COURSE OUTLINE
29.573*/ LALS 5703 Winter Term 2003
Academic and Workplace Genres
School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (SLALS), Carleton University, Ottawa
215 Paterson Hall, 520-6613; Fax: 520-6641
Wednesday 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Room 246 Paterson Hall
Natasha Artemeva
261 Paterson Hall
520-2600, ext. 7452
natasha_artemeva@carleton.ca
Tuesday 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.; Wednesday 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
or by appointment.
Course web site:
http://rideau.carleton.ca/~nartemev/29.573.htm
Course Description
This course focuses on non-literary genres. The objective of this course is to
 introduce students to rhetorical genre studies (Bakhtin; Miller; Dias, Freedman,
Medway and Paré, and others);
 equip students with a methodology for genre analysis of non-literary texts;
 provide students with an opportunity to explore various genres produced in academic,
workplace, and transitional (academic-to-workplace) contexts.
In addition to genre theory, current theories of learning and activity theory will be
introduced.
Students will be asked to choose and research particular social situations, analyze
texts produced in the contexts of these situations, and present the results of these
explorations in written assignments and oral presentations. Students will be asked to go
through drafting and peer review and revision processes while working on the course
assignments. In-class time will be provided for peer review sessions.
Social contexts and genres to be explored will be negotiated among students and
the instructor.
Required readings
 P. Dias, Freedman, A., Medway, P., and Paré, A. (1999). Worlds Apart: Acting and
writing in academic and workplace contexts. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
 Course pack
Supplementary readings
 Books on reserve in the library
Course Requirements1 and Evaluation
Attendance and Participation: Due to the workshop format of the course, regular
attendance and active participation are expected. Some work will be done in small
groups. Group work may consist of discussions of assigned readings, brainstorming, peer
Class Schedule:
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
E-mail:
Office hours:
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PLAGIARISM: In all work, especially written assignments, students must avoid plagiarism, that is, the presenting of
the work or ideas of another as one's own. Forms of plagiarism include copying from the
work of another author without proper use of footnotes and quotation marks, using the ideas of others without
acknowledging the source, extensive paraphrasing, or submitting the work of another as one's
own (including of another student). The same piece of work may not be submitted for more than one course or may not
have been submitted previously to fulfill any other course requirement.
review of drafts, work on own and each other’s texts, preparation and delivery of oral
presentations, and so on. Students are expected to bring enough copies of their work
to each class so their peers were able to review them.
Assignments
Students will be asked to
 write reflections based on course readings and classroom discussions. At least one
reflection every other week is expected, either by individual selection or assigned by
the instructor. It is expected that students will include questions based on the
readings, critique of ideas presented in the readings, reflection on own experience
related to the assigned readings, connections with other readings and/or ideas, and so
on. At least three reflections should be later selected by each student for the
submission at the end of the term. Note: The length of each reflection should be
determined by the writer. One paragraph excerpts from reflections should be brought to

class for peer exchange. Enough copies (two or three depending on the number of students in
the course) should be brought to class so that students and the instructor could read the
excerpts and respond to their content. Neither the one-paragraph excerpts from the
reflections nor reflections themselves will be assessed.
organize and lead one or two (depending on the number of students in the course)
seminar presentations/discussions based on selected readings. Such discussions may
be prepared individually or in collaboration with another student. Appropriate visual
materials must be prepared for these discussions (handouts, overheads, and so on).
Small group activities based on the readings are encouraged. Active participation
is expected from the student audience during these presentations.
 complete three written assignments (Note: the current APA style is the preferred style
for the course).
 conduct a small-scale genre analysis of a text. Each student will negotiate text
selection with the instructor. It is expected that the analysis will be conducted
within the framework presented in Paré, A. and Smart, G. (1994). Observing
Genres in Action: Towards a Research Methodology. In A. Freedman and P.
Medway (Eds.) Genre and the new rhetoric. pp. 146 - 154. London: Taylor &
Francis (course pack). This exercise will be discussed in class and later
submitted to the instructor at the end of the term. It is advised (but not
required) that students consider this exercise as part of their course project and
select a text that will help them to write the course paper.
 complete a short proposal and an application for ethics clearance for a course
project (Note: an application for ethics clearance is required for projects that
involve work with human subjects. The instructor will provide forms
necessary for the completion of the ethics application).
 write a course paper as an outcome of the course project.
 deliver one seminar presentation based on the course project.
Drafts of the written assignments are considered part of the assignments and
must be brought to class for peer review on the dates indicated in the tentative
course plan (see below). Failure to bring a draft to class on the due date will result in
the deduction of 10% of the grade for the assignment.
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Readings
Students are expected to read ALL assigned readings, including chapters from the
text, articles from the course pack, and selected supplementary course texts. It is
expected that students read selected books on reserve in the library and use them
for their course projects. Students must include references to selected books on
reserve in their course papers. It is essential that students keep up with their reading,
since some part of each class will be devoted to discussions of the assigned chapters and
articles.
Portfolio
At the end of term, students will submit for marking portfolios containing samples of
their course work.
Marking Scheme
Seminar presentations/discussions
5%
Students will be expected to prepare classroom discussions on assigned readings.
Visual materials and approaches used to engage the audience in a discussion will be
assessed. All visuals should be included in the portfolio at the end of the term.
Small-scale genre analysis of a text____________________________ 10%
Each student will be asked to select a text (preferably, related to the course
project, that is, a text that would help a student to write a better course paper) and
conduct its genre analysis on the basis of the methodology presented in Paré, A. and
Smart, G. (1994). Observing Genres in Action: Towards a Research Methodology. In A.
Freedman and P. Medway (Eds.) Genre and the new rhetoric. pp. 146 - 154. London:
Taylor & Francis (course pack). This assignment will go through a series of drafts and
peer review sessions. The final copy should be included in the portfolio for assessment.
The use of the methodology, quality of the analysis, and presentation will be assessed.
Proposal
10%
Each student will be asked to write a short proposal for a study of a genre in a
context of a social situation she/he will conduct for the course. The proposed study
should explore an academic, workplace, or transitional situation and text(s) produced in
this situation. Directions for research studies will be negotiated with each student
individually.
Proposals for projects that involve human subjects should be accompanied by an
application for ethics clearance. All information and forms for this application will be
provided by the instructor.
The goal of this assignment is twofold: first, it allows students to focus on a specific area
of the research into academic and workplace genres, which presents a certain interest to them, and
second, it provides students with an opportunity to practice writing a tightly condensed persuasive
academic document. It is expected that this proposal will be written in such a way that it may be
submitted to an organizing committee of a learned conference as a proposal of a paper a student
may wish to present at the conference. The instructor will suggest relevant conferences to which
proposals may be sent.
This assignment may be revised for resubmission as part of the portfolio
should a student wish to attempt to receive a higher grade. In this case, both the
marked version and a new revised version of the proposal should be included in the
portfolio.
 Proposals are due February 6.
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Course paper
35%
This major assignment of the course requires that students write a 20 - 22 page
research paper that explores an academic, workplace or transitional situation and genre(s)
produced in this situation. Students are expected to draw upon theories and approaches
discussed in class but are not prevented from complementing them with other theoretical
approaches. It is expected that students will draw on supplementary readings on
reserve in the library for their research. This assignment will grow out of the proposal
and possibly, from the small-scale genre analysis exercise. It will evolve through group
and class discussions, drafting, peer review and revision, and feedback on presentations
throughout the term. Note: References in the course paper should follow the current APA
style guide.
Oral Presentation of Course Research
10%
At the end of the term, students will be asked to make an oral presentation of their
course research. In these presentations, students will briefly discuss their research sites,
theoretic background of their research, methodology, findings, preliminary conclusions,
and any questions and problems encountered.
The purpose of this presentation is to introduce classmates to your course research,
identify problems, and obtain help from classmates and the instructor.
Portfolio
30%
Portfolio will include
 title page;
 table of contents (with page references);
 at least three complete reflections;
 final copy of the genre analysis of a text;
 marked copy of the proposal (and, should the student wish to revise the proposal, a
revised copy of the proposal, which must be marked in the table of contents) and a
complete application for ethics clearance (if required);
 course paper;
 self-assessments.
All pages in the portfolio should be numbered (numbers may be handwritten) and
sections separated.
Throughout the term students will be asked to complete several self-assessments
and, at the end of the term, an assessment of the course (opportunities will be provided to
the students to complete the course assessment anonymously). Forms for the assessments
will be provided by the instructor. Self-assessments should be included in the portfolio
along with corresponding assignments. The course assessment may be submitted
separately (anonymously) or included in the portfolio.
 Portfolios are due April 23.
Note: Students with disabilities: Students with disabilities requiring academic
accommodations are encouraged to contact a coordinator at the Paul Menton Centre
(PMC) for Students with Disabilities to complete the necessary letters of accommodation.
After registering with the PMC, these students need to make an appointment to meet and
discuss their needs with the instructor as soon as possible (preferably within the first two
weeks of classes).
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Tentative Course Plan
Week #
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Date
January 8
January 15
To be prepared FOR this class
Worlds, pp. vii - 16
Course pack: Aristotle, pp. 16 -18 (definitions of terms)
Giltrow, pp. 379-381 (proposals)
Giltrow & Johanson
Reflections on Worlds and Giltrow & Johanson
Seminar presentation/discussion of Worlds
Class discussion of Giltrow (proposals)
Possible directions for course research
January 22
Worlds, pp. 16 – 81
Reflections on Worlds
Seminar presentation/Discussion of Worlds
First drafts of proposals DUE for peer review (bring several
copies)
January 29
Worlds, pp. 117 – 150
Reflections on Worlds
Seminar presentation/Discussion of Worlds
Second drafts of proposals DUE for peer review (bring
several copies)
February 5
Worlds, pp. 183 – 235
Hunt and Dias from the course pack
Reflections on Worlds, Hunt and Dias (may be written as one
reflection)
Seminar presentation/Discussion of Worlds, Hunt and Dias
Proposals DUE
Self-assessments (proposal writing) distributed and
completed in class
February 12
Bakhtin, Miller (course pack)
Reflections on Bakhtin and Miller
Seminar presentations/Discussions of Bakhtin and Miller
Class discussion of proposals
Discussion of possible choices of texts for genre analysis
February 17 – 21
Winter break
February 26
Paré & Smart
Class Discussion of Paré and Smart (no presentations)
Drafts of Genre analysis of a text DUE (bring at least two
copies for peer review)
Self-assessments (genre analysis) distributed and completed in
class
March 5
Russell (course pack)
Reflections on Russell
Seminar presentations/Discussions of Russell
Second draft of genre analysis of a text DUE for peer
feedback
Discussion of course projects
5
Week 10
Schryer (course pack)
Reflections on Schryer
Seminar presentation/Discussion of Schryer
Discussion of directions for course papers
2
Week 11
March 19
Individual work on course projects
_______________________________________________________
Week 12
March 26
Oral presentations of research
First drafts of course papers DUE (for those
students who do not present on this date).
Bring at least two copies of the draft
Week 13
April 2
Oral presentations of course research
First drafts of course papers DUE (for those
students who do not present on this date)
Bring at least two copies of the draft_______________________
Review week April 9
Second drafts of course papers DUE for peer review
Peer review of drafts
April 23
2
March 12
Portfolios DUE
The exact schedule for this week will be provided at the beginning of the term
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