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Course Syllabus

ENGL 2290 Methods and Practice of Professional Editing and Publishing

  • Division: Humanities
  • Department: English & Philosophy
  • Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 3; Lecture: 3; Lab: 0
  • Repeatable: Yes.
  • Prerequisites: ENGL 1010 (may be taken concurrently.)
  • Semesters Offered: TBA
  • Semester Approved: Fall 2024
  • Five-Year Review Semester: Summer 2029
  • End Semester: Summer 2030
  • Optimum Class Size: 12
  • Maximum Class Size: 15

Course Description

This course teaches the editing, design, and publishing skills necessary to take a literary journal or other publication from acquisition to editing to press and distribution. Offers students the opportunity to work as an editing team to plan, edit, proofread, design, typeset, and prepare a publication for press according to industry standards. Also teaches students how to use design software such as Adobe Creative Suite. Recommended for students involved with student publications, such as Weeds: The Literary Journal of Snow College, those who are completing the Writing and Rhetoric certificate, and students who may want to pursue careers in editing or publishing. This course is repeatable for credit.

Justification

This is a professionalizing course that allows students to develop marketable skills such as project planning, teamwork, editing, proofreading, marketing, and design in the process of preparing a literary journal or other publication. These skills are useful in a wide variety of careers. This course is also part of the Writing and Rhetoric certificate. Other USHE schools offer similar courses, such as ENGL 3050 at UVU, ENGL 4970 at SUU, ENGL 1830 at SLCC, ENGL 2120 at USU, and ENGL 3140 at WSU.

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Students will understand the process of professional editing and publication—planning, acquisition, selection, editing, proofreading, design, printing, and distribution.
  2. Students will understand and participate in editing as a collaborative process.
  3. Students will understand basic grammar and usage rules and be able to apply that knowledge to the editing process.
  4. Students will understand and apply principles of design and visual rhetoric.
  5. Students will demonstrate the ability to use basic software associated with publication.

Course Content

Students will learn how to solicit, acquire, and select manuscripts and artworks from authors and artists that meet the standards and identity of a publication. They will learn how to establish a project plan, to work as a team, and to coordinate and complete all tasks necessary for publishing. They will focus on learning/reviewing grammar and usage rules and how to follow a style guide such as Chicago Manual of Style to edit and proofread written submissions. The course will also focus on design principles, visual rhetoric, typography, and use of industry-standard software and tools as students prepare a manuscript for publication. The course will also help students know how to communicate with printing professionals, make decisions about physical printing materials, and establish a basic per-item budget for publication. This process will also include a discussion of how to solicit and incorporate a broad range of perspectives and voices in a publication.