Professional Writing at Purdue
Applying to Teach ENGL 420 (Business Writing) or ENGL 421 (Technical Writing)
Applications for Fall 2014 teaching are due Wednesday March 2nd at noon. Please follow instructions for submission
as described below.
Those interested in teaching English 420 (Business Writing) or English 421 (Technical Writing) should:
 Read the course descriptions for English 420 and English 421: http://pw.rhetorike.org/undergrad_courses
 consult the required and preferred credentials for applicants to the program on the program website:
http://pw.rhetorike.org/apply_to_teach_PW
Applicants should know that

New teachers are required to take the ENGL 505M mentoring course the first semester they teach in the
program. Mentoring for English 420 and 421 is combined, so teachers are mentored simultaneously for
both courses.
 New teachers are expected to commit to teaching the same course (either English 420 or 421) for two
consecutive semesters. Most new instructors start with English 420.
 Only PW instructors who have completed ENGL 505M are eligible to teach PW courses during the summer,
including ENGL 420Y and 421Y (online).
If you have questions about teaching business or technical writing, feel free to contact Richard Johnson
Sheehan, Interim Director of Professional Writing, in Heavilon 428 or by e-mail rjohnson@purdue.edu .
Application Process
1. Submit an application to the Director of Professional Writing. An application should include the following
materials:

completed applicant information form (attached; also available in Word format in the pw-applicationresources folder on google drive:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1CiqbfwOXJ7VzQtSDRkd0x4ZFE&usp=sharing

a letter of application (discussing credentials and reasons for wanting to teach business and/or technical
writing and a brief description and discussion of your teaching philosophy)

a vita or resume

evidence of teaching ability (which may include items such as course materials you have developed, course
evaluations from previous semesters, and mentors’ teaching evaluations or write-ups of class observations)
2. Inform Janeen Redman of your interest in teaching English 420 or 421 when she asks for your teaching
preferences, especially if you haven’t already done so.
3. Submit your application materials as a single PDF document sent as an email attachment to
PurduePWTeaching@gmail.com . The subject line of the email should be 2015 PW Application Lname, putting
your last name in place of Lname. My email subject line would be:
2015 PW Application Salvo
2
Professional Writing at Purdue
Application to Teach English 420 and/or English 421
Applications for Fall 2015 teaching are due Wednesday March 2nd at noon. Please follow these instructions when
submitting your application materials.
Submit your cover letter, professional vita or resume, and evidence of teaching effectiveness as a single PDF
document sent as an email attachment to PurduePWTeaching@gmail.com
The subject line of the email should be 2015 PW Application Lname, putting your last name in place of Lname. My
email subject line would be: 2015 PW Application Salvo
Personal Information
Name: _____________________________
E-mail Address: ______________________
Degree Program and/or Highest Degree
Earned: _________________________
Concentration(s): _____________________
Expected Graduation Date: ____________
Number of Years at Purdue: _____________
Home Phone: _______________________
Office Location/Office Phone: ___________
If relevant, PhD requirements you have fulfilled (check any you have completed):
required primary coursework
prelim exam
secondary area coursework/exam
dissertation prospectus exam
Requested Courses
Because of demand for ENGL420, most new instructors teach business writing in their first semester. Rank the
courses you are interested in teaching (with one [1] being highest).
Business Writing
Technical Writing
How many sections of teaching would you like? (As a policy, we do not ask new
teachers to prepare more than one different course per semester, i.e., both 420 and
421.) Generally, new instructors are asked to teach one section of 420 during their
first semester, but please include any special circumstances or requests.
PW Application 2016
M. Salvo
2016 updates M. McMullin
3
Teaching Experience
# of sections
date(s)
mentor(s)
ENGL106
ENGL108
Other
Notes
Please describe any additional teaching experience you might have:
Technology Experience
Experience in teaching with technology will be helpful for new teachers of professional writing. Those with little or
no experience will be trained in a variety of course technologies. For each of the software applications or technologies
listed below, please check your level of proficiency.
low
Technology or App
1
high
2
3
4
5
6
7
Windows
Mac OS
Word
Dreamweaver
Drupal
PowerPoint
Email
Acrobat
Adobe InDesign
If you have any additional information to add, please include it on an additional page.
PW Application 2016
M. Salvo
2016 updates M. McMullin