Topic Sharing. Initial Explorations (and team ups?)
Week Four: Community Engaged Scholarship and Teaching
- Nelson, 2021, Developing Evaluable Principles for Community-University Partnerships
- Rentz and Mattingly, 2005, Selling Peace in a Time of War
- Towey and Bernstein, 2019, Incorporating Community Grant Writing as a Service Learning Project in a Nonprofit Studies Course: A Case Study
Week Five: Scholarship on Grant Writing (Theory and Practice)
- Barrett, 2012, Where Professional Writing Meets Social Change: The Grant Application as a Site of Hospitality
- Gindlesparger, 2019,
- Stokes, 2013, The Modality Approach to Successful Grant Writing
- Stuckey, 2019, Grant Writing Infrastructure for Nonprofits
- Kohlbeck, 2019, Analyzing the Questions within the Wisconsin Grant Application Form
- Adams and Thomas. 2020. When students write for money: reflections on teaching grant writing through experiential learning.
Week Six: Social Media and Nonprofits
- Ryder, 2010, Public 2.0. Social Networking, Nonprofits, and the Rhetorical Work of Public Making
- Carboni, J.L. and S. P. Maxwell. (2015). Effective Social Media Engagement for Nonprofits: What Matters? Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs 1(1):18-28.
Week Seven: Branding and Identity
Writing: Community Engagement
Week Seven: Social Media #2
Writing: Community Engagement
Week Eight: Entrepreneurship
Writing: Community Engagement
Santos: Job Collection Week 1
Week Nine: Visual Rhet and Information Design
Writing Community Engagement
Writing: Reflective Report
Santos: Job Collection Week 2
Week Ten: TBA
Writing Community Engagement
Santos: Job Collection Week 3
Week Eleven: TBA
Writing: Community Engagement
Santos: Job Collection Week 4
Week Twelve: Back to the Job Market
Writing: Final Project Proposal
Job Ad Analysis: Coding
Week Thirteen: TBA
Job Ad Analysis: Coding / Lit Review #1
Week Fourteen:
Job Ad Analysis: Data Analysis / Trends / Methods
Week Fifteen:
Community Engagement Paper
Week Sixteen:
Final Project Deliverable
Academic Research Article Jam Session
