Spring 2023

MW 3:00-4:15

English 4853 Instructor: Dr. Will Kurlinkus

E-Mail: wkurlinkus@gmail.com
Writing Track Capstone Office: Cate Center 338
Office Hours: By Appointment

Overview Materials
In the writing track capstone, you will learn how to fine tune some of § All readings will be provided
the professional and technical writing skills that employers look for in to you through Canvas
graduating English majors as well as how to apply for writing–centric § Notebook
jobs. To do so, we’ll first learn how to find and analyze job ads and
write resumes and cover letters to match. We’ll then learn to write
grants, instruction sets, and other key genres. Assignments

Goals 1. Job Application: 20%

2. Speculative Design: 20%
§ Understand how to find, analyze, and apply for a job
§ Understand some of the critical writing genres most professional 3. Speculative Grant: 20%
writers will engage at some point 4. Instructions: 20%
§ Understand how to research audiences
5. Portfolio 10%
§ Understand how to adapt and market your pre-existing skills
7. Participation, Homework: 10%

Attendance, Participation, Late Work

Tips
Attendance is vital to your ability to understand course material.
Without attending the course both in-person and online you simply
1. Attend All Classes
won’t be able to understand, complete, and succeed on the
assignments. That being said, we’re in a pandemic; so, this semester 2. Finish All Readings
you will be allotted ten absences (this includes excused and 3. Come to Office Hours
unexcused). After ten absences you will fail the course. Please don’t
4. Take Studio Time Seriously
come to class sick! Late submission of a final assignment will result in
the deduction of 1/2 of a
letter grade for each day late. Skipping a 5. Imagine the texts you produce in
review presentation will, similarly, result in a ½ grade deduction. this class as writing samples for a
future career. They are.

Access
Students requiring academic accommodation should contact the
Disability Resource Center for assistance at
http://www.ou.edu/drc/home.html Any student who has a disability
that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her
abilities should contact me personally ASAP so we can discuss
accommodations to ensure full educational opportunities.

Writing Track Capstone 1



1. Application Packet
W 1.18 Intro to Class, Job Search, and Analyzing Job Ads
1. Introduction to the course
2. Introduce Yourselves
3. 4 sample job ads for English majors

M 1.23 Introduction to Resumes
1. “Obtaining a Job.” Paul Anderson: Chapter 2: Read 22-45 (beginning to cover letter)
2. Emails 1: How to Email - The Atlantic - The Atlantic.pdf
3. Emails 2: New Series: The Art of the Email
4. Emails 3: https://www.sitepoint.com/how-to-streamline-email/

W 1.25 Introduction to Cover Letters
1. “Writing Your Job Application Letter.” Anderson: 46-58 (cover letter onward)
2. Robert Cialdini: Pre-suasion Chapter 2, pp. 19-30.

M 1.30 Introduction to Interviews, Follow-Ups, and Concluding Thoughts
1. KolinInterviewing.pdf
2. https://www.levo.com/posts/12-tips-to-get-hired-as-a-recent-graduate
3. http://www.resumeok.com/49-job-interview-questions-and-answers/
4. https://www.levo.com/posts/5-things-you-must-do-to-follow-up-after-an-interview

W 2.1 Editing Workshop
1. Robert Cialdini: Pre-suasion Chapter 3, pp. 31-50.

M 2.6 Peer Review

2. Speculative Design
W 2.8 Studying Design Problems
1. Tim Brown. Change by Design: 1-38
2. Ten Thousand Years: 99% Invisible: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/ten-thousand-years/
3. Keren Amit Bigio. “A Day In The Life Of The Design Researcher”: https://www.ideo.com/blog/a-day-
in-the-life-of-a-design-researcher

M. 2.13 Introduction to Speculative Design
1. Speculative Design 1: https://uxdesign.cc/stealing-from-the-future-with-speculative-design-
e769059b6689
2. Speculative Design 2: https://uxdesign.cc/future-thieving-2-speculative-design-methods-tools-
45b655096d95
3. Read two selections from DesignsOn: https://designson.ideo.com
[DUE]: Assignment 1

W 2.15 Futurism (Afro-futurism, dystopian-ism, utopianism)—Class Virtual
1. “This is the Future.” This American Life: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/623/we-are-in-the-
future
2. Priscilla Frank. “Your Brief and Far-Out Guide to Afrofuturism”
“https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/your-far-out-guide-to-afrofuturism-and-black-
magic_us_5711403fe4b0060ccda34a37”
3. Woodrow Winchester III: “Afrofuturism, Inclusion, And The Design Imagination”:
https://interactions.acm.org/archive/view/march-april-2018/afrofuturism-inclusion-and-the-
design-imagination

M 2.20 Describing Problems: Statements of Need
1. Langdon Winner: Do Artifacts Have Politics?

1

2. Grant Writing Made Easy Workbook: Statement of Need (pp. 26-54)
3. Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace

W 2.22 Speculative Fiction 1
1. Read: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-journey/customer-journey-
mapping/?utm_medium=sem&utm_source=paid-media&utm_team=twg-us&utm_campaign=us-en-
201805-sem-twg-subscriptions&gclid=CjwKCAiAz--
OBhBIEiwAG1rIOgHxNODEnCsbtW9YtP958amrwV4tatke2Q8wmuwV07jpVYdj6yCuZxoC4oUQAvD_B
wE&gclsrc=aw.ds
2. Browse: https://blog.uxeria.com/10-most-interesting-examples-of-customer-journey-maps/
3. Ken Liu: “Thoughts and Prayers”
4. Leah Cypress: “BLU3RD”: https://pervisions.com/fiction/blu-3-rd-leah-cypess

M 2.27 Speculative Fiction 2
1. Gaver et al: “Design: Cultural Probes” pp. 21-29.
2. Ken Liu: “Seven Birthdays”
3. Alaya Dawn Johnson: “A Guide to the Fruits of Hawaii”

W 3.1 Fast and Slow Design: A Case Study
1. Dan Brown: “Design Briefs”
2. Slow Design: https://diopd.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Book_of_Inspiration_SlowDesign.pdf
3. Jenny Odell: “The Case for Nothing” Jenny Odell.
4. Matthias Hollwich: “New Aging”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyhe_LIyv_Q

M 3.6 Neostalgic Design: A Case Study
1. Right to Repair: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/what-is-right-to-repair/
2. Ocejo Richard: “Show the Animal” pp.101-127
3. Missing the Bus: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/missing-the-bus/

W 3.8 Peer Review

3. From Speculative Design to UX Grant Proposal
M 3.13 No Class—Spring Break
W 3.15 No Class—Spring Break

M 3.20 Discovering and Describing Problems: Statements of Need
1. Tim Brown. Change by Design: 39-63
2. Grant Writing Made Easy Workbook: Statement of Need (pp. 26-54)
3. Statement of Need Professional Example: 112-118
4. Statement of Need Student Example

W 3.22 Researching Problems: Pre-Existing Solutions
1. Tim Brown. Change by Design: 63-87
2. Continue to read and fill out pp. 26-54 of your workbook. Read through all the sources I've provided
on your topic at: Grant Research Materials
3. Research Professional Example: 119-120
4. Research Student Example

M 3.27 Describing Solutions
1. Tim Brown. Change by Design: 129-155
2. Grant Writing Made Easy Workbook (see download from Monday): Proposals pp. 58-75
3. Research Professional Example: 128-130
4. Research Student Example

W 3.29 Goals and Objectives, Evaluations and Deliverables
1. Tim Brown. Change by Design: 109-129

2

2. Grant Writing Made Easy Workbook: pp.42-45, 77-82
3. Professional Example: 123-125
4. Student Example

M 4.3 Executive Summary, Timeline, Budget, Feasibility
1. Robert Cialdini: Pre-suasion Chapter 4, pp. 51-66.
2. Grant Writing Made Easy Workbook: pp. 92-109
3. Professional Example: 126-130
4. Student Example

4. Instruction Set
W 4.5 Introduction to Instruction Sets
1. “Reader-Centered Instructions.” Anderson: Chapter 27
2. Tim Brown. Change by Design: 109-129
[DUE]: Assignment 2

M 4.10 Writing User-centered Instructions
1. Robert Cialdini: Pre-suasion Chapter 5, pp. 67-96.
2. User personas: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/personas-why-and-how-you-
should-use-them
3. On User Documentation: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/user-documentation/

W 4.12 Designing User-Centered Instructions
1. Bank Chris: “Understanding Web UI Visual Hierarchy”
2. A Designer’s Guide to Multi-Page Layouts in Canva: https://www.canva.com/learn/multi-page-
layout/
3. Magazine Layouts in Canva: https://www.canva.com/learn/how-to-recreate-a-magazine-layout-
from-scratch/

M 4.17 Evaluating Instruction Sets
Student Example 1
Student Example 2
Student Example 3

W. 4.19 Peer Review

5. Final Portfolio

M. 4.24 Final Portfolios
1. https://www.canva.com/learn/portfolio/
2. https://www.creativebloq.com/create-perfect-design-portfolio-111153

W 4.26 Final Portfolios
1. https://expresswriters.com/10-key-tips-to-help-you-build-a-rockstar-copywriting-portfolio/
2. https://www.artisancreative.com/7-tips-for-your-online-writing-portfolio/

M 5.1 Returning to Job Applications

W 5.3 Wrapping Up