Dr.

Fodrey

ENGL 396Fall 2014

English 396: Stylistics and Writing for Publication

Monday and Wednesday 10:20-11:30 AM, PPHAC 331
Professor: Dr. Crystal N. Fodrey
Office: Zinzendorf 307
Phone: 610-861-1511

Email: fodreyc@moravian.edu
Office Hours: MTW 1:00 3:00 PM, and
by appointment

Required Texts:

Harris, Joseph. Rewriting: How To Do Things With Texts. Utah State UP, 2006.
Holcomb, Chris, and M. Jimmie Killingsworth. Performing Prose: The Study and Practice of
Style in Composition. Southern Illinois UP, 2010.
Moore, Dinty W. Crafting The Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative
Nonfiction. F+W Media, 2010.
Tufte, Virginia. Artful Sentences: Syntax as Style. Graphics P, 2006.
Additional Readings Provided on Blackboard Course Site

Other Materials:

Paper and pen/pencil for periodic revision and editing tasks

Accessibility of your work as needed for class and group discussion (i.e. you should always be
able to pull up all completed work for the class on a computer in the classroom via Dropbox,
Google Drive, etc.)
Daily access to the Internet

Course Overview and Goals:

The two major goals of this advanced writing class are for you to develop a greater understanding of the
stylistic options available to writers, and to use that knowledge to write and revise nonfiction prose
compositions for various publication venues. To reach these goals, you will do the following: study
theories of style and methods of analyzing style; practice various exercises designed to improve writing
style; conduct analyses of the style and genre conventions of published creative and scholarly works;
analyze and revise previously written nonfiction prose compositions to submit for possible publication in
a local or national undergraduate literary or scholarly journal or other appropriate venue; and
collaboratively create and promote a digital publishing project.

Course Evaluation, Assignments, and Grades
It is within the instructors purview to apply qualitative judgment in determining grades for any
assignments and for the final course grade. Grades will consider the following aspects of writing, in the
context of a particular assignment: purpose, audience, content, organization, development of ideas, style,
ethos, document design, mechanics/ readability, and maturity of thought.
The following table lists all assignments and their point values. Required assignments that carry no point
values (i.e. drafts) must be completed in order for you to receive full credit for the unit and the course.

Assignment

Points

#1 Defining Style (Brief Essay)

#2 Stylistic Analysis/Imitation
#3 Revision for Publication (of previously composed work)
#4 Digital Publishing About Publishing Project

10
20
20
30

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ENGL 396Fall 2014

In-Class Writing and Short Assignments (reading responses, drafting

exercises, style/editing exercises, etc.)
Participation
Total Points Possible

10
10
100

To receive an A in this course, you must accumulate at least 90 points; for a B, 80 points; for a C, 70
points; and for a D, 60 points. Please turn in all assignments, even if you believe they are poorly done.
The difference between an F grade and 0 is that F carries points toward the final points and is assigned for
something turned in, while a 0 carries no points and is assigned when no assignment is submitted.

Assignments #1 #4
Each of the major assignments for this course is meant to build on each other, and each take a different
form. In Assignment #1, worth 10 points (10%) of your grade, you will be asked to write a brief (3-5
page) essay in which you synthesize theories of style and argue for a definition of style that resonates with
your observations and experience. From there we will move on to practice crafting your own style
through analyzing and imitating the writing style of published creative nonfiction authors/English
scholars in Assignment #2, worth 20 points (20%) of your grade. Assignment #3, also worth 20 points
(20%) of your grade, asks you to find a publication for a previously written piece that you want to revise,
analyze that publication, and revise your piece in order to submit it to that publication. The final digital
publishing about publishing project, Assignment #4, is worth 30% of your course grade; we will
determine the components of that project and the specific assessment criteria used to grade that project as
a class over the course of the semester.

In-Class Writing and Short Assignments

This course asks you to write. A lot. Expect to do many invention activities, craft exercises, and warm-up
writings in class. Note: In-class writing is tied to attendance and cannot be made up. Short homework
assignments (SAs) leading up to larger graded assignments are pass/fail. You receive credit as long as you
meet the minimum requirements for the SAs. If you do not have an SA in class when it is due, you will
lose .5 points from your participation grade. Late SAs will not be accepted, and you will lose points from
your Short Assignment and In-Class Writing grade (see table above).

Participation
10 points (10%) of your total grade count for participation. Participation has many aspects. Large group
participation includes contributing to discussions, asking questions, taking notes, writing when asked to
write, listening, respecting your peers and me, and anything else that shows you are actively engaged in
the course. Small group participation includes the above, plus responding thoughtfully to your peers
writing. Expect to have written homework (either an SA, rough draft, final draft, or digital publishing
project component) due for every class. It is due whether or not you are in class.
Anytime you use your phone or sleep, it will result in .5 point deduction from your participation
grade.
Anytime you fail to turn in work on its due date
o You will lose 1 point for not having formal writing (drafts, peer review, and all major
assignments listed in table) and
o .5 points for not having informal writing (SAs, in-class work, i.e. all other assigned work not
listed in table. Reminder: I do not accept late SAs.).
In accordance with the attendance policy listed below, excessive absences will be deducted from your
participation grade until you run out of participation points.
In the event you lose all 10 participation points, you will start losing additional points from your final
grade. It is possible to fail the course due to missing work, late work, and absences.

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ENGL 396Fall 2014

Course Policies
Academic Honesty
All Moravian students are responsible for upholding the academic honesty policy detailed in the Student
Handbook, which I highly suggest that you read. You must do your own writing for all the assignments in
this course and have a full understanding of all terms and concepts you have used. If I question whether
the work you have submitted is your own, I may test you on its content. Additionally, the use of sources
(ideas, quotations, paraphrases) must be properly documented using a style appropriate to the genre in
which you are working. Because Assignment #3 expressly asks you to make substantial revisions to a
piece of writing that you composed in another course, for that assignment only you can disregard this
line in the Student Handbook: Students may not submit or present work prepared in whole or in part to
fulfill course requirements for more than one course.

Attendance
Attendance is mandatory. Stylistics and Writing for Publication is a course that includes engaged
discussion, in-class writing, peer group work, and conferences. Therefore, students should not be late and
should not miss class. Any in-class work missed as a result of tardiness or unexcused absence cannot be
made up. Students enrolled in this course cannot miss more than a week of classestwo class meetings
without penalty. For each class meeting missed thereafter, your final course grade will be reduced by 2
points (2%).
All holidays or special events observed by organized religions will be honored for those students who
show affiliation with that particular religion. In most cases, a deans note or other official Moravian
College document justifies absences for Moravian functions but must be presented to me before the
scheduled event. Doctors appointments, job interviews, and other important appointments do not count
as excused absences. Save your two free unexcused absences for those sorts of instances. If you have a
legitimate conflict or an extreme emergency, discuss the situation with me.

Submitting your Work

In-class and out-of-class writing will be assigned throughout the course. Students not in class
when writing is assigned are still responsible for completion of the assignment when due.
It is your responsibility to submit your work to Blackboard by the published assignment deadline.
It is your responsibility to submit the correct version of your assignment.
Students are required to keep copies of all drafts and major assignments until after the end of the
semester.
Rough drafts must be turned in prior to final drafts. Drafts should show significant changes in
purpose, audience, organization, or evidence.
Final copies should be typed and follow the appropriate style guidelines for the assignment.

Late Work
Major assignments will not be accepted without penalty unless students make arrangements for an
extension before the due date. Major assignments that are turned in late will incur a 10% penalty per 24hour period. SAs and in-class writing assignments will not be accepted late under any circumstances.

Workshops
We improve as writers by responding to input from readers. To that end your essay drafts will go through
extensive peer review via writing workshops. You are expected to take the input from your classmates
seriously and respond to their feedback when you revise. You are likewise expected to take your job as a

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ENGL 396Fall 2014

reviewer seriously. Critique others work as you wish to be critiqued. Treat each other with respect. Each
of us has areas to improve in our writing.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Students who wish to request accommodations in this class for a disability should contact Elaine Mara,
assistant director of learning services for academic and disability support in the lower level of Monocacy
Hall, or by calling 610-861-1401. Accommodations cannot be provided until authorization is received
from the Academic Support Center.

Writing Support
The Writing Center is a free resource for Moravian students. At the Writing Center, a trained peer tutor
will work individually with you on your writing at any point in the process from brainstorming to editing.
The Writing Center is located on the second floor of Zinzendorf Hall, a building that is not accessible to
persons with mobility impairments. If you need the services of the Writing Center, please call 610-8611392.

English Major Portfolio

In preparation for creating an English Major Portfolio in your senior capstone seminar, please save digital
and/or hard copies of your work for this class, including drafts with peer and instructor comments.
Information contained in the course syllabus may be subject to change with reasonable advance
notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

English 396 Unit 1 Daily Course Schedule

Defining Style
Be aware that a daily schedule is occasionally subject to change due to time constraints, unexpected
disruptions, or needs of the class. Therefore, pay attention to announcements of any changes in
assignments or due dates. These changes will be announced in class and on Blackboard. The most up to
date homework will ALWAYS be posted on the classs Blackboard page. Also note that whatever is
listed for a specific day is DUE that day.
Key to Symbols:

B = the reading has been posted as course content on Blackboard

R = Rewriting: How To Do Things With Texts
PP = Performing Prose
CPE = Crafting The Personal Essay
AS = Artful Sentences: Syntax as Style
SA = Short Assignment (to be explained in detail on Blackboard)

WEEK 1
Introduce course and its emphasis on style, genre, and rhetorical awareness; write and share brief
introductions; read and discuss stylistic theory texts; introduce unit 1 essay assignment
M 8-25

Watch and discuss Word Crimes video (in-class)

Read syllabus (in class); McWhorters The Problem With Weird Als Word Crimes
Video (in-class)
Draft and share intro statements

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W 8-27

ENGL 396Fall 2014

Read Overview of the Canons of Rhetoric (be sure to read all five links for invention,
arrangement, style, memory, and delivery) from Silva Rhetoricae; Style: How to Say
Things with Words entry under Aristotles Rhetoric from the Stanford Encyclopedia
of Philosophy; and Chapter 2 of Butlers Out of StyleHistorical Developments:
Relevant Stylistic History and Theory (access for free through ebrary on Reeves Library
website)
Enroll in English 396 course shell on Blackboard
Write SA#1Your first essay will be based on your definition of the term style in
which you synthesize the arguments of key scholars on some aspect of style and
articulate your position in response, based on your observations and personal experiences
as a writer. In order to move in that direction, your first few SAs will be summaries and
responses to readings. For Wednesday, you need to pick at least three excerpts from the
homework readings that assist in your understanding of style and/or provoke a
response. At least two excerpts must be from the Butler text and the other can be from
Silva Rhetoricae or the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. For each, 1) copy the
excerpt, 2) rewrite it in your own words to show that you understand it within the context
of the reading as a whole, and 3) respond to it by connecting the idea to an example from
a personal experience or observation. Consider focusing some on ideas that ring true to
you and some on ideas about which you disagree. At least 250 words per rewrite/
response.

WEEK 2
Read and respond to stylistic theory texts
M 9-1

Read Milics Theories of Style and Their Implications for the Teaching of
Composition (B); Hiatts The Feminine Style: Theory and Fact; PP chapters 1 & 2
Write SA#2When you're doing this set of readings, think about the ways that these
more contemporary understandings of style grow out of and/or challenge the dominant
beliefs regarding style in antiquity (i.e., what you read about in the Butler text). This SA
is similar to the last. Since there's more reading, we'll cut down on the minimum response
word count--150 words per response. This time around, you can just integrate at least one
quote per text/chapter into your responses instead of doing the quote/reword/response
model (unless you prefer that). Be sure to do separate responses for Milic, Hiatt, PP
Chapter 1 and PP Chapter 2. Please print and bring to class.

W 9-3

Read Johnson Ancient and Contemporary Compositions That Come Alive (B); PP
chapters 3, 4, & 5
Write SA #3When responding to the Johnson article, focus in on the ways he
characterizes writing that "comes alive." How is it different from other writing? How do
his claims about style align with your own experiences as a writer? Regarding the reading
from Performing Prose, please complete one of the listed exercises from the end of each
chapter. Approx. 100 words per article/chapter, for a minimum of 400 words total.

WEEK 3
Continue to read and respond to stylistic theories; workshop and revision
M 9-8

Read Weathers Grammars of Style (B); Tuftes The Relation of Grammar to Style
(B); PP chapters 6, 7, & 8
Write SA #4On Monday, we will begin discussing grammargrammatical
constructions, sentence types, and ways that a basic understanding of various
grammatical constructions can aid in an understanding of tropes and schemes. The

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ENGL 396Fall 2014

Weathers reading and Tufte reading will help you better understand that connection, and
you are free to integrate one or both of their text into your Assignment #1. Because of the
amount of reading for this class meeting, all you need to do for your SA is to provide a
brief answer for Exercise #1 at the end of chapters 6, 7, and 8 of Performing Prose. These
exercises will help you as you move toward Assignment #2Stylistic Analysis and
Imitation.
Also, please add a brief response to the fruit and vegetable activity at the beginning of
SA#4. What was it like to be asked to write in a very specific style? What did you do to
get into the mindset of a fruit or veggie? Did you feel successful in performing within the
style conventions of the genre you picked from the bag?
W 9-10

Read PP chapters 9 & 10

WriteRough Draft Assignment #1 Due; please bring three copies to class for peer
review.

WEEK 4
Submit Assignment #1; Introduce Assignment #2Stylistic/Generic Analysis and Imitation
M 9-15
ReadBradway and Hesses Style Chapter from Creating Nonfiction (B); Farmers
Sounding the Other Who Speaks in Me: Toward a Dialogic Understanding of Imitation
(B); Basic Sentence Forms handout (B)
WriteFinal Draft Assignment #1 Due
W 9-17

ReadFollow the links on the Assignment #2 assignment sheet to journals that publish
flash nonfiction. Read some essays. Find an essay (under 1000 words) that you want to
analyze and imitate.
WriteSA#5Part 1: Copy and Compose Part I Due; Part 2: Write a paragraph in
which you introduce your chosen flash essay (title, author, publication title and date,
summary of text) and a paragraph in which you describe, in general, what has drawn you
to the style of this essay. Be sure to print off a copy of the essay, if possible, to submit to
Dr. Fodrey.

WEEK 5
Practice stylistic/generic analysis of flash nonfiction; begin planning for final project
M 9-22
Readyour chosen flash essay multiple times. Youll likely need to reread portions of
Performing Prose and Artful Sentences to remind you of specific tropes, schemes, and
grammatical constructions. Recommended: Analyzing Syntax and Imagery
WriteSA#6Part 1: Copy and Compose Part II Due; Part 2: Complete a mini stylistic
analysis (2-3 typed paragraphs) of one full paragraph of your chosen flash essay
(preferably the one you found for 9-17, but if youve found a new one thats fine too; I
just need a copy of it). At the top page, include the author, essay title, publication name,
page number (if present), and paragraph number that you are analyzing, then answer the
following questions (in no particular order) in a short essay:
What is the situation (plot) and what is the story (theme, main idea) of the essay, and
how does this paragraph function within that situation and story?
In what ways if at all is the writer trying to identify with their audience in this
paragraph?
How is the paragraph organized?
Is the writer using narrative in this paragraph? If so, how?
How would you describe the tone of the paragraph? The point of view?

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ENGL 396Fall 2014

How would you describe the writer's stylistic decisions at the sentence and word
level? (Be sure to name specific tropes and schemes used.)
Also remember to include a list of stylistic statistics for the paragraph, which should
include number of words, number of sentences, average number of words per sentence,
number of simple sentences, number of compound sentences, number of complex
sentences, and number of compound-complex sentences.

W 9-24

ReadSample stylistic analysis (B)

Write: Part I of Assignment #2Stylistic AnalysisRough Draft Due; bring three
copies to class for peer review.

WEEK 6
Practice stylistic/generic imitation of nonfiction texts; continue discussion on final project
M 9-29
Read about Creative Nonfiction (sub)Genre Conventions (TBA on Blackboardwill
involve reading select chapters from Moores Crafting the Personal Essay, so make sure
you have it)
Write SA#7TBA on Blackboard
W 10-1

Read more about Creative Nonfiction (sub)Genre Conventions (TBA on Blackboard)

Write SA#8TBA on Blackboard

WEEK 7
Complete Assignment #2; define final project parameters
M 10-6
Write: Part II of Assignment #2Stylistic ImitationRough Draft Due; bring three
copies to class for small group workshop
W 10-8

WEEK 8
M 10-13
W 10-15

Read: On Becoming an Excellent Rewriter (CPE 219-25); Revision from Creating

Nonfiction (B)
Write: Assignment #2 Final Due to Blackboard by class time. Also bring a printed copy
of your essay and the essay you imitated to class; we will spend our class time sharing
what we imitated alongside our imitations.
Class cancelled for Fall Break
Browse through the possible publications to which you could submit a revised version of
your creative nonfiction essay or scholarly article (See links in Unit 3 Content).
Narrow your choice of publication down to two or three. Read through multiple issues of
each journal, keeping in mind the potential "fit" of your essay/article.
Write SA#9: In approximately 200 words, describe your choices for submission venue
by answering some of the questions provided on the Assignment #3 sheet in relation to
the upcoming proposal you must write. Based on the kind of writing you see in each
publication--which you should describe in this SA--which publication do you think
would be the best potential fit for your work? Why?

WEEK 9
Draft proposal for Unit 3 revision project; start revising essay/article for publication
M 10-20

Read either "How to Get Published in Literary Magazines" or "(Scholarly) Publishing

Tips for Undergraduates" (B)
WriteRough Draft of Assignment #3 Proposal Due.

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W 10-22

ENGL 396Fall 2014

ReadHarris, "Coming to Terms" and "Forwarding" (13-53 in Rewriting); Root,

"Collage, Montage, Mosaic, Vignette, Episode, Segment" (B)
WriteContinue to make revisions to your proposal (not due until 10/27); bring in at
least 1000 words of (creative or scholarly) writing that you have already started to revise
for this project

WEEK 10
Thinking Like an Editor
M 10-27
Class cancelled for mandatory 30-minute conference sessions with Dr. Fodrey
WriteProposal Final Draft due at time of meeting along with a copy of the original
draft of essay(s)/article being revised for publication. Also bring a copy of your
essay(s)/article with any revisions you have done thus far to your meeting with Dr.
Fodrey. All Printed.
W 10-29

Read Revising (98-123 in Rewriting)

WriteSA#10 Rough draft of cover letter. Review tips in readings from 10-20 plus
How to Write a Cover Letter for a Literary Magazine Submission (B); bring in an
almost completed revision of your essay(s)/article

WEEK 11
Class will meet in computer lab for the rest of the semester starting 11-3
M 11-3
Read TBA from Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First
Century; To Achieve Diversity in Publishing, a Difficult Dialogue Beats Silence (B)
WriteSA#11 do some preliminary research on a topic related to publishing in the 21st
Century, both through the library and online. Come up with five potential research
questions that you could explore for the final project; continue making revisions to your
unit 3 essay(s)/article for publication.
W 11-5

WriteAssignment #3 Revision for Publication Due. Remember to include your cover

letter, a clean copy of the essay(s)/article, and a copy that has all new/heavily-revised
parts of the writing highlighted. All printed.

WEEK 11
Class will meet in computer lab for the rest of the semester starting 11-3
M 11-3
Read TBA from Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First
Century
WriteSA#11 do some preliminary research on a topic related to publishing in the 21st
Century, both through the library and online. Come up with five potential research
questions that you could explore for the final project; continue making revisions to your
unit 3 essay(s)/article for publication.
W 11-5

Browse through "Query Letter Samples," "Creating Multimodal Texts," and "New Media
Writing" (see Unit 4 Content)
WriteAssignment #3 Revision for Publication Due. Remember to include your cover
letter, a clean copy of the essay(s)/article, a copy that has all new/heavily-revised parts of
the writing highlighted, and a photocopy/print-off of the original graded document from a
previous class. All printed. Submit paperclipped or in a folder. PLUS SA# 12: Using the
sample query letters as models, write a brief (under 1 page) query letter to Dr. Fodrey,
managing editor of the Digital Publishing on Publishing project, in which you pitch your

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ENGL 396Fall 2014

idea for your project. Format it like a letter. We will use these to move forward with the
project in class on Wednesday.
WEEK 12
In-class practice with Wordpress, fair use, and Creative Commons
M 11-10
ReadSources!
Write SA#13: Part 1 of annotated bibliography (see Blackboard for details)
W 11-12
WEEK 13
M 11-17

W 11-19

ReadSources!
Write Annotated bibliography due
ReadSample webtexts (see Blackboard)
Draft at least half (minimum 1500 words with embedded images, hyperlinks, etc.) of
your webtext. Post draft to Wordpress page by class time.
WriteCompleted rough draft of webtext to be posted to and made available on the
classs Wordpress page by class time.

WEEK 14
In class editing of webtext drafts.
M 11-24
WriteCompleted final draft of webtext to be posted to and made available on the
classs Wordpress page by class time. (What happens to your text after today is in the
capable hands of the various editorial teams.)
W 11-26

WEEK 15
M 12-1

W 12-3

Class cancelled for Thanksgiving Break

Edit/DesignWork with your editing/design team to make decisions related to the tasks
you must complete, and implement those plans. This may mean working together outside
of class.
Edit/DesignYour editing/design teams components of the Assignment #4 digital
publication should be completed by class time.
WriteBrief 1 to 2 page reflection on the research, digital writing, and
editing/designing process due
Digital Publishing about Publishing Release Party. Details TBA