Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
the professions through these instances? 1) Annotation: Damon, William, Anne Colby, Kendall Bronk, and Thomas Ehrlich. Passion and Mastery in Balance: Toward Good Work in the Professions. Daedalus (Summer 2005): 27-35. PDF.
The article, Passion and Mastery in Balance: Toward Good Work in the Professions, discusses the importance of finding a professional balance between passion and mastery. In order to develop into a successful professional, one must be able to transition from an amateur by appropriately channeling ones passion in line with ethics and the professional community. Writing for the professions means to find, understand, and master the balance between what a person is passionate about and his or her professional life. When reading the article, the question arises: How does one limit or expand his/her passion in order to effectively become a professional and communicate in the community? 2) Annotation: Brandt, Deborah. Writing for a Living. Literacy and Learning: Reflections on Writing, Reading, and Society. San Francisco: JosseyBass, 2009. 117-139. PDF. After reading Brandts article, Writing for a Living, I found a new value in writing for the professional world. Prior to the article, I assumed that writing for the professions meant writing proposals, emails, memos, etc.; however, after this article I realized the importance and value in putting knowledge into tangible, and thereby transactional, form (Brandt 117). By analyzing different perspectives of people who write for a profession, Brandt highlights the importance of writing in many different, expanding and changing markets. In this instance, writing for the professions means to possess the skill to turn the knowledge mastered by the professional company into a form that can be read and understood by the appropriate audience. 3) Annotation: Hughes, Brad. Writers Are Becoming Many: Deborah Brandt on Her Current Research. Writing Center Podcasts Series. 28 May 2008. University of Wisconsin- Madison Writing Center. 10 Jan.2013. Web <http://writing.wisc.edu/podcasts/index.html#brandt>. In Deborah Brandts podcast, Writers are Becoming Many, she highlights the historical connection between work and writing. Historically, Brandt points out that society believed there would be few skilled writers and many readers; however, there is more evidence that points to the increase in writers. She examines the historical and legal foundations and institutions of writing, and she conducts interviews with individuals who have been in a writing position for a long period of time. When considering the phrase, writing for the professions with this specific podcast, I see it as constantly growing and expanding as society, especially through technology and science, developing new ideas that require more and more people to be professionally functional authors.
Hill
4) Annotation: Gerson, Sharon J., and Steven M. Gerson. The Importance of Memos, Letters, and Email. Strategies of Business and Technical Writing. Ed. Kevin J. Harty. 7th ed. Boston: Pearson Longman, 2011.120140. PDF. In the article, The Importance of Memos, Letters, and Email, the authors address and inform readers on techniques, strategies, and the importance of mastering the skill of communicating via memos, letters, and emails in the professional world. It examines all aspects of the communication methods including audience, security, delivery time, tone, and format. The article examines almost any questions a person might have about the three communication methods, which is important to know as a potential professional writer. Writing for the professions through this article illustrates the idea that effective communication is a vital factor in writing for the professions, even when it appears to be smaller and less dramatic pieces of writing, such as memos, letters, or emails. 5) Annotation: Sinek, S. (2010, May). How Great Leaders Inspire Action. [Video File] Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html During Tim Cigelskes presentation to the class, he began with Simon Sineks TED Talk titled, How Great Leaders Inspire Action. Sinek discusses effective leaders throughout history, including Martin Luther King, Jr. and Apple, and demonstrates how they find success through the Golden Circle, which includes the questions why, how and what. While almost all companies and leaders know the answers to the what and how questions, only the successful organizations and leaders know the answer to the why question. When considering what writing for the professions means in Sineks TED Talk, I acknowledged the importance of being able to answer why you are writing/doing what your are writing/doing. If a person is writing for the local newspaper, he or she must know why he or she is writing for the particular organization in order to be a successful professional writer. 6) Annotation: Cigelske, Tim. "Beards Unite Beer and Running." Draft Magazine (2013): 23 June 2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2013. Prior to Tim Cigelskes visit to class, I read his article, Beards Unite Beer and Running in order to get a sense of Tim and his writing style. Although he is paid for his articles in Draft Magazine, it is clearly a hobby of his as he writes about things that interest him in a kind of professional sense. His article addresses the commonality of beards between beer lovers and runners in an ironic and satirical way that is both interesting and humorous. In this instance, writing for the professions means finding a way to connect and line up a persons interests or hobbies with a professional outlet, like Tim finding a profession that combined his hobbies and mastered skills. 7) Annotation: Rethinking Schools Insider Newsletter [September 24, 2013] Before Kris Colletts visit to the class, we were instructed to look at the Rethinking Schools newsletter. While it gave us some background and a small introduction to Rethinking Schools, it also served as an example and guide for the English Department newsletter we will have to
Hill
create this semester. The newsletter includes many different sections and articles ranging from individual profiles on teachers, to introducing new employees, and to a calendar of events. When considering the phrase, writing for the professions in congruence with the Rethinking Schools newsletter, I noticed the many different styles and topics that can be written in a professional sense. Writing in the professional world is very dynamic and is different with every organization, so it is important to master the skill of being able to write for different audiences while also representing someone or something, like an employer or professional institution. 8) Annotation: Godbee, Beth. Conference to discuss resume, cover letter, and job announcement. Marquette University. After working on my resume, cover letter, and job announcement on my own and with my peers, I was anxious to hear Beths advice on the beginnings of my portfolio. While we ran out of time and will have to meet again to continue the revision, I realized the importance of detail and patience when writing for a professional audience. Spending a lengthy amount of time on small details such as font and margin size is tedious and frustrating, but I know that having a perfected resume and professional portfolio will have its benefits by the end of the course. When representing a professional organization, details and fine print often become one of the most crucial points of a piece of writing, which is something I have come to understand through working on my resume and conferencing with Beth. 9) Annotation: Collaborative Newsletter Assignment [September 26, 2013] After reviewing the Collaborative Newsletter Assignment document, the overall assignment sounds insightful as well as interesting as we will be examining something that directly affects all of us. When considering the skills that will be gained from the assignment, we will learn and understand all of the work that goes into creating a newsletter, as well as the general format/style of a newsletter. Almost every professional company comes into contact with newsletters and learning how to write and read a newsletter is a crucial concept to understand when considering writing for the professions. 10) Annotation: OBrien, Joel. Career Services Meeting. Marquette University. 9 October 2013. Prior to my meeting with Joel OBrien, I revised and re-revised my targeted resume, master resume, and cover letter multiple times after conferences with Beth and peer reviews. Although I knew he would find areas of improvement on all three documents, his suggestions for my cover letter seemed to be the most relevant and helpful. Being able to accept and act on criticism and countless critiques of ones work is vital to succeed in writing in the professional world. Upon the conclusion of our meeting, I scheduled a follow up visit to discuss informational interviewing to prepare for my meetings with Lydia Eichner and Kris Collett. After careful consideration to his suggestions, I have done a final revision on my job search materials for my midterm portfolio.
Hill 11) Annotation: Eichner, Lydia. Laughlin Constable. ENGL 3220, Marquette University. 1 October 2013. Presentation. After listening to Lydia discuss her progression from Marquette to her current position at Laughlin Constable, I began to grasp a realistic approach to graduation and continuing with my job search. She told us about her portfolio, resume, and Linked-In profile and provided us with some information on her experiences with the interview process, including questions she was asked and her experience as an interviewer. She stressed the importance of having a variety of writing samples and experience and also gave us some general tips as an English major. As a copywriter/content specialist, Lydias experience provided me with the definition of writing for the professions as clearly expressing an idea that is in line with both the company a person is representing, their client, and their clients audience.
12) Annotation: Godbee, Beth. Cover Letter Conference. Marquette University. 3 October 2013. Prior to meeting with Beth, I thought I had a strong and effective cover letter that directly applied to the position at Nordstrom, Inc. While I was not entirely wrong, Beth contributed many new ideas and paragraph restructuring that I had not previously considered. In addition to the observations from peer review, I realized the importance of continuous revision of all job search materials. When considering writing for the professions, I have learned the importance of incorporating the skills I have acquired with the skills and requirements the company states in the job announcement. It has also demonstrated the idea of writing to appeal to a specific audience. 13) Annotation: Mayeda, David. "Facebook: Frontstage, Back Stage, and Comparing Ourselves to Others." Sociology in Focus (n.d.): 21 May 2012. Web. 7 Oct. 201 The article addresses the popular issue of social networking and the importance of a persons front stage and back stage. The front stage is how a person presents himself or herself to an audience of other people and the backstage is often the time and place where a person perfects his or her front stage self. Social media sites provide people with a platform to present his or her front stage, which often leads to misinformation or false presentations. When considering the front stage and back stage in a professional sense, I look at this class as a back stage because I am learning to perfect my front stage, or professional self. Similarly, learning to transfer my academic writing to professional writing provides me with the opportunity to prepare my front stage self for my future professional career in writing. 14) Annotation: Rethinking Schools App Announcement [September 24, 2013] Prior to Kris Colletts visit to class, I had quickly glanced at the App Announcement because I was not entirely sure of its meaning or relevance to our class. After she discussed her background, Rethinking Schools, and newsletters, she asked us our opinion on the draft of the App Announcement email she would be sending to Rethinking Schools readers. After we offered her some extensive feedback and suggestions, she seemed to have a better idea of how to improve the announcement to make it more effective for the clients. Being open to accepting constructive criticism from a wide variety of viewers, including those who may be less qualified
Hill than you, can be beneficial when attempting to write for a specific audience. Because our generation is typically more familiar with technology, we were able to provide her with some valuable suggestions that she will hopefully apply to the announcement in order to improve the message and content. 15) Annotation: The Flower That One Piece of Paper handout from Career Services [September 3, 2013]
Before Jeremy Eudalys visit to our class, Beth asked us to complete the Flower handout, which is a form from Career Services. While I was filling out the flower, I was a little unsure of its purpose and its relevance to job-hunting. However, after their presentation, I realized the importance of identifying my work priorities, skills and goals in order to find a career that will excite and fulfill my necessary workplace elements. It helped me to acknowledge some of the skills and aspects of a career that are important to me that I had not realized prior to the exercise. Their presentation highlighted the importance of identifying goals for all tasks, including jobhunting and professional writing, in order to successfully meet the necessary needs. 16) Annotation: Wexler, Sarah A. Can Old Editors Master Young Technology? A Next Gen Magazine Staffer Says, Evolve or Die. Creative Nonfiction (Winter 2011): 69. PDF. Sarah Wexler, author of the article Can Old Editors Master Young Technology?, describes working in the magazine industry and her difficulties with the generational gaps and making the transition from print to online media. She discusses the main problems with her older bosses and the issue with younger employees working in the online areas. When considering the idea of writing for the professions, I think being able to transition and adapt to the constantly changing society is imperative to being a successful professional writer. The article also demonstrates the importance of being able to work with many different people, including multiple generations, towards the same goal. 17) Annotation: Bauerlein, Monika, and Clara Jeffery. All Work and No Pay: The Great Speedup. Mother Jones. (July/August 2011): 1820, 23. PDF. In the article, All Work and No Pay: The Great Speedup, the authors discuss the American idea of productivity to mean overworked and requiring more, almost too much, work out of individual employees. Employees feel the pressure to work so much as to almost lose their sanity and if they are not working in extreme measures, then they are often labeled as lazy or a slacker. When applying the article to writing for the professions, I feel the need to be prepared for any and all types of writing in my future career. Many of todays working professionals were most likely not expecting the increase in productivity, but they have to adjust in order to remain successful. Similar to Wexlers article, the idea that change can happen at any time is reiterated and as a writing professional, it is important to be prepared for any and all transitions in the workplace. 18) Annotation: Gilson, Dave. Overworked America: 12 Charts That Will Make Your Blood Boil. Mother Jones. (July/August 2011): 21--22. PDF. Author Dave Gilson, discusses the idea of the increased productivity in the US and the stagnant number of employees, jobs, salary, and time off. He compares the US to other countries
Hill
using different types of charts and graphs, which effectively highlight the biggest differences and corruptions in the US professional world. While the article deals with professional careers, I mainly focused on the wide variety of graphs he used to express his point when considering the reading from a professional writing standpoint. While typically I think of writing for the professions as literal writing, there are many other means and methods that can be used to professionally write that are more successful in expressing a point, which Gilson demonstrates through his graphs, maps, pie charts, etc. 19) Annotation: Heartbreaking Tales of Overworked Americans. Mother Jones. (July/August 2011): 24--25. PDF. Bauerlein and Gilsons articles demonstrate the research and statistical aspects of the issue of the American speedup, while Butlers first hand accounts reflect their findings in individuals throughout the country. Marthas experience as a hotel housekeeper is one that particularly struck me as she went from cleaning 15 rooms to over 40 rooms because of the American idea of productivity, or the speedup. Marthas experience reflects the experience of many professionals who spread themselves too thin and as a result, their work and their results suffer. Because of the wide ranges of careers that experience the negative effects of the speedup, the article reiterates the importance of being prepared for any changes that may surface in my future professional career. It also highlights the importance of being able to work and prioritize multiple tasks and deadlines in order to produce the best work possible. 20) Annotation: Eichner, Lydia. Laughlin Constable. 11 November 2013. Meeting/Conference. I met and got coffee with Lydia Eichner from Laughlin Constable after her presentation in our class. During Lydias presentation, I felt that my experience is very similar to her experience at Marquette and her job search process. We further discussed her experience at Laughlin Constable and her process to get where she is today. I brought a list of questions, including ways to improve my writing skills and how she applies her acquired writing skills at the company. When applying her insight to professional writing, I realized that in order to be a successful professional writer, a person must be able to reach multiple audiences and have a firm understanding of their employer, client and audience. 21) Annotation: Collet, Kris. Rethinking Schools. October/November. Conference/Collaboration. After visiting Rethinking Schools and talking with Kris, I decided to volunteer with the company and help Kris with some projects in order to reach a better understanding of professional writing. My first project consisted of drafting an email announcing an outstanding review for their book, Rethinking Mathematics, and offering a discount on the text. I had to summarize the review, highlighting the important parts and why a subscriber would want to purchase the book. The experience of drafting a professional email has given me some of my first real insight into writing in the professional world because I had to consider the author of the review, the goal of Rethinking Schools, and the intended audience.
Hill 22) Annotation: Whitehead, Colson. "How to Write." The New York Times [New York City, NY] 26 July 2012: Print.
Whiteheads article was given to me at a meeting for the Marquette Journal and the author shares some guidelines and general rules for being a successful writer. There are eleven rules he suggests and the one that I think applies best to writing professionally is rule number one: Show and Tell. The rule is contrary to the popular show, dont tell idea, and I think his advice is very effective when considering writing in the professional world as a writer needs to clearly state, or tell, his or her point, but also present, or show, it in a very creative and unique way. 23) Annotation: OBrien, Joel. Informational Interviewing. Career Services, Marquette University. 11 November 2013. Meeting/Conference. After meeting with Joel OBrien to go over my resume and cover letter, we decided to schedule a follow up meeting to discuss informational interviews because I had a meeting set up with Lydia Eichner. We went over a list of questions that he suggested I ask Lydia in order to gain a better understanding of her career and career path. While I not only learned valuable information for informational interviews, I also reached a better understanding of the importance of asking the right questions in order to gather the best information and be an effective professional writer. 24) Annotation: Carpenter, Jacob. Review of the Legal Writing, Research, and Analysis course at the Marquette Law School. Pre-Law Society, Marquette University. 13 November 2013. Presentation As the President of the Pre-Law Society, I am responsible for contacting speakers to come speak at our meetings. Because my major is Writing Intensive English, I thought it would be interesting to combine the two worlds and hear from a professor of a legal writing class. His insights demonstrated the concept of professional writing in a legal sense, which is an area that has always interested me. Learning how to effectively write in a professional and legal sense is very different from any other form of writing, but it is imperative to understand if a person wants to master the skill of legal writing in order to become a successful lawyer. 25) Annotation: Holstine, Jill. Rubicon River Farm. ENGL 3220, Marquette University. 14 November 2013. Presentation. After listening to Jills presentation about her career path and work with Rubicon River Farm, I observed the idea that professional writing can be incorporated in many different fields and modes. For example, Jill explained how she used her writing skills to advertise, blog, post on social media, create a website, and other outlets. While we have heard from other professionals and their incorporation of writing skills in their careers, it was very interesting and unique to hear how a farmer also needs to be able to effectively write in order to be successful. As someone who is still figuring out my plan after graduation, it was reassuring to hear the many different ways her reading and writing skills have been utilized in her professional career.