Addresses the full range of communications requirements for doctoral and executive-level writing and presentations, including but not limited to, publications, dissertations, presentations, media relations, and use of alternative media.
I. Purpose of the Course
Addresses advanced professional writing, public writing and presentation skills. This course includes the study of creating case studies as well as reading, interpreting and discussing case studies; a focus on dissertation writing and other textual forms including press releases, speeches, newsletters, and grants; a focus on developing skills for speaking and listening effectively with different audiences, as well as the effective use of technology in presentations; and a focus on managing interactions with the media; e.g., interviews for print, radio and television. Teaching strategies would include case studies, readings, simulations and skills development experiences.
II. Objectives of the Course: The student will be able to:
Write effectively to meet the professional requirements for dissertations, academic journals and grants and contracts.
Demonstrate skills required to address varied audiences and purposes, ranging from journals to the media.
Organize and document drafting skills necessary for clear, direct transmission of information.
Edit and revise one's own documents quickly and efficiently to improve both information and style..
Properly use of graphics and visual information within text documents, including the use of proper documentation and referencing.
Demonstrate an effective use of documentation, grammar and style as well as a thorough knowledge of self-help resources such as style guides and on-line references.
III. Text and Additional Reading Resources
Text (Required):
Lawrence Locke, Waneen Wyrick Spirduso and Stephen Silverman, Proposals that Work: A Guide for Planning Dissertations and Grant Proposals (4th ed.). London: Sage Publications, 1999. McNamee, Mike and David Bridges (Editors) The Ethics of Educational Research (Journal of Philosophy of Education). NY: Blackwell Pub., 2002.
Text (Optional):
American Psychological Association, Style Manual, 5th ed. 2001. Rudestam, Kjell and Rae Newton. Surviving your Dissertation: A Comprehensive Guide to content and Process. (2nd ed.) London: Sage Publications. 2001
Key Websites: Attached
IV. Prerequisite Skills for the Course:
Student must be enrolled in doctoral program or an advanced master's level student. Optimally, the student will be preparing to work on a dissertation or other advanced professional product.
V. Course Expectations
As this is a writing-intensive course. One will be working on one's own proposals continually throughout the semester as well as other class assignments. One should expect to produce:
two possible abstracts of one's proposal;
two possible outlines of a proposal;
a statement concerning ethical issues that you anticipate might arise during research;
a statement of how you will compensate "informants" during fieldwork;
at least two versions of your proposal intended for two different funding agencies;
a list of conference papers intended for particular conferences that you might attend, based on your anticipated dissertation research;
a list of journals to which future dissertation chapters might be submitted as articles; and
a list of book publishers to which your future dissertation might eventually be submitted.
Class Attendance and Participation:
You are expected to be in class each session and to participate in email discussion throughout each week. Each missed class is significant, so communicate with the instructor regarding any missed class time.
Student Accommodations Under the Americans with Disabilities Act:
Refer to UHCL Handbook
Academic Honesty Policy:
Refer to UHCL Handbook
VI. Grading Criteria (Assignments and % of points)
Proposals: 30%
Grants and Contracts: 20%
External sources (media and public): 20%
Journals: 30%
VII. Week-to-Week Schedule
Weekly Schedule (Tentative)
Week 1 CASE #1: Graduate student quandary case IN CLASS: Write five possible research questions/issues/hypotheses, and five possible dissertation titles; develop starting sets of ancillary sources and opportunities for writing
Week 2 WRITE/BRING: Copies of two alternative research proposal titles and copies of two proposal abstracts READ: Locke et al., Chs. 1 and 5 IN CLASS: Writer's Workshop presentation. Discuss your possible titles and abstracts.
Week 3 CASE # 2: Writing for the media and for general populations WRITE/BRING: Copies of two possible outlines of your proposal READ: Locke et al., Chs. 3-4. Read McNamara and Bridges. IN CLASS: Discuss proposal outlines.
Week 4 WRITE/BRING: Some students bring copies of 1-2 page (typed double-spaced) Ethics Statement outlining anticipated ethical issues that you will face during your research, and how you intend to deal with them. Include a statement on how you plan to compensate informants. Fill out a draft of a Human Subjects Form and bring copies. READ: Locke et al., Ch. 2 and Appendix B
Week 5 WRITE/BRING: Remaining students bring copies of an ethics statement, compensation statement, and Human Subjects Form, as above. READ: Locke et al., Chs. 8-10; and start looking at our former students' proposals IN CLASS: Discuss Ethics Statements (etc.).
Week 6
CASE #3: Student ethical dilemmas WRITE/BRING: Three students pass out first proposal: READ: Locke, Part III, Proposal 2; and our former students' proposals. IN CLASS: Discuss Ethics Statements (etc.) handed out last week.
Week 7 WRITE/BRING: Three students pass out proposal: IN CLASS: Discuss three proposals handed out last week.
Week 8 WRITE/BRING: Three students pass out proposal: IN CLASS: Discuss three proposals handed out last week.
Week 9 WRITE/BRING: Three students pass out a proposal: IN CLASS: Discuss three proposals handed out last week.
Week 10 WRITE/BRING: Three students pass out a proposal: IN CLASS: Discuss three proposals handed out last week.
Week 11 CASE #4: Mock Fulbright interview. WRITE/BRING: Three students pass out a list of conference papers to write intended for particular conferences that you might attend, based on your anticipated dissertation research. IN CLASS: Discuss two proposals handed out last week.
Week 12 WRITE/BRING: Four students pass out a list of conference papers to write intended for particular conferences that you might attend, based on your anticipated dissertation research. IN CLASS: Discuss three sets of conference papers handed out last week.
Week 13 WRITE/BRING: ALL students pass out list of journals to which you will likely submit articles based on your eventual dissertation chapters; AND, list of publishers to which you might submit your eventual dissertation, for publication as a book. IN CLASS: Discuss four sets of conference papers handed out last week. Conduct 3 mock Fulbright interviews.
Week 14 CASE #5: Losing the Grant IN CLASS: Discuss grant proposal results based on semester's efforts.
Week 15 IN CLASS: Discuss grant proposal results based on semester's efforts.
University of Houston-Clear Lake School of Education WEBSITES
Part 1 APA
The following websites relate to the
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5 th edition.)
This may be the internet’s most comprehensive no-cost guide to academic writing. Although it is designed for undergraduates, the site contains suggestions that are appropriate for all writers. Students should review the entire site to get a broad picture of its organization and contents and then read particular sections more carefully.
“Writing the Academic Paper” from the Dartmouth Writing Program
Some graduate students will find this material to be condescending and simplistic. Nevertheless, it can be extremely helpful for graduate students who have been out in the real world for a few years and who have little recent experience in academic writing. This is required reading for Dr. Hicks’ classes.
“English as a Second Language” from the Dartmouth Writing Program
This section offers specific suggestions for students for whom English is not their first language and who are experiencing difficulty with writing the academic paper.
