210J W19 Forrester | English Language and Literature

University of Waterloo

Department of English Language and Literature

ENGL 210J - Technical Editing

Instructor: Dr. Clive Forrester

Term: Winter 2019

Class times: 2:30pm - 3:50pm M,W

Classroom: HH150

Office hours: Room HH141, Mon. 12-2pm (or by appointment)

Email: clive.forrester@uwaterloo.caext: 37905

Course Description:

This course is intended to introduce participants to the principles and procedures of technical editing. We will draw on examples from manufacturing, the sciences, and the legal field in an effort to build competence and proficiency in the different levels of editing. Material for editing will be drawn both from real world cases as well as originally created by class participants with the goal of engaging in professional editing techniques. Participants will finally be introduced to the basics of working with editing software.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, participants should be able to:

Edit and improve overall readability of a variety of document types

Describe the different levels of editing

Understand the principles of editing for different genres of writing

Create original material for use in editing demonstrations

Recommended Texts: (chapters will be added to LEARN)

Friend, C. and Challenger, D. (2014). Contemporary Editing. Routledge. NY.

Garner, Bryan A. Legal writing in plain English: A text with exercises. Chicago, The University of Chicago Press, 2013.

Harmon, Joseph E., and Alan G. Gross. The craft of scientific communication. Chicago, The University of Chicago Press, 2010.

Stainton, Elsie Myers. The fine art of copyediting. 2nd ed., New York, Columbia University Press, 2002.

Module	Week	Date	Topic		Reading & Assignment

Introduction Types and Purposes of Technical Editing	1	Jan 7	Course Introduction ● Course structure and objectives ● Methods of assessment ●Expectations ● Practice exercise in editing
		Jan 9	Levels of Editing ● Communication in the technical arena ● Different types and purposes of editing		Cont. Ed.: Ch. 1, pp. 3-10
Editing for the Manufacturing Industry	2	Jan 14	Culture of Editing ● Editing best practices ● Ethical considerations in professional editing		Cont. Ed.: Ch. 12, pp. 277-285
		Jan 16	Editing product manuals ● Components of the manual ● Editing operational and maintenance instructions

	3	Jan 21	Editing Workshop - Intro ● Product manual editing exercise

Editing for Journalism and the Media		Jan 23	Editing in the media ● Style and function of media writing ● Checking news articles for readability ● Editing for social impact ● Fact-checking stories		Cont. Editing: Ch. 3, pp. 45-51
	4	Jan 28
		Jan 30	Editing Workshop - Journalism (Groups 1&2)		Cont. Editing: Ch. 3, pp. 52-74

	5	Feb 4	Journalism Editing Test
Editing for the Legal Profession		Feb 6	Editing in the legal field ● Legalese and communication in the law ● Converting legal writing to plain English ● Checking to maintain legal integrity		Legal Writing: Ch. 1, pp. 3-10
	6	Feb 11
		Feb 13	Workshop - Legal Writing (Groups 3&4)		Legal Writing: Ch. 2, pp. 17-30
	7	Feb 18		READING WEEK - NO CLASSES
		Feb 20
	8	Feb 25	Legal Editing Test
Editing for Books and Research Projects		Feb 27	Publication Ready ● Editing short stories/manuscripts ● Editing major research and dissertations ● Using multiple style guides		Fine Art of Copyediting: Ch. 3, pp. 17-20

	9	Mar 4



		Mar 6	Editing Workshop - Fiction (Groups 5&6)		Fine Art of Copyediting: Ch. 3, pp. 20-25

	10	Mar 11	Fictional Editing Test
	10
Editing Scientific Language		Mar 13	Editing Scientific Work ● Scientific language - style, conventions and usage ● Editing scientific language for accuracy ● Editing scientific work for public consumption		Craft of Sci. Comm.: Ch. 14, pp. 187-195

	11	Mar 18	Editing Workshop - Scientific Writing (Groups 7&8)		Craft of Sci. Comm.: Ch. 15
		Mar 20	Scientific Editing Test
	12	Mar 25	Project Feedback (from external partners)
		Mar 27	Course Wrap-Up

Assessment Breakdown:

Participation in group activity and editing workshop (20%: 15% executing

workshop + 5% workshop attendance): Each class participant will be assigned to a group and each group will conduct an editing workshop (1hour) on one of the areas covered in class. The workshop involves the creation of original material by the group as well as an interactive demonstration of editing.

Individual editing portfolio (40%; 10% each X 4): Each participant will submit an editing portfolio consisting of examples of edited material from the four areas of editing covered in the course.

Module Tests (40%; 10% each x 4): Throughout the course, a total of 4 short tests will be issued for participants to complete, covering content from the course readings.

Keeping in Touch With Me

Feel free to stop by during office hours and have a chat about your writing. If for some reason you can’t come to the scheduled office hours, we can make an appointment to meet virtually via Skype or Facetime. Most importantly, do not wait until you feel completely overwhelmed to seek help. Let’s start talking as early as possible.

Experimental: This year, I will be implementing the use of a communication tool called “Slack.” It operates like a text messaging app, but designed for business purposes, so it can share documents and integrate other applications. The difference between this tool and email is that you can communicate with me in real-time via text or send a phone call if necessary. Join the ENGL210J Slack group at this link.

Academic Integrity

In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. See theUWaterloo Academic Integrity Webpage (https://uwaterloo.ca/academic-integrity/)and theArts Academic Integrity Office Webpage (http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/current-undergraduates/academic-responsibility)for more information.

Discipline

A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing academic offenses and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offense, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offenses (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate associate dean. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer toPolicy 71, Student Discipline (http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm). For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties (http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/guidelines/penaltyguidelines.htm).