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UNIT
1:
Group Proposal 50%
UNIT
2:
Academic Grant 50%
UNIT
3:
for grad credit
Grading
rubrics:
These links take you to the grading rubrics for
each assignment.
Unit 1:
Proposal
Executive Summary
Rhetorical Analysis
Unit 2:
Proposal
Pre-proposal
Progress report
Informational Interview
Quizzes/Homework:
Samples:
This link takes you to sample student responses to several of the
assignments.
Sample Proposal
Sample Rhetorical Analysis
(1)
Sample Rhetorical Analysis (2)
Sample Progress Report
Some Sample Proposals:
Some good places to go first for resources:
Pacific
Bell Knowledge Network
The Foundation
Center
Grantwriting
Guide
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Elizabeth Birmingham (Betsy)
Office:
320 J Minard Hall
Phone: Office—231-6587 Home—293-1065
Office hours: M,T,W,H,F 9-10; for other times call or e-mail
Course Description:
The course employs a rhetorical approach
to writing academic and business proposals and grants, focusing
on creating the best possible persuasive argument for a given audience
and context. In addition, the course creates opportunities for collaborative
writing, oral presentation, document and presentation design, and
the critique of an independent grant or proposal project of the
student's choice. During the first third of the semester students
develop skills in proposal and report writing by responding to cases.
During the second two-thirds of the semester, students develop two
large projects concurrently—one an individual academic grant
and the second a collaborative internship project developed and
carried out with a community non-profit agency or campus client.
Students will leave the course with a portfolio of polished, professionally
designed and edited documents, as well as a vocabulary for discussing
grants and proposal research and writing during the job search.
Overall requirements include: 100-150 pages of writing over the
semester (some collaborative) and 50 pages of reading per week.
Course Objectives:
Students will
- be given opportunities to research academic,
community, and business grant opportunities—both in on-line
and print media.
- understand the generic conventions of grants
and proposals.
- be introduced to a rhetorical approach to writing
grants and proposals; they will analyze available information
about a rhetorical situation in order to create a document that
provides the best possible argument for its purpose.
- receive practice designing professional, rhetorically
appropriate documents.
- be given opportunities to deliver professional,
rhetorically appropriate oral presentations.
Texts:
Required Texts:
Johnson-Sheehan, Richard. Writing Proposals.
Boston: Allyn-Bacon, 2002.
Williams, Robin. The Non-Designers Design Book. Berkley, CA: Peachpit
Press, 1994.
Optional Texts:
Mandel, Steve. Effective Presentation Skills, 3rd Ed. Menlo Park,
CA: Crisp Publications, 2000.
Grading:
Your work for this course will be graded on a point
scale—910-1000= A; 810-909= B; 700-809=C; 600-699=D; below
590=F. Keep track of your points and you will know how you are doing
in the class. Grading:
- A means truly excellent work—exceeding expectations
in all areas
- B means very strong work that exceeds expectations
in several areas
- C means work that adequately completes the assignment
- D reflects work that does not adequately meet
the assignment in one or more areas
- F means you did not turn in work
All assignment packets include explicit criteria
and grading rubrics for individual and collaborative projects.
Format for written
assignments:
Projects must be professionally presented, with great
care taken for both writing and document design; you are attempting
to show me that you understand that good writing is also well designed
visually to help a reader follow your argument. I don’t accept
e-mail copies except where I specifically ask for them as sometimes
there can be formatting problems that would undermine the quality
of your work. When the work is turned in as a hard copy, I know
you have had the opportunity to view it on the page (as a client
would) and make any needed adjustments (hint).
I require that you always print a copy of your paper for your records.
Never hand in your only copy of an assignment. In addition, have
a copy in your computer file and have a copy on a backup disk. These
projects require so many hours of work that losing one could set
your entire semester back. Back up often! This is an important professional
habit to develop.
Attendance:
So much of what we do in this class is collaborative
that you must be here. People are counting on you to be here, to
be prepared during class, and also to meet regularly with your group
for your group projects. Because I will do all I can to make this
course interesting and engaging, I am very unsympathetic to students
who do not come to class. Each person has one personal day per semester.
Let me (and your group) know you will not be in class as soon as
you know. After that absence, any missed classes will hurt your
grade. (After four, I will ask you to drop the class.) Try not to
be late—most important information about the class itself is
conveyed in the first ten minutes of class.
Due Dates:
The due dates on your assignment sheets are for
your protection, to help you balance your major work across the
semester and receive feedback from me so that you can revise your
work. All drafts are due in class on the date marked on the syllabus.
NO exceptions. But if you need to turn in a final paper within a
week the date on the syllabus, you will not be penalized. All work
is due the last regular class date so that I can have it returned
to you during our final exam period. (Except under extraordinary
circumstances, I will not accept work turned in after the last class
period.)
As with all professional writing, I hope you will revise your work
after input from co-workers, peers, other professionals whose advice
you seek, and me. You may revise any project or paper (not quizzes
or in-class work) you wish—either individually or as a group.
But revisions must be accompanied by the original graded work and
a short memo explaining what you did and why you believe the work
is now improved. The grade you receive on the revision is the grade
you will receive on the assignment (no averaging or anything). Please
turn in projects in class and not into my mailbox, or under my door,
or anyplace else where they might be misplaced.
Plagiarism:
The work you turn in must be yours/your group’s,
must respect the intellectual property rights of others, and must
cite secondary sources. This policy is consistent with NDSU University
Senate policy, Section 335: Code of Academic Responsibility and
Conduct. For more details see: http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/policy/335.htm.
Special Needs:
If you have any disabilities or special needs, or
need special accommodations in this course, please share your concerns
or requests with me as soon as possible.
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Course Calendar:
This link takes you to the day-to-day operations
of this course, including materials from mini-lectures, worksheets,
in-class activities, reading and homework assignments as well as
due dates for materials.
Planners and Worksheets:
This link takes you to the planners, handouts, and
worksheets used in the course.
Power Point:
This link allows you to download the Powerpoint
presentations used in class for mini-lectures, tutorials, and your
peers' presentations.
Outside
resources:
This link lists a variety of resources from outside
our university. These include data bases, listserve subscriptions,
federal programs, foundations, and industry resources.
Inside
resources:
This link allows you to explore internal funding
opportunities at NDSU and how these work as well as resources like
ITS, the library, and SPIN.
Vocabulary:
A list of terms for the grantswriter.
Some Rules
A list of things to keep in mind when writng a grant
Contacting classmates:
This link contains the e-mail and contact information
for your classmates this semester.
Resources:
- Technology Learning Center (TLC)
The TLC provides links to tutorials in PowerPoint,
Word,
Photoshop
(or they will provide help one-on-one
- Sponge The
Sponge site provides
links to many on-line sources, tutorials, and will provide help
with a variety of electronic projects
- Center for Writers The
Center for Writers will offer help meeting any assignments from
this course. Ask for Kendra
- Grants Writing Site: A
great website composed by Dale Sullivan (department head)
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