EFS 698B - STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Advanced Graduate Writing
EFS 698B - STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Advanced Graduate Writing
EFS 698B: Advanced Graduate Writing
Summer 2013
TuTh 9:00-10:50, Meyer 280D
Instructor: Phil Hubbard
260-302G
(650) 725-1557
efs@stanford.edu
www.stanford.edu/~efs/698b
Introduction. The goal of this course is to help you improve your academic writing skill to the point where you can successfully write across a range of anticipated writing tasks, from short reports to dissertations. To the degree possible, I will orient the course toward the writing you need for your own field of study. All of your individual writing assignments will relate to work you are doing for other academic or professional purposes. If you are submitting a paper for credit in another class, it is your responsibility to get the professor’s approval to receive my assistance to avoid the possibility of an Honor Code violation. See me individually if you have questions about this point.
Course content. The course will have two parts. In class we will focus attention on various points of academic writing form and style, both in general and as they relate to your particular field. There will also be individual meetings (typically a twenty minute meeting each week) during which time we will work on areas specific to your own needs, based on what shows up in the writing you submitted. Homework will include exercises from the text and assignments relating to other aspects of classwork.
Text. Williams & Colomb. Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace. 10th Edition (the 9th or 11th edition is also acceptable)
Requirements. The major requirement for receiving credit in this course is to show clear improvement in your writing. There are several more specific requirements for a grade of S (Satisfactory).
1) Attendance. You must attend at least 90% of the scheduled classes and all of the scheduled individual meetings. Please contact me by phone or email if you have to cancel a scheduled meeting for some reason or if you know you are going to be absent from class.
2) Homework. You must complete all the course assignments completely and in time for class discussion of them. I expect you to be able to work on the assignments independently, but if you are having problems be sure to let me know ahead of time so that I can help. If you miss class, you should bring your homework to our next meeting.
3) Individual assignments. Normally, at each meeting we will determine together what a reasonable assignment would be for you, which you agree to complete as specified. This includes handing your paper in early enough for me to have time to preview it before the meeting: see the next page for specific deadlines. I assume that some weeks you may not require such a meeting, but you must sign up for and attend at least 4 to receive class credit.
Please note the following with respect to the individual meetings:
• If turning in a printed paper, turn it in no later than noon the day before our meeting. Drop it off in the slot on my office door: 260-302G.
• I will also accept your paper by email. Please send it as an attachment to efs@stanford.edu by 6:00 PM the day before the meeting. Note that I cannot read any formats besides MS-Word and PDF. Please do not send LaTex or Postscript files.
• Remember that my job is to be your writing instructor, not your editor. Any work you turn into me should represent the best you can do on your own. That way, we can focus on what you really need help with and you can make the greatest progress.
• I will normally review a maximum of 10 double-spaced pages per session--be sure you double space so that there is room for my comments. If you submit more than that, please indicate what is most important as the rest will not get read closely. There is no set minimum, but I normally expect at least two pages.
• In general, I will review all aspects of the paper (organization, style, grammar, word choice, etc.). If you want me to ignore certain parts and focus more closely on others, please let me know and I'll try to accommodate your request.
Class Schedule (subject to change)
WEEK TOPIC (Williams references are by lesson number in the text)
1 Course introduction; Williams 1 & 2; overview of the writing process
2 Williams 3; sample article analysis (no class Thursday July 4, national holiday)
3 Williams 4; academic journal review (no class Thursday July 11, instructor at a conference)
4 Williams 5; abstracts; thesis and dissertation writing
5 Williams 6; abstracts & introductions
6 Williams 7; introductions
7 Williams 8; introductions & conclusions
8 Williams 10 & 11; conclusions; course review
DISABILITY NOTICE: Students who have a disability which may necessitate an academic accommodation or the use of auxiliary aids and services in a class, must initiate the request with the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC), located within the Office of Accessible Education (OAE). The SDRC will evaluate the request with required documentation, recommend appropriate accommodations, and prepare a verification letter dated in the current academic term in which the request is being made. Please contact the SDRC as soon as possible; timely notice is needed to arrange for appropriate accommodations. The Office of Accessible Education is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk (phone: 723-1066; TDD: 725-1067).
Last modified: June 16, 2013 by Phil Hubbard