ENG 693–001 :: Summer I 2011

M–F 11:00–12:35 :: RB 105

Dr. Brian J. McNely

RB 2111
285-8682
bjmcnely@bsu.edu

Office Hours :: T/TH 12:45–2:00

[ ABOUT ]
“After surveying conceptions of agency in rhetoric and professional communication, we argue that agency is
not an attribute of the individual, but the conjunction of a set of social and subjective relations that constitute
the possibility of action. The rhetorical performance that enacts agency is a form of kairos, i.e., social subjects
realizing the contextualized opportunities for action. Drawing on Foucault, Bourdieu, Bordo, and Burke, we
argue that agency is a diffuse and shifting social location in time and space, into and out of which rhetors
move uncertainly. Constrained agency emerges at the intersection of agentive opportunities and the
regulatory power of authority. These reconceptualizations of agency, authority, and regulation complicate the
framework for investigation and interpretation of how subjects function in cultural practices that reproduce
knowledge, power, change, and identity.”

— Herndl & Licona, 2007

“But what are the criteria by which a field may be judged a functioning discipline? … One necessity is an
epistemic court, which Toulmin describes as a community of experts who reach consensus in accord with
their interpretations of the discipline's basic tasks. The court of composition studies consists of scholars who
are both knowledgeable about the range of existing research and contributing to one or the other types of
inquiry about written discourse. They evaluate the quality of research and substantive reasons that support
new work, guided by the degree of relationship between the work and the field's ideals and score of
unresolved problems. The also take into consideration man's [sic] accumulated experience in all culture and
historical periods.”

— Lauer, 1984

“Change is inherently a discursive project. This means that change is restricted by the structures of language
and by the conventions of language use. Change will be a product of what can legitimately be said (or
written) in a specific context at a specific moment in time.”

— Faber, 2002

—∆—

Writing in the Profession is about the mundane, everyday writing work that at once negotiates and works
within the epistemic courts of one's discipline while also working to change that discipline through the
construction of new knowledge and perspectives.

The various genres and artifacts that support this everyday writing work are rhetorical performances that
may enact agency, carrying the potential for personal, interpersonal, and broader disciplinary change.

In this course, we will construct professional identity narratives supported by our everyday writing work,
demystifying the vicissitudes of professional academic discursive norms.

We will explore tactics for situating academic writing within specific professional domains and venues while
collaborating in a knowledge work model to strengthen and develop individual artifacts. We will discuss
strategies for:

— streamlining and aggregating publication and professional presentation opportunities

— reverse engineering existing, contemporary scholarship
— identifying trends and norms in specific venues
— establishing metrics of scholarly reach and influence
— generating rhetorically effective prose tailored to specific publishing venues
 We will produce a series of portfolios—one each week—related to the following areas:

[ professional identity + presentations + grants + job market + publishable manuscripts ]

[ OBJECTIVES ]
Emerging professional academics will—

Explore the norms and genres of professional academic writing work:

• Recognize and categorize important genres and styles of professional discourse
• Consider the necessity of everyday writing work as essential to academe
• Practice using common tools and technologies of professional writing production with proficiency
and resourcefulness

Analyze written artifacts and epistemic courts:

• Critically interact with the norms and conventions of one's field
• Seek opportunities for the enactment of professional agency by skillfully deploying kairos
• Analyze specific artifacts and discourse community practices to better understand rhetorical, social,
cultural, and political implications of writing within the profession

Enact practices that support your career as a professional academic:

• Plan and implement routines and activity systems to support professional work
• Recognize appropriateness of different methods for producing and researching practices and contexts
• Explore and practice professional writing as a way of thinking, knowing, and being

Produce professional, scholarly artifacts:

• Apply rhetorical and design principles to producing professional, scholarly artifacts
• Apply principles of fair use, copyright and documentation conventions for print and digital media
• Recognize rhetorical possibilities of different modes (alphabetic text, images, graphics, video, audio,
etc.) and make sound rhetorical choices when combining modes

[ SOURCES ]
Selected academic journal articles sourced via Blackboard
Selected blog posts, articles, images, and videos sourced via Twitter [ #9E3 ]
Silvia, P. (2007). How to Write a Lot.
Swales, J. & Feak, C. (2000). English in Today's Research World: A Writing Guide.
Polanyi, M. (1966). The Tacit Dimension.

[ ASSESSMENT ]
Deliverables

Professional Identity Portfolio 200

Conference Presentation Portfolio 200
Grants Portfolio 200
 Job Market Portfolio 200
Publishable Manuscript Portfolio 200

Course Total: 1,000

Grading Scale

A 950–1,000
A- 900–949
B+ 860–899
B 830–859
B- 800–829
C+ 760–799
C 730–759
C- 700–729

[ DETAILS ]
Grading Policy

Deliverables are assessed according to criteria distributed through Blackboard.

Storage and Backup

This course will require the consistent use of one or more of the following methods of digital storage and
backup:

BSU iLocker :: Dropbox :: Google Docs

Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty

Proper citation is a hallmark of good scholarship. Crediting someone else's work—whatever form that work
takes—is a nice thing to do.

It's nice to be nice to people.

Don't use someone else's work without giving them credit. Don't submit work for this class that you did for
another class. Don't falsify data. If in doubt, see BSU's statement on academic integrity. But mostly? Be nice
to people and give credit where it's due.

Attendance, Withdrawals, and Incompletes

Come to class—it's fun!

Don't be late—you'll miss important stuff!

If you miss more than 3 classes—for any reason—your final grade will be lowered by one step for each
missed class beyond the limit (for example, 4 absences will result in a reduction from a B+ to a B).

Let me know early in the semester if you will miss class for university business or religious holidays. Please
see the University Catalog for more information on withdrawals and incompletes.

Students Needing Accommodations

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical
information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated,
please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. My office location and hours are listed on the first
page of this document.

For additional information, please contact Larry Markle, Director of the Office of Disabled Student
Development, at lmarkle@bsu.edu or 285-5293; TTY 285-2206. The DSD office is located at Student Center
116.

Writing Center

The Writing Center offers free one-to-one assistance on all of your writing projects for all of your classes.
Also? The Writing Center is full of awesome people.

They are located in RB 291, and are open 10 am to 8 pm, Monday–Thursday, and 10 am to 2 pm on Friday.
[ CALENDAR + SCHEDULE ]
Important Dates

Professional Identity Portfolio 5.20

Conference Presentation Portfolio 5.27
Grants Portfolio 6.3
Job Market Portfolio 6.10
Publishable Manuscript Portfolio 6.17

[ Details on readings will be disseminated during class, at least one full day before the reading is to be
discussed. Please study readings before the class for which they are assigned, and prepare to interact in class. ]

Week 1 [ Silvia, articles ]

5.16 Introductions and Infrastructures
RSS [UPENN] Scholar
Docs Pinboard
Alerts Blog
Listservs Namespace
Twitter Splash [About, Flavors, DIY] Analytics

5.17 A quick primer on rhetoric, knowing, and being

Scott, R. (1967). On Viewing Rhetoric as Epistemic. [BB]
Brummett, B. (1979). Three Meanings of Epistemic Rhetoric. [BB]
RSS and rationale; SNS and rationale

5.18 Identity/Brand Brief

5.19 Personal Page

5.20 Professional Identity Portfolio Due

Week 2 [ Silvia, Swales, articles ]

5.23 Venues and CFPs (collaborative)

5.24 Lit Reviews

5.25 Abstracts

5.26 Ignite Presentations

5.27 Conference Presentation Portfolio Due

Week 3 [ Swales, articles ]

5.30 Venues and RFPs (collaborative)
 5.31 Short Proposals

6.1 Fellowships

6.2 Mid-length Proposals + Budgeting

6.3 Grants Portfolio Due

Week 4 [ Swales, articles ]

6.6 Academic C.V. | Journal Venues and CFPs (collaborative)

6.7 Dissertation Abstracts | Activity Log

6.8 Teaching/Administration Statements

6.9 Application Letter

6.10 Job Market Portfolio Due

Week 5 [ Swales, Polayni, articles ]

6.13 Journal Analysis

6.14 Reverse Engineering an article

6.15 Manuscript preparation

6.16 Manuscript preparation | Submission Letter

6.17 Publishable Manuscript Portfolio