Office Hours are Canceled for Wednesday!

Due to the impending snowstorm tomorrow (4-inches or so), I'm going to cancel my office hours for tomorrow, December 17th. Grades are due next week anyway, but if anyone wants to find out early, you can always email me at:

tc_wsu@hotmail.com

Thanks for the great class and everyone have a wonderful holiday break.

Hermon Joyner

Office Hours for the End of the Semester

I'll be in my office (VMMC 102P) on Wednesday the 17th of December from 9 a.m. to noon. I'll bring some goodies to share for those who show up.

You can pick up your final results for the semester, including your final grade for the course, at that time.

It's been fun here at WSU-Vancouver and I enjoyed our time together. You should all be proud of the work you did in this class. Happy holidays and take care. I wish you all success and prosperity in the coming new year.

Hermon Joyner

Intern Opportunity

INSTITUTE ON BUSINESS & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

This summer: June 6 – August 1, 2009

Georgetown University, Washington, DC

www.DCinternships.org/ibga

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR EARLY DEADLINE OF DECEMBER 5, 2008

Sponsored by The Fund for American Studies in partnership with Georgetown University, the Institute combines substantive internships, courses for academic credit, career development activities, exclusive briefings and lectures led by prominent policy experts.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the Final Deadline of March 5, 2009. Students applying by the Early Deadline of December 5, 2008 are given preference in admissions and scholarship decisions and will receive a 5% discount on their tuition balance.

This face-paced Institute offers a rigorous combination of professional experience and academic learning that will provide students with an unparalleled experience in the nation’s capital.

• Internships – Competitive placements with government affairs offices in leading corporations, trade associations and lobbying firms
• Classes – Up to 9 transferable credits in business and political science from Georgetown University
• Housing – Furnished on-campus apartments in the heart of D.C.
• Guest Lectures & Panels – With lobbyists and former congressmen
• Site Briefings - At the State Department, U.S. House of Representatives and White House Complex
• Leadership & Professional Development – Leadership, mentoring and career building activities
• Networking – With hundreds of other top student and business leaders from around the world
• Scholarships – Over half of all students receive full or partial funding based on merit and financial need

In addition to the Institute on Business and Government Affairs, there are three other summer programs offered in the following subject areas:

• Public Policy, Economics & International Affairs
• Journalism, Communications & Public Relations
• Nonprofit and Community Service

For more information about the Institute on Business & Government Affairs, please visit the website www.dcinternships.org/ibga. Questions may be directed to Jonathan Tilley at IBGA@tfas.org or 1-800-741-6964.

Final Presentation Schedule

This is the schedule for the class presentations. Each presentation will last approximately 10 minutes.

December 1
1. Vanessa Pritchett
2. Shannon Robinett
3. Jake Brosius
4. Preston Zepponi
5. Janine Millen

December 3
1. Yaroslav Mudryy
2. Christel Liebhaber
3. Andrew Haines
4. Kyle Hinze
5. Kendra Nelson
6. Dan McLean

December 8
1. Shawn Kepfer
2. Lance Brazier
3. Nathan Goodman
4. Derek Huhta
5. Christie Hougham
6. Racheal Johnson

December 10
1. Brandon Brownlee
2. Mark Hohman
3. Andrea Schweikhardt
4. James Archibald
5. Chum Hak
6. Philip Cyphers

Reading and Due Dates

Please read in the textbook, pages 182 through 185, about Executive Summaries.

The Executive Summaries are due November 12th.

Blog Entry: Write about the feedback you received concerning your Process Papers. Discuss the input you got from the other students, whose feedback was most helpful, and why.

Reminder: The finished and bound Formal Report is due November 19th and it's time to start thinking about the content of your presentations: what you will cover and how you will present it. You'll be able to use any of the multi-media equipment in the classroom. Presentations will occur on the last two weeks of the semester.

In-Class Assignment

The following sentences will be used in-class on Monday the 27th. Instructions for what to do to them will come during class.

___________________________________________________________________

I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness – that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss.

Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a hated burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be.

Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart.

This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what – at last – I have found.

I have wished to know why the stars shine.

With equal passion I have sought knowledge.

Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens.

These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair.

I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy – ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy.

And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux.

A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.

This has been my life, I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me.

I have wished to understand the hearts of men.

But always pity brought me back to earth.

I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer.

I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined.

Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and the unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.

Blog Entry

Write about the process of writing these instructions. What was easy in the process? What was challenging? Talk about the contributions of your tablemates. How did you decide what exact style of sandwich to make?

Remember, Rough Drafts for the Process Paper are due in one week (October 29).

And remember this, as well:
Last week's blog entry was on what works to persuade people. Think back to the Crocodile Creek story and consider how your group came to a consensus. How were people convinced and persuaded to the same agreement?

Homework

Blog Entry: What is the worst thing invented by people?

For Wednesday, Oct. 15: Rough Drafts are due for the Expanded Definitions.
Bring a set of instructions to class and be prepared to discuss it.
Read: pages 261 - 266

For Monday, Oct. 20: This will be a Workshop Day. Don't miss this day or else.

For Wednesday, Oct. 22: Final Drafts of the Expanded Definition are due.

That's all for now.

Except that: If you're looking for something weird and possibly fun to do for Halloween, check out this website. Especially if you're a fan of the movie, "The Shining."

Bibliographies

For a guideline on formatting the entries on your bibliographies, please refer to the example on page 52 of your textbook.

The basic order of information is:

Name: Last name first
Date of publication
Title
Edition
City of publication
Publisher
Number of pages

Monday's Class Announcement

Be sure to be in class this coming Monday, October 6th. Nicole Campbell, from the campus library, will be in class to show you the ends and outs of navigating through the databases and research tools that are available to you. This will be extremely helpful to you when it comes to finishing your bibliographies for the Formal Reports.

Blog Entry

The blog assignment today is to describe eating a lemon, not the process, but the sensual experience. I want you to use as many of the 5 senses (sight, taste, smell, hearing, and touch) as possible in describing it. If so inclined, include any emotional aspects, analogy, metaphor, and compare/contrast. Make it real.

Reading & Homework for September 28

Read: pages 51, 52 on Bibliographies in the textbook

Assignment: Write me a Proposal Memo using the assignment sheet as a guide. This will be the official proposal for the subject, treatment, and direction of your Formal Report. This is due: October 6

Assignment: Find 10 sources for your Formal Report and write a tentative outline for your Formal Report, including both the Expanded Definition and the Process Paper. Bear in mind that you are not locked into your outline at this time. The outline is subject to change at your discretion. These are due: October 8

Blog Entry: What is Patriotism?

Homework for September 24

Blog Entry: Write a concise, but complete, discription of how to eat an orange.

Complete the handout, "20 Most Common Writing Errors." Bring it to class Monday the 29th.

Be sure to read the handout, "General Writing Tips." This was handed out earlier in the semester. We'll go over this on Monday.

Have a good weekend.

Reading & Homework for September 22

Reading: 375, 376 on Persuasion and 370, 371 on Paraphrasing

Complete the handout: "Using Other Sources"
This covers two important ways to use, other than directly quoting, passages from other writers. These are Paraphrasing and Summarizing. Even though you are rewriting passages into your own words, remember to cite the author and source of the material or ideas.

Reading and Homework, 9-17-2008

Reading: pages 325 - 328 in the textbook

Blog Entry: What computer platform (pc or mac) do you use and why?

Assignment: Bring 3 potential topics for your Formal Report and show how your ideas were generated and developed. As in, which specific invention stategies did you use? Be prepared to discuss with me and show me your work in class one-on-one. This is due Monday the 22nd.

Homework for September 15th

Write a blog entry about an event or activity on campus at WSU Vancouver. It can be an editorial (as in your opinion) or an announcement. Remember: short sentences and lots of personality. Write this before Wednesday the 17th.

Reading and Upcoming Assignment!!!

Reading: The handout titled "Using Type"

Assignment: For Monday the 15th, we will use the class time to work on the Design Project, which is one of the graded assignments. Each table will design and create a flyer/poster promoting the Diversity Film Festival here at WSU Vancouver. It will be up to each team to decide what aspect of the festival to focus on for their flyers. Come to class prepared to work. You will turn in your flyers at the end of class on Monday.

Cheers.

Reading for September 8th

Please read: pages 298 - 303, and read handout titled "General Writing Tips."

Also, bring to class one flyer or small poster and be ready to discuss it in class.

See you Wednesday.

Reading and Homework for 9-3

Please read the following from the textbook:

pages xv - xxiv
pages 21 - 26

And be sure to do the editing homework that was assigned in class.

You can find other proofreading marks in the textbook on pages 410 and 411.

See you next week.

Office Hours

Please be aware, my office is located in 102P in VMMC and my office hours will be Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:30 to 11:30. Basically, I'll hang around for an hour after every class, unless something comes up and then I'll let you all know. Cheers.

Homework Assignment, Aug. 25

Write one brief paragraph and include the following information:

• Name
• Major/Minor
• Writing Experiences (personal, professional, academic, positive, and negative)
• Hobbies and/or Interests
• One interesting, non-embarrassing fact about yourself

Due: Wed. Aug. 27

Also: Read "Correspondence," pages 100 - 113 in Handbook of Technical Writing, 8th Edition

And one more thing: Read the Syllabus

Welcome to the Class

This the start of a new semester at WSU-Vancouver and this is the start of this class--Technical and Professional Writing. I'll post class recaps, some assignments, and important and/or topical information that you'll need as students in the class. Welcome and good luck to you all.