Writing for the Professions is a course I developed
sixteen years ago in an effort to show English majors (and others who knew
how to write and think) how their skills could help them in various careers.
My goals for English 407 derive from three observations:
- Success in all professions depends to some degree upon communication,
either written or spoken, usually both--explaining, describing, persuading,
- Most of this communication involves making relatively complex matters
clear to an audience that needs to understand them for some purpose.
- English majors in particular are especially capable of learning new
material quickly and writing about it coherently, both in college and afterward.
Few English majors are aware of the need for their skills or how they might
adapt those skills in order to make themselves useful to employers.
Assuming that these observations are valid, it seems to me that
this course should do the following things:
The course readings and assignments should let us meet all three goals
by the end of the semester. Students who do well in English 407 will then
be eligible to participate in English 494EIP, the Internship, for three
with information about the requirements and grading policies of