210J F20 Taylor

University of Waterloo

Department of department name

ENGL 210 J

Technical Editing

Fall 2020

Online, Learn

Instructor Information

Instructor: Christin Wright-Taylor

Zoom Office Hours: Email me, and we’ll arrange a time to talk!

Email: c33taylor@uwaterloo.ca

I am here to help support you through this term! I respond to all student emails within 24 hours Monday

– Friday and within 48 hours Saturday/Sunday. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have questions.

Course Description

In this course, you will be writing and editing, as well as learning theories related to understanding audiences, genres, ethics in communication, and research. When I was assigned this course many months ago, it was intended to be conducted in the classroom. I am adapting it to the online environment as we go*, but you need to keep in mind that you are responsible for your own learning. I am providing tools and guidance, but there is no "learning through osmosis" option for this course. You will need to be a self-motivated learner.

Learning Objectives:

• demonstrate effective communication and critical thinking

• develop inventing, drafting, and editing skills

• engage effectively in team learning

• show proficiency in genre specific writing and editing

• demonstrate capacity to give and receive feedback on writing for the purposes of revision

• show proficiency in planning and design of documents

• exhibit agility adapting to a virtual work environment and interacting with teams via digital software

Required Text

• Filak, Vincent F. Dynamics of Media Editing. SAGE Publications, Inc. (US), 2019.This is an eText available through the Uwaterloo Bookstore or VitalSource.

Course Requirements and Assessment

Each week of the course will run from Tuesday – Tuesday. Assignments are due within the structure of these weekly units.

Discussion Boards (x10)

Over the course of this term, you will be asked to participate in 8 of 10 Discussion boards. Each discussion board is designed to help you internalize the content from the chapter assigned for that week’s reading by reflecting on key ideas from that chapter.

You will be required to make your initial post (100 words) on the discussion board by Friday of each week.

You are then required to respond (50 words) to at least 2 of your classmates posts by midnight the following Monday.

Chapter Exercises (x5)

Chapter exercises are low-stakes writing prompts that allow you to apply the ideas you have learned from the chapter to your editing practice.

These low-stakes writing prompts are not graded on polish or grammar but rather on originality of thought and demonstration of mastery of the content. They will be graded on a pass/fail basis.

Chapter Exercises are due at midnight on Monday of the week they are assigned.

Editing Quiz (x2)

You will have two separate Editing quizzes that will assess your understanding and mastery of basic punctuation and grammar. We will cover the elements of punctuation and grammat extensively in the course before you complete these quizzes.

These quizzes will be administered through Learn.

Writing Assignments (x3)

You will complete three writing assignments:

• a News Story (6.6%) for a UWaterloo news platform of your choice.

• a Social Media Campaign (6.6%) for 3 UWaterloo social media platforms to promote your story.

• a Press Release (6.6%).

These assignments will be assessed based on the conventions of each genre as outlined in the eTextbook. We will discuss and practice each genre before you submit your work for a peer to edit.

Editing Assignments (x3)

The culmination of your work in this course happens with these three editing assignments. You will practice all the skills we have covered throughout the course by acting as an Editor for your peer’s work.

You will edit three different classmate’s writing assignments: their news story, their social media campaign, and their press release.

There is no final exam in this course. These Editing assignments function as the cumulative assessment of your learning.

Course Outline

Please note: each week runs from Tuesday – Monday.

The Days within each week will be numbered as follows:

Tuesday = Day 1

Wednesday = Day 2

Thursday = Day 3

Friday = Day 4

Saturday = Day 5

Sunday = Day 6

Monday = Day 7

Late Work

Students who require

accommodations for any reason should contact me directly at c33taylo@uwaterloo.ca.

Accomodations may relate to:

• accessibility
• technology/internet issues
• time zone issues
• family/care issues
• work schedule

Students who make arrangements early may be eligible for a range of accommodations, however, last minute requests for schedule changes may not be possible.

This course will not have late penalties. The submission requirements are as follows:

• students who submit work by the posted deadline will receive a grade and feedback within one week.