About

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Dr. Amanda Licastro (you can call me Dr. L)
Stevenson telephone number: x 2338 (I prefer email)
Stevenson email: alicastro@stevenson.edu
Best times for phone contact: I prefer email, and will respond within 24 hours between 9am and 10pm on weekdays.
Office location: DC 238 (on the first floor, turn at the giant hand)
Office hours: Monday and Wednesday from 1-2pm by appointment only (email me to set up the time and place)

COURSE INFORMATION

ENG 256
Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): A grade of C or above in ENG 152
Scheduled Class Days and Time: Monday and Wednesday

Course Description: This course introduces students to the principles of content creation, editing, and design of online publications.  Students assess their current use of digital materials and build upon this practical knowledge base by developing an introductory knowledge of media theory. Students acquire the fundamental skills needed to produce web-based publications and the course culminates in the collaborative production of a digital text. Additionally, this is a service-learning course paired with a community partner. Final projects will be created for a client based on their needs. This fulfills a SEE requirement and an SL course.

Instructional Methods Used in this Course: This course will involve discussions, guest speakers, and web-based writing projects. Will be required to visit at least one community partner outside of class time (you are welcome to visit multiple times). You are also required to check our WordPress and Blackboard sites before every class, for all announcements, including potential updates to the syllabus.

Required and Recommended Texts, Manuals, and Supplies:

Arola, Kristin L., Cheryl E. Ball, and Jennifer Sheppard. Writer/Designer: A Guide to Making Multimodal Projects. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014.

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah. Anchor, 2014.

COURSE OUTCOMES

Course Objectives/Learning Outcomes:

  1. Apply principles and techniques of digital publication to solve well-defined information architecture, content, and editing problems,
  2. Read verbal and visual texts to identify and analyze differing modes of content management, communication platforms, and word-processing platforms,
  3. Demonstrate intellectual property principles by locating suitable sources,
  4. Create a digital publication, working in teams to manage layout, content production, and editing,
  5. Produce academic, professional, and/or creative texts to a publishable standard,
  6. Produce effective organizational patterns using principles of information architecture,
  7. Discuss possible career goals related to publication design, content production, and editing and select academic courses that sustain career goals

To determine if this course fulfills additional program or track outcomes, please see the department chair or program coordinator.

GRADING STANDARDS

Grading Scale:

Letter Grade Percentage Points QPA Points
A 93-100 4.0
A- 90-92 3.7
B+ 87-89 3.3
B 83-86 3.0
B- 80-82 2.7
C+ 77-79 2.3
C 70-76 2.0
D 60-69 1.0
F 0-59 0.0

 Passing standards are dependent on the catalog year in which you entered the University. For further information, please look under “Academic Standing and Grading Information” in the “Academic Information” section of the relevant catalog at http://www.stevenson.edu/academics/catalog/ .

 Course Requirements:
All assignments require the honor pledge be stated and agreed to before submitting.
Rhetorical Analysis                20%
Reading Responses                 10%
Editing Project                        10%
Project Pitch                           10%
Final Project                            30%
Participation                           20%

COURSE POLICIES

Policies: You must arrive to class on time and avoid leaving early unless there are serious extenuating circumstances. Please contact me if you will be absent and find a classmate to share their notes with you. Late journal entries and blog posts will not be accepted under any circumstances. However, extensions for essays and digital projects will be considered on an individual basis. Please come see me for help – I welcome you to visit my office hours to speak with you anytime!

Classroom and Studio Policies: The use of cell phones and headphones is prohibited unless explicitly stated in class. Remove your headphones before entering the room and put your phone on silent. You will be using a computer in class regularly. You are welcome to bring your own laptop. You are not to use this time to check social media, sports scores, gossip blogs, or anything other than our course work. Please respect our time together and use the computers to complete your assignments to the best of your ability…you are paying to be in this class and learn after all…

Submission of Assignments or Projects: All assignments will be submitted online on our course blog. A tag and category will be provided and must be used to receive credit for your work. All citations should be in MLA format. Please use OWL at Purdue for guidance in formatting your citations.

Attendance: Each student is responsible for his or her own class attendance and regular attendance is expected. Every student is responsible for the material covered or the skills exercised during scheduled classes. Grades will be based on demonstrated achievement of the objectives of the course, not on attendance in class as such. Students who stop attending and fail to officially withdraw from a class will be given a grade of “FX” which calculates as an “F” in the GPA..

UNIVERSITY GUIDELINES

Diversity Statement
Stevenson University commits itself to diversity as it relates to awareness, education, respect, and practice at every level of the organization. The University embraces people of all backgrounds, defined by, but not limited to, ethnicity, culture, race, gender, class, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, physical ability, learning styles, and political perspectives. The University believes its core values are strengthened when all of its members have voice and representation. The resulting inclusive organizational climate promotes the development of broad-minded members of the University who positively influence their local and global communities.

Standards of Academic Integrity
Stevenson University expects all members of its community to behave with integrity. Honesty and integrity provide the clearest path to knowledge, understanding, and truth – the highest goals of an academic institution. For students, integrity is fundamental to the development of intellect, character, and the personal and professional ethics that will govern their lives and shape their careers. Stevenson University embraces and operates in a manner consistent with the definitions and principles of Academic Integrity as set forth by the International Center for Academic Integrity. Students are expected to model the values of academic integrity (honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage) in all aspects of this course. Students will be asked to assent to and to uphold the University Honor Pledge:

I pledge on my honor that I have neither given nor received

unauthorized assistance on this assignment/exam.”

Suspected violations of the Academic Integrity Policy will be reported and investigated as outlined in the Policy Manual, Volume V.

If you are unsure what counts as plagiarism – for instance if you cut and paste part of a paper, buy an essay online, have someone help you write your paper, or borrow a paper from someone else – this STILL counts as plagiarism. Come ask me, or a tutor, or a librarian for help!!!

ACADEMIC SERVICES AND RESOURCES

Disability Services
Stevenson University will make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with documented disabilities. The Office of Disability Services (ODS) facilitates equal access for students who self-identify as having a disability and provide appropriate documentation. If you are a student with a disability who needs accommodations in this class, please contact the Director of Disability Services located in Garrison Hall South Room 138 or send an email to ODS@stevenson.edu. Once accommodations are authorized by ODS, please provide me (your instructor) with your approved accommodations memo as soon as possible. Accommodations are not retroactive.

This is the link to the University’s Office of Disability Services: http://www.stevenson.edu/academics/academic-resources/disability-support-services/

Academic Link
The John L. Stasiak Academic Link,
located on Owings Mills in the Center for Student Success (GHS 101), provides free tutoring for many classes. If you are having difficulty with or would benefit from discussing the material with an upper level peer, seek assistance early in the semester. Tutoring often makes a difference in a student’s grade. To view the tutoring schedule and sign up for an appointment, go to stevenson.go-redrock.com, visit the Link in person, or call 443-394-9300.

SU Library
The SU Library provides extensive electronic and print resources to support your coursework. Research Guides and databases can be found on the library home page, as well as brief tutorials to assist you in using these resources. A professional librarian is always available to help you find the best information sources for your needs. For more information about library services, please visit: http://stevenson.libguides.com/stevensonlibrary

Online Learning Resources
Atomic Learning (Hoonuit), available through Blackboard, is an online learning resource available to all Stevenson students that provides video tutorials for instruction on a wide variety of topics.

The Wellness Center
Stress is a normal part of being a student. However, if personal, emotional, or physical concerns are interfering with your ability to be successful at Stevenson, please call the Wellness Center at 443-352-4200 to make an appointment. More information about the Wellness Center can be found at: http://www.stevenson.edu/student-life/health-wellness/

STEVENSON EDUCATION EXPERIENCE (SEE) LEARNING GOALS AND OUTCOMES

SU Goal No. 1: Intellectual Development (ID)
The SU graduate will use inquiry and analysis, critical and creative thinking, scientific reasoning, and quantitative skills to gather and evaluate evidence, to define and solve problems facing his or her communities, the nation, and the world, and to demonstrate an appreciation for the nature and value of the fine arts.

SU Goal No. 2: Communication (C)
The SU graduate will communicate logically, clearly, and precisely using written, oral, non-verbal, and electronic means to acquire, organize, present, and/or document ideas and information, reflecting an awareness of situation, audience, purpose, and diverse points of view.

SU Goal No. 3: Self, Societies, and the Natural World (SSNW)
The SU graduate will consider self, others, diverse societies and cultures, and the physical and natural worlds, while engaging with world problems, both contemporary and enduring.

SU Goal No. 4: Experiential Learning (EL)
The SU graduate will connect ideas and experiences from a variety of contexts, synthesizing and transferring learning to new, complex situations.

SU Goal No. 5: Career Readiness (CR)
The SU graduate will demonstrate personal direction, professional know-how, and discipline expertise in preparation for entry into the workplace or graduate studies.

SU Goal No. 6: Ethics in Practice (EIP)
The SU graduate will practice integrity in the academic enterprise, professional settings, and personal relationships.

 

For more information about the SU learning outcomes and goals, please see the Stevenson catalog.