WRIT 340 Advanced Writing: Health Sciences
Syllabus
Semester Fall 2009
Section 65115
Time TTh 11:00
Classroom GFS 213
Lecturer Dr. Ron Scheer
Office JEF 261
Office hours MW 9:00
and by appointment
Email ronschee@usc.edu
Voice mail 213-821-1206
Fax 213-740-4100
Course description
This course is intended to strengthen and broaden your research, writing, and oral
presentation skills for upper division course work and your eventual career path, including
graduate study.
The course will be organized around group discourse. It will require you to participate
through the written and spoken word with other class members as you formulate and
communicate your opinions on a topic and on issues of your choice.
Objectives
The purpose of the course is to help improve your ability to:

address current issues and critical controversies in your discipline and, as appropriate,
consider matters of ethical, civic, and professional responsibility;

write effectively for cross-disciplinary and general audiences;

select a writing style and a rhetorical strategy that will be most persuasive for the intended
audience;

use the writing process to explore complex ideas and reach conclusions that will benefit
others who read your work; and

make oral presentations that are fluent and persuasive.
Classes
Classes will be devoted to workshops, discussion of writing samples and other handouts, peer
review of work in progress, in-class writing, small groups, exercises and oral presentations.
Blackboard
There is an online section for this course at Blackboard, which will post copies of all course
materials. The class will make use of the Discussion Board there, and postings will count
toward class participation. Plans are to include access to additional online resources.
Texts
There is not a required text for this course; however you will need up-to-date guidelines for
citing sources from your research. A quick reference guide for APA documentation and a
sample paper can be found online at http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/social.html .
For more extensive guidelines and an all-around useful writer’s handbook, choose any recent
edition of one of the following:
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Muriel Harris, Prentice Hall Reference Guide to Grammar and Usage, Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice Hall.
Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference, Boston: Bedford-St Martin's.
Assignments
You will choose a subject related to your academic field that strongly interests you and that
you already have some knowledge of. This topic should meet the central objective of this
course: addressing current issues and critical controversies in your discipline and, as
appropriate, considering matters of ethical, civic, and professional responsibility.
You will be asked to research the subject in depth and submit all of the following:
 Research proposal (min. 1,500 words)
 Literature review (2,000-2,500 words)
 Analysis essay (2,000-2,500 words)
 Call to action (video, 2-5 min., plus written rationale of 500-1,000 words)
 End-of-course portfolio, containing revisions of the literature review and the analysis
essay
You may not submit for credit work that you have done for a previous research project or for
another class.
Turnitin. To assist in measuring the accuracy of quoting and paraphrase in your assignments,
you will be asked to submit your written assignments using turnitin on Blackboard.
Evaluation. Essays will be evaluated on the merits of:

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Addressing the issues
Argumentative force and coherence
Organization and structure
Support and development
Style and tone
Syntax and format
Plagiarism. While you are encouraged to discuss your assignments with peers and others,
throughout the writing process, essays submitted must be your own original work. Be both
responsible and professional as you use other sources. Verbatim wording from another source
must be carefully quoted, using quotation marks. If not quoted, ideas taken from another
source must be thoroughly paraphrased. For both quoted and paraphrased material, be sure to
provide accurate citations for documentation. Plagiarized assignments receive zero credit and
risk a failing course grade.
If you are in doubt about what plagiarism is, talk to the instructor or consult Sections 11.11
and 11.12 of the Student Conduct Code, which is available in the SCampus student
guidebook and online at http://web-app.usc.edu/scampus/1100-behavior-violating-universitystandards-and-appropriate-sanctions/.
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Course grade
15% Research proposal
20% Literature review
20% Analysis essay
10% Call-to-action assignment
25% Portfolio
5% Oral presentations
5% Class participation
Attendance
This is a workshop course. To take the course, you have to come to class and participate.
More than three absences after the first week will affect your course grade. If unavoidable
circumstances require you to miss a class or scheduled conference, notify the instructor
promptly by email.
Library research. Most essay assignments will require some research. You are encouraged
to use online resources, as they are abundant, up-to-date, and readily available. For best
results, use online resources from the databases subscribed to by the University. One class
period will be devoted to library research and the use of the library databases.
Use the Web only to get general ideas about issues. Besides the websites of professional
organizations, much of what’s on the Web is unreliable as accurate and documented
information.
Make printouts or photocopies of the sources you use and turn them in with your paper.
Highlight sections that you use so the instructor can see how well you are using your
resources. Use standard APA documentation for your papers.
Conferences. Individual and group conferences will be scheduled to discuss work in
progress. Come prepared to each conference with questions for the instructor. Plan on four
conferences during the semester. A sign-up sheet will be circulated regularly in class.
Due dates
Papers are due on the due date. In the event of an emergency, a paper may be turned in by the
end of the day at the Writing Program desk in JEF 150. There will be no extensions.
Assignment 1, Research proposal
Assignment 2, Literature review
Assignment 3, Analysis essay
Assignment 4, Call-to-action assignment
Portfolio (Revision of essays 2 and 3)
Thursday, September 17
Thursday, October 8
Thursday, October 29
Thursday, November 19
Thursday, December 3
Late papers. Essay assignments submitted later than the day they are due will be penalized
one grade step for each calendar day they are late (for example, B+ to B). There are no
provisions for late submission of the final portfolio; it must be handed in on or before the day
it is due. Even if an assignment is late, it must be fully completed and submitted. You cannot
pass the course unless all essay assignments and the portfolio are done.
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Oral presentations. When each essay is due, members of the class will give a short oral
presentation on the paper they have written. All presentations must be prepared beforehand,
delivered standing at the front of the class, speaking from notes as needed. They may not be a
walk-through or reading of the paper.
Writing Center
The Writing Center is the Writing Program’s consulting service for the whole university,
providing one-to-one conferences and workshops to help all students – of all abilities – to
improve their writing and critical thinking skills. The Writing Center is located in Taper Hall
on the third floor and has hours Monday-Thursday 9am to 6pm and 7pm to 9pm and Friday
9am to 3pm.
The Writing Center consultants provide basic assistance in argument, organization, and idea
development, and for this reason it is good to use this service several days before your
assignments are due, while you have time to take full advantage of their advice. (They do not,
however, proofread finished papers for correctness.) Take with you the work you’ve done,
even if you’ve only sketched out a few ideas, plus a copy of the assignment, and be as
specific as you can about the help you need. For more information go to the Writing Center
website: www.usc.edu/writingcenter. To make an appointment, drop by or phone: 213-7403691.
Academic accommodations. Any student requesting academic accommodation based on a
disability should register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A
letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure
that the letter is delivered to your instructor as early in the semester as possible. DSP is
located in STU 301 and is open 8:30am - 5pm, Monday - Friday. Phone: 213-740-0776.