Class Minutes Date: March 2, 2010

Date: March 2, 2010
Taken by: Amanda Fischedick
Participants: Don Wagner, Amanda Fischedick, Lynnette Bruce, Kyle Hodgson, Rob Greer,
Nathan Reynolds, Aaron Day, Jon Willow, Matthew Ali, Ryan Reed, Stacy Furgal, Giselle
Guadalupe, Timothy Cumberbatch, Brittany Meeks, Jessica Zeller, Danielle Zeller, Maegan
Spindler, Alex Mottern, and Leanna Mulvihill.
Class Start: 9:31
Review of Minutes
Discussed the origin of the title “Don Dude”.
Reviewed comma usage and presence of “ing” words.
Minutes accepted as ratified.
Technical Process Description
Handed in technical process draft and reviewed several.
Reviewed guidelines:
· Overview
· Compare/Contrast
· Signal to reader
Class Examples
· Definition (is/are ______ that/which____)
· Label diagrams and figures, have them placed by text.
· Normally you would cite images and figures, but for our use here plagiarize.
· Provide descriptive heading for each part of your description.
· Begin with a concrete definition that uses specifics. Do not be general, or vague.
· Use technical terms; provide the reader with a list of the keywords you will be
using.
· Keep in mind the audience you are writing for.
· Keep the format of your document consistent.
Assignments
By Tuesday read the section of our online text on reports and think about a proposal
topic.
By Sunday night redo technical process description.
Class End: 10:45

Class Minutes Date: March 2nd, 2010

Date: March 2nd, 2010
Class Start: 9:34 AM
Class End: 10:48 AM
Author: Kyle Hodgson
Participants: Everyone except Melissa

Review of Old Minutes
• Minutes were written by Ryan and read aloud by Giselle
• Grammatical errors were critiqued by class
• Don-dude intentionally reverses the chronology of the minutes to emphasize the importance of logical order
• Minutes were ratified at 9:50AM and kudos was given to Ryan, despite Don-dude’s manipulation of the minutes
• Old papers were passed back after the minutes were accepted

Grammatical Lessons
• Discussion of compound predicates, independent clauses and comma use
• ‘For example’ is an introductory statement that suggests a comma is needed
• ‘If’ is a conditional word that opens for a conditional clause.
o Can be utilized in the beginning or middle of a sentence
• A comma is not needed when a conditional word is used in the middle of a sentence

Class Discussions
• Spending time in front of TV and computer screens is leading in the diminishing interpersonal communication skills among high school students
• Discussion of Chilean and Haitian earthquakes and how we should pay more attention to the media
• Word of the day – peristalsis: the wave-like contractions that move food along the digestive tract

Instructional vs. Non-Instructional Descriptions
• Instructional descriptions include experiments, performing tasks, methodologies and natural processes. Explaining ‘how you do it’ is essential
• Instructional descriptions must include: a paragraph of introduction, a definition, materials needed and step-by-step procedures that are enumerated
• Non-instructional descriptions are causal and explanatory. Explaining ‘how it works’ is essential
• Don presented “How to Operate the Minolta Freedom 3 Camera” as an instructional description example. His second example was a reference to a non-instructional description.

Homework Assignment:
• Read online section on instructional and non-instructional descriptions located under the Information Structures link
• Come in with a draft of a description that is one to two pages in publishable form

CLL 405 Class Minutes February 25, 2010

CLL 405 Class Minutes
Author: Ryan Reed Class start: 9:30 AM
February 25, 2010 Class end: 10:50 AM

Participants: Casey Galletto, Stacy Furgal, Amanda Furcall, Timothy Cumberbatch, Brittany Meeks, Jessica Zeller, Danielle Zeller, Megan Spindler, Alex Mottern, Leanna Mulvihill, Amanda Fischedick, Lynnette Bruce, Nathan Reynolds, Rob Greer, Josh Menard, Aaron Day, Jon Willow.

• Don handed out Girl Scout cookies!
• Old minutes were read and ratified. Kudos were given to Danielle Zeller.
• Right after minutes are read Don will hand back any old assignments.
• Went over reading assignment on technical descriptions.
• Take object in technical description and break it into its parts. Describe each part to allow the reader to gain a better understanding.
• Organize technical description into major level headings.
• Don told us about a text book he had read from the library that had only the first chapter read and highlighted. The second chapter had poor one sentence descriptions and was confusing. This was a failure of the text.
• Be aware or your audience when writing a technical description.
• We discussed different functions of a pencil to show how giving the function of the object in a technical description is important. We also discussed the function of each part of the pencil. For example a pencil eraser can be used to erase stuff but also can be used to prop a window open or scratch an ear.
• Give enough detail in description to allow somebody to draw it. Including pictures in description.
• Order in technical description is very important.
• Broke up into 5 groups and were given tape and slips of paper with different sentences describing an Adidas shoes.
• Had to determine the order of the sentences.
• Compared each group’s way of organizing information.
• Discussed the importance of following steps in a process.
• There is not just one way to organize information but the way you choose must be logical. Start with most important first and then follow in order of decreasing importance.
• If this is not done really bad things can happen. (Nuclear disasters at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl for example).
• Assignment: Write a Technical description about 1-2 pages of a process related to your discipline.
• Word of the Day: Proleptics – the art and science of predicting medicine.

Class Minutes February 11, 2010

Class Minutes For CLL 405
Date: February 11, 2010
Prepared By: Joshua Menard
Class Start/End: 9:30am/10:50am
Participants: All present except, Amanda Tallman, Casey Cornelia-Galleto, and
Maegan Spindler.
1) Old business:
Review of previous class minutes:
-Minutes prepared by Aaron Day were read aloud by Don Wagner, then discussed
and ratified by the class.
2) Word of the day:
Homunculus (plural: homunculi) from: http://en.wikipedia.org:
-Of Latin origin meaning “little man”, first used in the 17th century for
discussing conception and birth. It was believed every sperm contained one
homunculus within, who grew into a person following conception.
-Later used for describing a mythical dwarf guardian, who protects anyone that
brings him to life.
3) Cover letters:
The class exchanged, reviewed, and critiqued each other’s cover letters:
-Rubric was handed out for critiquing
-Must include salutation, when, where, and how you found the listing.
4) Elevator pitches:
For 30 seconds you have the attention of an important individual, how you approach
and what you say is critical for a good impression:
-Handshakes: Allow them to initiate, do not orient hand above/below match
height and strength of their hand, and remember not everyone likes to shake.
-Tone and body language send important messages, be prepared before hand
5) Open class discussions:
What causes the banging noise that emanates from the heat radiators in the mornings?
-Homunculi, gnomes, leprechauns? Probably not, but maybe the cold pipes
receiving hot steam rapidly warm up causing the noise until the heat gradient is
equilibrated.
Does the violation of one’s own youth occur in nature, and is there an
increasing trend in the frequency of child abuse?
-New technologies: video cameras on shoes, hidden cameras, and “Sexting”
-Increase in communications makes it easier to find out when it happens
6) Assignments:
Visit the physics building on S.U. campus and check out the cloud chamber exhibit:
-Read and critique the project poster above the exhibit for a discussion next class.
Develop and practice an “elevator pitch”:
-If for 30 seconds you had the attention of a potential employer, how would you
approach it? What would you say? Practice a short and convincing pitch about
yourself.
Think about what you are and are not:
-Write a 1-2 pages narrative essay contrasting yourself. Really examine yourself
from the heart. Start with, “My name is ___, and I am not a ___”. See Don’s
example in your e-mail.

Minutes 02/09/10

CLL 405 Class Start: 9:35 am
02/09/10 Class End: 10:46 am
Author: Aaron Day
Participants: everyone, Kyle absent
 Reading of Brittany Meek’s minutes
 Discussion on how to properly save minutes into a .PDF file
 Microsoft Word
 File menu
 Save as
 Window – select .PDF format
 9:50 am – Minutes ratified
 9:51 am – Don’s comments on draft résumés (proper accents shown)
 Many students violated the incorporation of proactive choice words in first drafts.
 Résumé modifications
 Emphasize thematic résumés by selecting key words concerning job description and then placing them in your résumé.
 Eliminate dates on the left hand columns and replace with key, proactive words.
 Place education category towards the bottom of the résumé.
 Balance between white and black space, no more than a 50:50 ratio.
 Condense résumés to one page.
 Focus on the organization of major level headings.
 Flush out key words associated with the specific job.
 10:00 am – Discussion of parallel, and more specifically, parallel structure
 Parallel: Lines that are equally distant from each other at any infinite point.
 Parallel structure: similar syntax, as in phonetically, syllabically, and in pattern (nouns and verb form)
 When considering parallel structure in your grammar, focus on balancing the number of words in that pattern
 10:15 am – Cover letter discussion
 Purpose: to convince the employer to investigate résumé
 Things to include in cover letter
 1st paragraph: incorporate the following: where you found the job, why you are writing, position of interest, and skills that you have that fulfill that position
 2nd/3rd paragraph: convey why you are interested in this work, mention specific qualifications, and demonstrate your knowledge concerning the position by relating it to your background
 4th paragraph: indicate desired opportunity for interview, mention enclosed documents, state what YOU will do to follow up this résumé, thank employer for his/her consideration
 Sincerely, closing signature
 10:46 am –class adjourned until 02/11/10
 Words of the day, syntax: the relationship and arrangement of words, clauses, and phrases; swelter: to feel uncomfortably hot.
 Quiz question: name the following grammatical symbol and its function:

Cover Letter Format

Your Street Address
City, State Zip Code
Telephone Number
Email Address

Month, Day, Year

Mr./Ms./Dr. FirstName LastName
Title
Name of Organization
Street or P. O. Box Address
City, State Zip Code

Dear Mr./Ms./Dr. LastName:

Opening paragraph: State why you are writing; how you learned of the organization or position, and how you qualify for the position (possibly 2 qualifications.

2nd/3rd paragraph: Tell why you are interested in the employer or type of work the employer does (Simply stating that you are interested does not tell why, and can sound like a form letter). Demonstrate that you know enough about the employer or position to relate your background to the employer or position. Mention specific qualifications that make you a good fit for the employer’s needs. This is an opportunity to inventory in relevant detail items in your resume.

Last paragraph: Indicate that you would like the opportunity to interview for a position or to talk with the employer to learn more about their opportunities or hiring plans. Refer to the fact that your resume is enclosed. Mention other enclosures if such are required to apply for a position. State what you will do to follow up, such as telephone the employer within two weeks. If you will be in the employer’s location and could offer to schedule a visit, indicate when. State that you would be glad to provide the employer with any additional information needed. Thank the employer for her/his consideration.

Sincerely,

(Your handwritten signature)

Your name typed

Enclosure(s) (refers to resume, etc.)

(Note: the contents of your letter might best be arranged into four paragraphs. Consider what you need to say and use good writing style. See the following examples for variations in organization and layout.)

Minutes -- 2/2/10

CLL 405 February 2, 2010 Class Start: 9:35AM Class End: 10:50AM

Author: Melissa Tufte
Participants: All present except Stacy & Nate

1)Review old minutes
Use of military time? (24 hour clock) -- Depends on audience
Use of too (also, adjectives), to (bridge infinitive verbs), and two (number 2)
Semi colon usage – separate 2 independent clauses
Use “Search and Find” tool in Word to check word usage and look for patterns

2)Grade Contracts -- Task List
Resumes
Portfolio / Final Project
Vocabulary / Grammar / Proof reading
Interviewing
Professional / Technical / Journal / Magazine
Public Speaking/ Oral Communication
Cover Letter
Communication
Essay / Poetry / Creative Writing Lab Reports
Blogging / Web writing / Tweeting
Proposals
Lesson Plans

3)Resumes and Pro-Active Job Search
Read Job Description for Verbs and Nouns
Elements of a typical Resume
Contact Info
Self Description
Objectives
Work Experience
Educational Experience (GPA?)
Special Skills
References

Headings in a – Proactive and Thematic – Resume uses words from the job description
Job Description leads to the resume, which leads to the cover letter
Steal bits and pieces of each to use in the other
Goal of Resume and Cover Letter is to “get an interview”
Average time spent reading a cover letter = 15 seconds

4)Word of the Day - cryptozoology: the study of hidden animals or those that might not exist (e.g. big foot)

Class Minutes, 1/28/10

Date: January 28, 2009
Class Start: 9:35AM
Class End: 10:53AM
CLL 405
Author: Giselle Guadalupe
Participants: Matthew Ali, Lynnette Bruce, Casey Cornelia-Galletto, Timothy Cumberbatch, Aaron Day, Amanda Fischedick, Amanda Furcall, Stacy Furgal, Rob Greer, Giselle Guadalupe, Kyle Hodgson, Brittany Meeks, Josh Menard, Alex Mottern, Leanna Mulvihill, Ryan Reed, Nathan Reynolds, Maegan Spindler, Amanda Tallman, Melissa Tufte, Don Wagner, Jon Willow, Danielle Zeller, Jessica Zeller

• Review of Minutes
o Minutes were read by Jon Willow
o They were critiqued by the class
• AM & PM (information found on http://www.worldtimezone.com )
o Ante Meridiem/Meridian, Latin for “before midday” meaning “before noon”
• Acceptable abbreviations: AM, A.M., am, and a.m.
o Post Meridiem/Meridian, Latin for “after midday” meaning “after noon/Afternoon”
• Acceptable abbreviations: PM, P.M., pm, and p.m.
• Terms 12 a.m. and 12 p.m. cause confusion and should not be used as neither the “12 am” nor the “12 pm” designation is technically correct.
• It advisable to use 12 noon and 12 midnight where clarity is required.
• To avoid ambiguity, airlines, railroads, and insurance companies use 12:01am for an event beginning the day, 11:59pm for ending it.
• Levels of heading should be recognized (this would be a major level heading, the third)
o Second level heading
• Third level heading
• Fourth level heading
• Word(s) of the Day
o New this week; if no one is able to come up with a word in class the minute-taker must include one in their minutes
o Two words this week!
• Campanology: the study of bells, the art of bell ringing
• Borborygmus: a rumbling sound made by gas in the intestines
• Eco-philosophy
o Defined in class as the “eco-existence of people and nature”
o Also referred to as “ecosophy” and “deep ecology”
o The class discussed how eco-philosophy is spiritual
• The spirit has to do with breathing, which is why communicating with others is spiritual
o A story was told about generations of mothers that cut the end off of a ham before cooking it and a curious little girl questioned the reason behind this until she found the reason why, which most of the mothers who did it did not know
• Moral: we lose connection of the reason we do what we do
• We do things over and over that we are too comfortable doing but it has no connection to what we should be doing
• We went around the room and everybody described their eco-philosophy
• Grade Contracts
o Grade contracts were passed back; contracts were then given to a peer to be reviewed for next class
• Don Says:
o Don’t trust your tools (spell check)
o Before you graduate you could know the speed of sound and the speed of light because they both impact your daily existence
o “Don’t should on yourself, change it to could!”
• Meaning: don’t think about what you should’ve done, think about what you could do now
o Find out what you don’t know, no matter how trivial
o “If you want to be happy, be.” – Tolstoy
o “I think, therefore I am.” – Descartes

Class Minutes, 1/26/10

Date: 1/26/2010
Class: CLL 405
Class Start: 9:30AM Class End: 10:50AM

Author: Nathan Reynolds
Participants: Matthew Ali, Lynnette Bruce, Casey Cornelia-Galletto, Timothy Cumberbatch, Aron Day, Amanda Furcall, Stacy Furgal, Robert Greer, Giselle Guadalupe, Kyle Hodgson, Joshua Menard, Leanna Mulvihill, Ryan Reed, Nathan Reynolds, Maegan Spindler, Brittany Meeks, Melissa Tufte, Dean Wellinton, Jonathan Willow, Danielle Zeller, Jessica Zeller

Summary: Class began at 9:32AM with the review of the previous class’ minutes. The previous minute taker appointed a new minute taker and reader for the class. Although critiqued harshly, the class learned how to properly read and review class minutes. After the minuets were read,”kudos” were given to Stacy Furgal (author of minuets) and Ryan Reed (reader of minutes). The class then reviewed proper editing techniques and learned the importance of proper punctuation. We determined that our thought process is comparable to the speed of light and in order to properly edit and revise your written work you need to read it aloud. This enables us to slow down our thought process from the speed of light to the speed of sound allowing us to more accurately correct mistakes. This brought upon the conclusion that most people are procrastinators and that it has become a systemic problem. For the next class we need to consider what our own eco-philosophy is and elaborate on it so that we can submit a paragraph next class. Remember that we are part of the environment and it is a part of us, rather than using it selfishly and how we want to. We then discussed grade contracts and suggested that they should include everything that you would like to learn in the class. This includes the grade you would like, participation in the class, tasks, and your eco-philosophy. The assignment for Thursday (1/28/2010) is to re-submit a corrected and final grade contract. The class ended on the submission of previous assignments at 10:48AM.

Notes:
• Robert’s rules of order
➢ Rules to run meetings
➢ Order
• Call meeting to order (done by recorder)
• Lights are off
• Circle up desks
• Appoint minuet taker/reader
• Review old business
• Ratify minuets
• Editing
➢ When reading you need to be aware of the proper punctuation and presentation
• Dash –- made up of two hyphens
• Hyphen – used to combine words
➢ Punctuation
• Commas
• Use when you have the conjunctions between independent clauses: and, or, but, for, nor, yet or so
• Parenthesis
• Used to separate and emphasize an idea
➢ Make sure that you have your written work peer reviewed and read aloud before you submit it
• This allows for you to slow down your thought process so that you have more time to look at what needs to be revised.
• Our thought process functions at the speed of light (Speed of light: 186,000 miles/sec)

Class Minutes, 1/21/10

Date: January 21, 2010
Time: 9:30-10:50
CLL 405
Author: Stacy Furgal
Participants: Matthew Ali, Lynnette Bruce, Casey Cornelia-Galletto, Timothy Cumberbatch, Aaron Day, Amanda Fischedick, Amanda Furcall, Stacy Furgal, Robert Greer, Giselle Guadalupe, Joshua Menard, Leanna Mulvihill, Ryan Reed, Maegan Spindler, Melissa Tufte, Dean Wellington, Jonathan Willow, Danielle Zeller, Jessica Zeller

Class began with a discussion of what we thought minutes were. It was proposed that they were a record to be used as a reference, because memory often fails. These minutes are representations of how we perceived reality and the words that comprise them are just metaphors for the real thing they signify.
Understanding the idea of “eco-philosophy” was the emphasis of the lecture. Those who call themselves environmentalists need to start making their actions show that they are. Scientific methodology must begin to incorporate ethics (“methic-ology”). At some point during the semester we are going to be asked what our individual values and ethics are and then be asked to question them.
An example of using eco-philosophy was given using a scenario of turning on the light switch. When we do this we are using all different kinds of power sources, including nuclear power. Depleted uranium is used to produce armor piercing weapons. When these weapons hit their target they become heated and release a radioactive gas. Once you have a consciousness of this, you are responsible. Before you act you should think seven generations, what implications will my actions have seven generations from now?
The format for minutes is shown below:

Heading
Date
Time
CLL 405
Author
Participants

Body
Key ideas with examples
Goal
Assignment descriptions with due dates

Try to keep it under one page in length and send it to Dr. Wagner via e-mail for posting and editing before the next class day.
For next class on Tuesday January 26, have a draft of your grade contract as well as a completed interview. Be sure to write up the interview in a way that your peers in this class might understand.

CLL 405

Writing for Environmental Science Professionals
Section 01- T/Th (9:30 to 10:50) in Bray 300
SEMESTER: Spring 2010

INSTRUCTOR: Donald K. Wagner

OFFICE: 340A HBCrouse Hall
Office phone: 443-4946
Home phone: 1-315-337-6463 (before 9 p.m.)
Email address: dkwagner@syr.edu
BLOG: cll405.blogspot.com


Course Objectives:

In this writing course, students have an opportunity to examine their own writing processes, learning to revise and edit their own work. Students improve their writing through peer review, audience analysis, revision, and collaborative work. We look carefully at style, organization, grammar/punctuation, format, and development. Students critique the writing of their peers (both in the classroom and in the field).

Students have the opportunity to analyze writing as a way of learning and thinking. Science and scientific thinking are bound up with the way we live our lives. Science occupies a particularly influential position in our modern world, whose power is not always evident, and whose effects are often beyond our understanding. So, in this course we analyze the way language is used by the environmental science community and examine some of the communication problems between the environmental science community and the rest of the world. We use writing to examine controversial issues and challenge some of the basic assumptions held by the environmental science community.

Writing projects include: a written interview with a professional, blog comments about course topics, class minutes, a grade contract, summaries, brief presuavsive essays, email memos, definitions, effective analysis and proposal, abstract, report, and oral presentation.

eBooks:
Online Technical Writing
If you are in Chemistry, check out Write Like a Chemist.

This course prepares ESF students for the transition to post-college writing by having students learn to write and to communicate in an heteromedia environment, with an emphasis on electronic communication. Heteromedia, in this situation, refers to the variety of ways that we communicate in the workplace, face-to-face, by cel & telephone, text messaging, business memos and letters, Email, bulletin boards, conferences, iChat, blogs, weblogs, informal meetings, podcasts, video, videoconferencing, etc. It is a complex technological environment, which crosses spatial and temporal boundaries. Heteromedia is a word processor, an idea processor, a graphics designer, a resource library. Heteromedia environments become dynamic and interactive.

Students taking this course will plan, write, and revise documents and also practice related skills, including analyzing audiences and evaluating documents (their own and those of others) electronically, that is, via the computer. As an advanced writing course, it offers guidelines for clear writing and practice in revising and editing, but assumes that the student knows basic grammar, spelling, and punctuation. (It assumes students can use spell & grammar checkers online.) Students will be expected to use handbooks and dictionaries (electronic or paper) on their own or to take advantage of the writing consultant resources offered by the university writing program.

Along with some skill in writing in heteromedia environments, I hope you'll experience:
1. Language Awareness--With regard to language as a major part of the acquisition of culture, how concerned have I been with what might be called, "signal transmission?" In other words, who am I as a writer (researcher, professional)? What signals am I transmitting to others via my writing--about myself as a person, about my topic? What shifts in language do I make when I shift modes or genres of writing? For example, why do I make a particular choice or decision while writing? Do I know and understand the range of possibilities when I write for a different purpose.

2. Audience Awareness--Furthermore, who am I writing for? Who is my audience? What is that person's position, not only within the organizational hierarchy, but also within the social structure and accompanying social network? Who is my reader culturally? What about cultural influences such as social class, politics, gender? Do I understand the cultural perspective of my audience? Am I aware that they have one? What is my own cultural perspective?

What does this tell me about objectivity? Is there such a thing as value-free research and writing? Is such a thing desirable or even necessary? If my writing doesn't express some commitment to a value position, whether consciously or unconsciously, is it useful?

3. Situation Awareness--How do I write? How do I fit my writing into the culturally determined structure we call the organization–the classroom, the office, the government, etc.? What are my cultural values that I bring to my professional endeavors, including my professional writing? How do I shape, and how am I shaped, by the situation? Readings and discussions may explore how our own attitudes are shaped by the socio-politico climate and prevailing attitudes toward the environment.

How do others write? What do they do with the 9-5 structure of the workaday world? Suppose I write best at 3 a.m., but I have a deadline for a piece of writing on 2 p.m. on Friday? How can I fit my writing style into the needs of my profession? How do others do it?

What do I need/want to learn to write? What will be most useful to me in my profession? What types of writing belong in my professional portfolio, and what belongs elsewhere? Can I become aware of my own writing process and my own objectivity or lack of it? How far can I go in learning to be more objective, and in learning about other perspectives?

Course Activities:

Course activities will include becoming familiar with electronic communications, in-class writing and revising, assigned readings and original research. You will be expected to make the transition from writing in a "low-tech" medium (with pen and paper) to a "high tech" medium–the computer. Warning: Please expect to do most of your writing outside of class. Although you will be writing during class and in the computer lab, you will not be able to complete all the writing necessary for this course during class time. That means you will have to access computers outside of class time–in the evenings and on weekends. A good deal of class time will be spent rehearsing various heteromedia communications, as well as related activities, like conferencing with me, or with members of your group. At other times, you will be free to manage your time and organize your communications tasks independently.

You will be assigned to a peer group of other students who can act as readers/respondents to drafts, who can help brainstorm ideas for a writing project; who can keep you informed of class assignments or announcements if you should have to miss a class. As part of the course, you'll be expected to discourse with me via email or our blog about your texts. You may also be required to receive help with your writing from the Writing Project. That help may be tutoring, either in person, or electronically, depending on the writing consultant's preference.

Over the semester, you will have assigned readings as well as occasional additional readings that may include poetry, prose, & weblinks of selected writers who use nature or the environment as their subject, as well as addressing the writing process, trends in communication, design, and locating and presenting yourself as a scientific professional who writes. These additional readings will be either available electronically or put on reserve in Moon (or Bird) Library. Responses to the readings may be requested, and we may discuss some in class.

Description of Assignments

Class Discussion & Class Minutes
Participate in all oral and written class discussions. At the beginning of each class, we’ll read the minutes from the previous class, engage in a commentary (questions, insights, observations), and then post it to our blog. We’ll alternate responsibility among class members for taking, reading, and discussing class minutes.


Comparative Analysis Summary
The comparative analysis is a summative evaluation of a scientific, environmental, or other type of text. Each student will take a turn discussing a selection or bringing to class an example of an assigned text: environmental issue, environmental policy statement, non-fiction book, scientific article, etc., ready to share and discuss with the group, elements of writing: the chosen genre, the purpose, audience, language, tone, readability, etc. of the text and whether it does its job of communicating its message to the reader successfully or not.

Grade Contract – you will write a grade contract based on the following information about grading for this course.

The final grade for this course is performance-based. Some course tasks are process-oriented, so participating in group activity is necessary to achieve the minimum grade. Each student will compose a literacy autobiography in the first few weeks of the course, which will include a grade rationale, citing the grade you will work towards, a reason you want the grade, skills you want to improve, and expectations you have for this course. At semester's end, you will write a final reflection and self-evaluation of your performance in the course, and will have an opportunity to adjust your original grade rationale based on that self-evaluation.

Final decisions about grades are reserved for the instructor who will use the following rough guidelines when determining if the grade you've contracted for was earned:

To receive a "C" in the course, a student must participate in *all classes and conferences, respond to selected reading materials, satisfactorily complete all assignments on time, and turn in a portfolio at semester's end with a self-evaluation. To receive a "B," students must follow all points mentioned for the "C" grade, as well as revise any texts determined by the instructor to be "unsuccessful." To receive an "A," students must agree to all the requirements for "C" and "B" and have all final drafts in "publishable" form.

Since professionals don't receive a "grade" on the writing they produce, I will be evaluating your documents initially on the basis of their "success." The appearance of “check plus” √+ will indicate that a paper is very successful (professional), needing little or no revision. A “check” √ will indicate that the document is successful, and with some revision, would be acceptable. A “check minus” √- will indicate that a submission needs major revision, and is at this time, unsuccessful. Students will revise texts up until the final portfolio review. The portfolio will be worth 50% of your final grade. Class participation, being involved in discussion and class-related activities, will be worth 30% and the end-of-semester presentation of your research will be worth 20%.

*Please note that attendance can have a direct impact on your grade. If you're not in class, you cannot properly "participate." Therefore, more than 3 absences, except in documented emergency situations, will necessarily lower a final grade.

Summary, analysis, and description will focus initially on the readings from handouts & weblinks. From the readings we will generate discussions about how science impacts our natural environment, and examine how the essays present issues that engage us. Using the readings as models, we will bring to surface rhetorical strategies and try to understand the relationship between those strategies and science.

Memos – status reports are a type of short report used in the workplace to report to a client or a manager, where a particular project is in terms of start up and completion. Students will email regular status reports to update the terms of their grade contacts.

Proposals – students will learn how to use a direct and/or indirect approach when writing a proposal for their final topic. The final topic will be discussed in class, but will be defined and described in a formal proposal.

Final Report – students will draft a formal final report based on general guidelines for these documents and following the requirements for good written communication considering purpose, audience, socio-political attitudes, etc. This report will be about a topic approved by me, and will be submitted in sections (abstract, table of contents, illustrations, introduction, body sections, conclusion, bibliography, etc,) during the second half of the semester, with the final version due the last day of class. That way, components can be revised in a timely fashion.

Technical elements – some elements of good technical writing will be discussed and rehearsed. We’ll examine graphic display of information (e.g., charts, graphs, etc.), talk about visual literacy, and practice representing some of our data graphically. Also, we’ll analyze the readability factors of our final report using the Gunning Fog Index, and practice making more educated judgments about reading levels.

Oral Presentation – the elements of a good oral presentation will be discussed and rehearsed in the presenting of your final report to your professional/lay persons audience.

Schedule Week by Week

Week One – introductions to course, grade contract, elements of good professional and technical communication, establish procedures for class minutes, class discussions, and variable assignments. Interview professional, considering social and writing “practices”.

Week Two – Audience & comparative analysis, scientific genres. Summaries and memos.

Week Three – Comparative analysis, writing conventions, writing Description, analyzing excerpts.

Week Four – Proactive Resumes & Cover Letters. Job description analysis. Peer review practice.

Week Five – Analysis of journal articles. Argumentation & Persuasion tactics. Analyzing writing, move by move. Qualitative vs quantitative research.

Week Six - Proposal for scientific research, – proposal topics due, background, list of citations, targeted audience. What's theory/what's experiment? It's all story!

Week Seven - Final Report topics discussed and begin research methods. Research Strategies & tools/materials. Research Ethics. Lab work & field work.

Week Eight - Elements of Long Reports – keywords, abstracts, introductions, notions of scope/purpose/focus/thesis, and conclusions.

Week Nine - Elements of Long Reports – methods, discussion, fine tuning results, organization and concision.

Week Ten - Visual media, Visual literacy, Graphic design, figures and tables, analytic data, color, and labeling.

Week Eleven - Comma, period, semi-colon, and sentence structures; numbers; abbrevs.

Week Twelve - Readability, report format guidelines, preparing the portfolio.

Week Thirteen – Writing/revision studios in Baker lab.

Week Fourteen – Preparing an oral presentation, posterboard, powerpoint.

Week Fifteen – Oral Presentations, submit written final report and summative evaluation.