English 4015: Grant and Proposal Writing

Fall 2017

Instructor: Dr. Matt Moberly Office Location: DBH 268

Email: mmoberly@csustan.edu Class Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 5:00-6:15
Office Hours: Wednesdays Noon-3:00 Class Location: N 201

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COURSE INFORMATION

OVERVIEW
This course is for you. Truly. I want you to have the freedom to explore your philanthropic passions or
research interests while learning the basics of grant writing. I also want you to develop marketable skills
in this course that can serve you within and beyond your academic career here at CSU Stanislaus.

University Course Catalog Description

This course introduces students to the grant writing process (including how to locate and evaluate grants)
and provides them with experience writing grant applications.
Prerequisites: Satisfactory completion of the Writing Proficiency Screening Test.

Course Objectives
This is an introduction to the basic principles of successful grant writing. By the end of this course,
students should be able to:
-Understand and produce the fundamental components of a grant proposal
-Locate and evaluate available funding opportunities
-Write ethically and persuasively with a rhetorical purpose
-Gain confidence in the strength of their writing abilities.
-Prepare a complete either a program or research-based grant proposal
-Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of grant proposals
-Work effectively as a member of a group to prepare deliverables for a real client-based project

Required Texts and Materials

Ellen Karsh and Arlen Sue Foxs The Only Grant-Writing Book youll Ever Need 4th Edition
(2014) ISBN 978-0465058938
Robin Williams The Non-Designers Design Book 4th Edition (2014) ISBN 978-0133966152
Assigned readings not from the book will be available electronically on our course website.
Reliable, frequent access to the internet.
Some way to back up and store your work. Do not throw anything from this course away until the
end of the semester.

Course Assignments and Grading

Within this course you can expect to do a lot of group work and participate in discussions. Below are the
major assignments of the course:

Personal Interest Memo 5%

RFP/CFP Analysis 10%
Funding Sources Report 20%
Individual Research or Program Grant Proposal 30%
Client-Based Project 10%
Presentations 10%
Misc. Homework 5%
Attendance 10%
Graduate Students
If you are a graduate student registered for this course, you need to complete a course substitution form
within the first two weeks of the semester. You can find this on the graduate schools forms and
publications page. As a graduate student, you are required to do additional work for this course, which
could be in the form of a book report, grant writing program profile, and longer assignment requirements.

Format for Papers:

Papers for this class can be submitted using any formatting style (APA, Course Grading Scale (%)
Chicago, MLA, etc.) that is appropriate to your discipline. Generally, though, 93-100 A
the work you do needs to be typed with one inch margins. I will be discussing
90-92 A-
the requirements for the grant proposals more as you work on specific
assignments. I expect you to edit and proofread everything you turn in to me. 87-89 B+
83-86 B
Ill let you know if I want something emailed to me or printed and brought to 80-82 B-
class. For all typed assignments you do this semester, you will need to save
your document as a .doc or .docx file. If you do not have the ability to save 77-79 C+
documents correctly on your home computer, you may use any of the computer 73-76 C
labs on campus for typing your assignments. It is your responsibility to be 70-72 C-
aware of the guidelines set forth in each assignment, and I expect you to submit 67-69 D+
these assignments on time. Follow the additional guidelines listed below when
submitting your work to me electronically: 63-66 D
60-62 D-
o Use the form Yourlastname_AssignmentName to name all 0 - 59 F
your attachments that you email me. For example, I would
write this: Moberly_PersonalInterestMemo
o Save documents as .doc or .docx files. If your file is submitted in any other
format, I wont be able to open it and I cant grade what I cant see.
o Consistently create back-up copies of all your electronic work. Every
semester a computer will crashand a student will lose all of his/her work.
Please be prepared so that this does not happen to you.

Expectations
One of the best things about college is the opportunity to meet and work with people from diverse places,
cultures, languages, beliefs, and values. Our classroom is a space where we are free to share these ideas
and welcome diversity. You will be sharing your work with peers regularly, so I expect that you all will be
respectful with your feedback. With that said, I also expect us to have a fun semester while we engage in
academic conversation and learning.

You can expect me to do the following:

o Be prepared and meet with you during office hours when you need additional help
o Provide you with constructive feedback on your written work
o Notify you when any changes are made to the course schedule
o Treat each person with respect and answer any questions you have relevant to the course

I expect you to do the following:

Be prepared and to take this course seriously by turning in quality work. You should
present your work in a professional manner (proofread and properly formatted). This
includes homework!
 Be in class on time each day, especially for group work days
Follow assignment requirements precisely and submit assignments on time
Participate in group and classroom discussion
Ask any questions that you have
Treat others with respect

Technology Policy
Please turn off all cell phones, iPods, laptops, etc. before class begins. These forms of technology can be
distracting to your peers and me. After all, we are here to learnnot to be distracted. If you need a
computer to take notes, thats fine, but I better not see Farmville on your screens.

Texting during class is extremely rude. I will never send text messages while you speak with me during
class, after class, or during office hours. Please treat me and your peers with the same respect and refrain
from texting for the time we meet during class each day. If texting becomes a problem, I will ask you to
leave class, and you will be counted absent for that day.

Late Work Policy

Assignments are due on the due dates listed on the class schedule (found on our website). Being absent
from class is NOT an excuse for late work. I understand that sometimes things happen and that a student
may have to miss class one day due to illness, family responsibilities, or emergency situations. If you
must miss a day of class, you need to contact me ahead of time to make necessary arrangements to submit
the work.

I generally do not accept late work; this includes homework assignments, proposal drafts, final drafts,
etc. However, I will grant you one extension this semester for any assignment you need more time to
complete. Heres the catchyou must contact me before the assignment is due if you need an extension.
Together we will decide on the details of your extension.

Please note: If I give surprise quizzes or other in-class work throughout the semester, you must be
present in class to receive credit. You will not be able to make up any in-class work that you miss because
you are absent from class.

Please remember that at the end of the semester, the course is over, and there will be no more
opportunities to submit additional or late work. If you are having difficulty with an assignment, you need
to let me know well ahead of time so that I can provide help. I am always happy to help students who
arrange conferences with me or email me questions.

Attendance/Participation
Regular attendance is essential for success in a writing course such as this. This is a hands-on, workshop-
oriented class, and much of the learning of the course takes place in class or on the basis of class lectures,
discussions, and activities. Therefore, attendance in this class is mandatory. I will take attendance for each
class period, beginning with the first class meeting. Attendance plays a role in your final grade;
specifically, attendance and participation account for 10% of your final grade (it can move your final
grade up or down a full letter grade). Three or more unexcused absences will negatively affect your final
grade. The breakdown is as follows:

2 or fewer absences = A for your attendance grade

3 absences = B- for your attendance grade
4 absences = C- for your attendance grade
 5 absences = D- for your attendance grade
6 absences = Automatically failing this course

In cases of absences, you are responsible for getting notes and any other materials from other
students in the class and continuing to follow the class schedule.
If you are absent beyond three weeks of class (six class periods in a two-day-a-week course), you
cannot pass this course. You will have missed too much information and practice related to the
learning objectives of the course.

University Academic Conduct Policy

There will be zerotolerance for plagiarism/cheating. Plagiarism and/or cheating will result in a 0.0 for the
class. For further information, please see the CSU Stanislaus catalog for Student Code of Conduct
http://catalog.csustan.edu/content.php?catoid=3&navoid=115#stud_cond

Disability Resource Services

If you have a disability that you think might impact your ability to succeed int his course, please talk to me about it.
You can find information about campus resources here: http://www.csustan.edu/disability-resource-services

Library Resources
You can find information about services offered by the library here: http://library.csustan.edu

Writing Center
Writing tutoring is extremely helpfuland Im not just saying that because I work in the Writing Center! Tutors can
help you think about, plan for, draft, and revise any work you do for this class (and any other classes you have while
youre a student).

I look forward to working with you all this semester!