Master of Human Services Pre-graduate Program

HUS 501:BASIC WRITING IN THE HUMAN SERVICES     4 cr.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course provides intensive practice in the fundamentals of effective writing for the Human Services and for the academic environment. Working in a computer laboratory, students will strengthen their grammar and organizational skills while learning word processing applications as tools for producing effective writing. Emphasis will be placed on mastering the conventions of Standard Written English and editing for clarity and correctness.

COURSE GOALS: This course will

1. Review and provide opportunity for students to practice the conventions of Standard Written English;
2. Provide instruction in basic word processing and Internet skills for writers;
3. Improve students' ability to handle a variety of increasingly more sophisticated writing tasks;
4. Provide practice in group- and self-editing techniques;
5. Improve students' ability for independent work.

STUDENT OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to

1. Identify and correct basic grammar problems in exercises and in their own writing;
2. Use basic word processing techniques and  Web-based communication tools to complete academic tasks;
3. Explain and practice all stages of the writing process;
4. Edit own and others' writing for correct grammar and organization;
5. Write short essays, in and out of class, that demonstrate understanding of basic essay structure and grammatical conventions;
6. Identify individual areas of writing strengths and weaknesses.

TOPICS TO BE STUDIED:

• Conventions of Standard Written English
• Writing process, with emphasis on effective revision strategies
• Basic operation of the personal computer and web-based communication tools
• Basic operation of Microsoft Word
• Peer review techniques

GRADING: HUS 501 will be graded on a pass/fail basis.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE COURSE: To pass the course and be eligible to move on to HUS 511, students must meet the following course requirements:

• Attend all sessions, missing no more than two classes;
• Demonstrate understanding of word processing by producing and revising all assignments on computer as required;
• Participate actively in both in-class and on-line discussion as assigned, missing no more than 4 on-line discussion postings;
• Come to class prepared for peer review sessions, with no more than two missing drafts over the course of the semester.
• Submit assignments on time, both draft and final versions, with no more than two late submissions over the course of the semester;
• Complete all assigned workbook exercises;
• Earn a passing average on weekly and final grammar quizzes;
• Given reasonable time to compose and edit, write short in-class essays that demonstrate an understanding of paragraphing and organization and show no pattern of basic grammar problems;
• Complete mid-term and final examinations;
• Demonstrate satisfactory progress over the course of the semester as determined by pre- and post-test in-class essay;
• Revise all  homework essays within required timeframe so that no R grades and no more than two P-/R+ grades remain at the end of the semester; and
• Submit a completed Writer's Portfolio

Revision policy:

An essay receiving a grade of R (= revision necessary) or P-/R+ (= passing but borderline) must be revised until the grade is brought up to a P (= passing). Essays may be turned in for re-evaluation as often as desired. (Exception: essays written in class, along with the final homework essay, may not be revised.) Please note, however, that revisions will be accepted for re-evaluation only if they are submitted the week after the essay is returned by the instructor, unless otherwise specified.

When re-submitting an essay, the original version (the one with the teacher’s written comments) must be attached by paper clip to the new version.

TEXTBOOK REQUIRED:

Kirszner, L. G. & Mandell, S. R. (2006). Writing first: Practice in context (3rd. Ed.). New York: St. Martin’s Press. ISBN 0-312-43412-X

Students are required to have access to a computer with Internet access and either Microsoft Word or a compatible word processing software.