LING 215: Introduction to Editing and Publishing (CRN 142)
MWF 8:00-8:50, SCHU 303

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Instructor: Amie A. Doughty
Office: 313 Netzer Administration Building
Office Hours: MWF 10:00-11:00 and by appointment
Phone: 436-2493
E-mail: amie.doughty@oneonta.edu
Web Address: http://employees.oneonta.edu/doughtaa

Required Texts:
Hacker, Diana, and Nancy Sommers. Rules for Writers. With 2016 MLA Update. 9th ed. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2019. ISBN: 978-1319057428
Norton, Scott. Developmental Editing: A Handbook for Freelancers, Authors, and Publishers. U of Chicago P, 2009. ISBN: 978-0226595153.
Saller, Carol Fisher. The Subversive Copy Editor 2nd edition. (U of Chicago Press, 2009), ISBN: 0-226-24007-X.
Zinsser, William. On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction. HarperPerennial, 2016. ISBN: 978-0060891541

Required Materials:
Black or blue pen or pencil.
Red or pink pen or pencil.

Recommended Materials:
A free subscription to PW Daily—the Publisher’s Weekly e-mail newsletter (see Blackboard for instructions on subscribing). These e-mails are useful in keeping abreast of publishing trends and offer a good source of ideas for the publishing project (see below).

Course Description:
Students will be introduced to the principles of both copy-editing (or proofreading) and more substantive content editing. The course will also include an overview of the publishing industry and discussion of careers within it. In the final part of the class, students will peer-review and edit others’ writing in order to produce an issue of a journal in either print or online format. Offered every 2-3 years. LA Prerequisite(s): SoS, COMP 100. 3 s.h.

Course Goals:

• To increase students’ skills in proofreading and copy editing.
• To review grammar, punctuation, and usage as needed to improve students’ confidence and accuracy as editors.
• To enhance students’ sense of style and their skills as stylistic editors.
• To acquaint students with basic principles of developmental editing and strengthen the critical thinking skills necessary for such editing.
• To acquaint students with the basic structure of the publishing industry and possible careers within it, as well as to discuss other possible career paths for English and liberal arts majors.
• To give students hands-on editing experience planning, writing for, peer-reviewing, and producing an online or print journal.

Course Policies:
Contacting Me: My preferred method of communication outside of class is via e-mail, and I am usually quick to respond to e-mail. If you send me an e-mail message, you should hear back from me within 24 hours during weekdays. If you do not receive a response within 24 hours, try again because it means that I have not received your message. I check my e-mail periodically Monday through Friday. I am offline on Saturdays and Sundays. You may also contact me via phone or come by my office during office hours. You do not need an appointment to see me during office hours, though I recommend making one during busy times of the semester (i.e. pre-enrollment, near finals). You can either make an appointment directly with me or by contacting Mrs. Carr, the English Department secretary (607-436-3446).

Attendance: You are expected to attend class and to be prepared to discuss the assigned readings and homework. If you are unable to come to class, it is your responsibility to make up the work you missed and to get notes from a classmate or from me during my office hours. See below for the University Policy on WIs due to excessive absences.

Class Discussions: I like to make my courses student-centered, so I try to limit lectures. There will be times that I need to present materials in lecture format, but you are always welcome to ask questions as they occur to you. I expect everyone's full participation in each activity, though I do not expect perfection in class. Do not be afraid to make mistakes (or to answer if you think you might be wrong) because you cannot learn without making mistakes.

Classroom Etiquette: You are expected to comport yourself politely in class. I expect you to refrain from talking to your classmates during lectures and discussions unless you are asked to work in groups. If you have a question about what is being presented, ask me, not a neighbor. Students whose behavior disrupts the class will be asked to leave the classroom, and I will determine what constitutes disruptive behavior.

Cell Phones: Phones must be turned off for the duration of the class period. If your phone rings in class, you may be asked to leave. If I see you texting in class, I may ask you to leave. If you believe you should be excluded from the cell phone restriction, see me individually.

Assignments: Your grade will be broken down as follows:

• Four Exams (50%)—You will take an exam that covers the materials for each of the four units we discuss this semester: copy editing, style, developmental editing, and the publishing industry. The average of the exams is worth 50% of your final grade. See the syllabus for specific dates.
• Publishing/Career Exploration Project (20%)—You will choose one of three options for this project and work on it for most of the semester. See the separate assignment sheet for specifics.
• Exercises/Quizzes (15%)—Throughout the semester, you will be given homework, quizzes, and in-class exercises to practice the materials that we are covering. The Zinsser posts and Norton presentation will count as part of this aspect of your final grade, as will your work on the class magazine.
• Class Participation (15%)—This class requires you to discuss the materials we’re covering through both thoughtful comments and questions. You do not have to understand the materials fully to do well, but you do need to engage with them and with the class. Class participation will be graded on a scale (see explanation below), and chronic absences will adversely affect your grade. Both full-class discussion and group work will count toward your participation grade.

Participation Grading Scale: Discussions will form a significant part of this course, and I expect everyone to be an active and engaged participant. You will be graded, starting on 24 Jan, on how often and well you participate in class discussions, both full class and small group. The grading will be calculated on a 5-point scale each day as follows:

• 5 points: You were on time for class and participated several times and/or offered an exceptional observation/query.
• 4 points: You were on time for class and participated once, or you were late for class and participated several times and/or offered an exceptional observation/query. If you have an excused absence, you will earn 4 points for the day.
• 3 points: You were on time for class but did not participate, or you were late for class and participated once.
• 2 points: You were late for class and did not participate.
• 0 points: You were absent.

I do not assign 1 point for this grade. I will update you on your participation average several times during the semester, and you may send me a query about your average any time.

Grammar and Mechanics: I expect your papers to have correct grammar and mechanics and to be proofread. Grammatical, mechanical, and formatting errors, especially proofreading errors, will lower your paper grade in the following manner: For every page of your out-of-class papers, you will be allowed one different type of error (e.g. 2 types of errors on a 2-page paper; 12 types of errors on a 12-page paper). Once you have exceeded your error allowance, you will lose 1/2 point per additional error type. Error types will be defined using the following rubric:

• Each proofreading error will count as 1 type (thus 5 proofreading errors will count as 5 types of errors).
• Homonym, usage, spelling, and other word-level errors will be counted by word (e.g., their/they’re/there is 1 type; it’s/its is 1 type; and wonder/wander is 1 type—if all 3 appear in the same paper, it will count as 3 types).
• MLA, mechanical (punctuation), and grammatical errors will be counted by first occurrence of an error only (e.g., 12 comma splices will count as 1 type; 5 comma errors will count as 1 type; a missing header will count as 1 type; a subject-verb agreement error will count as 1 type).

There is no limit to the number of points you can lose with this policy, so go through your papers carefully. This policy will apply to your Publishing/Career Exploration Project and to your Editing Portfolio.

Late Work and Make-up Work: I will accept work no more than one week late. All late work will lose 10%. If you know that you won’t be able to get work in on time, see me before the due date, and we may be able to make arrangements for an extension. If you are absent for a quiz or exam, it is your responsibility to contact me to make up that work. You have one week from your return to make assignments up.

Blackboard’s Gradebook: I will be creating a gradebook on Blackboard and updating it periodically for your information. Please note that this gradebook is a guide only; however, if you do see what appears to be an error on it, please contact me. Final grades are calculated by me on my Excel gradebook, so if there is a discrepancy between Blackboard’s book and mine, I will use my gradebook as the correct one. Also note that the grade marked “Total” is not a weighted total, so it should not be used to estimate your course average. Instead, the “Weighted Total” grade is the one that will indicate best how you are doing in the class.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the passing off of another's work (whether quoted, paraphrased or summarized) as your own without proper documentation, including on exams. If you are caught plagiarizing, you are subject to a variety of punishments, including expulsion from the university. Do your own work. See the University’s policy below for details on the Academic Dishonesty policy.

Grading Scale: The number percentages will be calculated as follows for letter grades:

Emergency Evacuation/Shelter-in-Place Procedures: In the event of an emergency requiring evacuation from SCHU 303, please evacuate to IRC Lobby so that College officials can account for you. All students are also encouraged to register for NY Alert at http://www.oneonta.edu/security for immediate notification of campus emergencies on or near the campus.

University Policies: The following policies can be found in your Student Handbook or the Code of Student Conduct (both available online) and are particularly applicable to this class.

Flagrant Non-Attendance
• Students missing 25% or more of class, any time from the second week of class up until the last day to withdraw from an individual course (see Keydates and Deadlines or Faculty Reference Guide for specific dates) may be removed from the course by the instructor.
• The Registrar will assign a “WI” (Involuntary Withdrawal) grade.
• Students appearing on the final grade sheet will be assigned a final grade (not a “W”, Incomplete or Pending grade), regardless of student’s class attendance.

Final Exams
Instructors must follow the final exam schedule as posted in Keydates and Deadlines (www.oneonta.edu/registrar). The final exam week is part of the 15 class weeks required by the State Education Department. If an instructor does not hold a final examination, the final examination period must be used as the final class day. Exceptions to this may be made only in an emergency and only with prior approval of the department chair and the division dean. Under no condition shall a study day be used to administer a final exam. Students are held responsible for selecting a course schedule with the final exam schedule in mind. There is no policy preventing a student from having exams in one day.

Accessibility Resources
Students Diagnosed with a Disability—All individuals who are diagnosed with a disability are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As such, you may be entitled to certain accommodations within this class. If you are diagnosed with a disability, please make an appointment to meet with Accessibility Resources, 133 Milne Library, ext. 2137. All students with the necessary supporting documentation will be provided appropriate accommodations as determined by the Accessibility Resources Office.   It is entirely your responsibility to contact Accessibility Resources and concurrently supply me with your accommodation plan, which will inform me exactly what accommodations you are entitled to. You will only receive accommodations once you provide me with an Accessibility Resources accommodation plan.  Any previously recorded grades will not be changed.

 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Academic dishonesty is defined as any act by a student that misrepresents or attempts to misrepresent to an instructor or any College official, the proficiency or achievement of that student or another student in any academic exercise for the purpose of influencing a grade on a piece of assigned work, on an examination or quiz or in a Course as a whole, or that is intended to alter any record of a student's academic performance by unauthorized means.
A Student deemed guilty of an act of academic dishonesty may, depending on the nature of the offense, be subject to one or more of the following measures: failure of the assignment or examination, failure of the course, or dismissal from the College. Furthermore, for a second offense, referral of the case to the Standing Disciplinary Board is mandatory. The penalties that may be assessed by the Board are listed under the Procedures of the Standing Disciplinary Board as published in this publication; however, the normal penalty is suspension or dismissal.
It is the Student's responsibility to read and understand the policy on all aspects of academic dishonesty as published in this publication and the Undergraduate Catalog. However, individual faculty members may wish to explain the policy as it relates to their courses. It is emphasized that a student who has any questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty has the responsibility of clarifying them by conferring with his/her instructors.

Examples of Academic Dishonesty:
The following examples, although not all-inclusive, are intended to help students understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. Other acts should not necessarily, be considered as falling outside the scope of this policy because of their absence from this list.
• Plagiarism that is, using materials from another's work without acknowledgment, using quotations without  identification as such or paraphrasing without specific identification of the source.
• Copying and/or modifying another person's computer file, program, printout, or portion thereof for use in an assignment without permission of the instructor.
• Knowingly permitting one's computer file, program, printout, or portion thereof to be copied or modified by another student for use in an assignment without permission of the instructor.
• Unauthorized giving or receiving of information on an examination, laboratory procedure, or other exercise.
• Taking an examination for another student or allowing another student to take an examination for you.
• Altering or attempting to alter a grade on any piece of graded work, a grade written in an instructor's personal records, or a grade written on any College form or transcribed in any official College record.
• Submitting a College form with a forged signature.

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