CA330:
Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Contact Information
Text(s) and Other Required Materials
1) Williams, Sean. 2019. English Grammar: 100 Tragically Common Mistakes and How to Correct Them. Zephyros Press.
2) Shaw, Mark. 2022. Copywriting: Successful Writing for Design, Advertising and Marketing, 3rd Ed. Lawrence King Student and Professional.
Course Objectives:
- Explore theories, models, methods and best practices in copywriting for public media.
- Develop skills in editing copy, in accordance with the Associated Press stylebook.
- Develop skills in creative capacity, including brainstorming, ideation and creative writing.
- Practice working in a group with a central goal.
W Goals: Wilmington College graduates will use the writing process in order to write a cogent, well-organized essay that argues a thesis, provides sufficient support, and employs a recognized format to cite all sources. They will demonstrate mastery of writing appropriate to their respective disciplines through completion of regular writing exercises, short weekly writing assignments, and a long formal paper. Students will learn how to:
Define a goal or purpose (thesis)
Include content that is well-researched
Use appropriate organizational structure and format
Provide adequate examples and support the thesis
Use discipline appropriate vocabulary or terminology
Demonstrate competencies in language, grammar and sentence structure
Tentative Schedule
Subject to change during the semester. Adequate notice of changes will be given.
Tentative Course Schedule
Tuesday | Thursday | |
Week of 1/11 | Jan 13 Review Syllabus First Assignment, Purchase Textbooks Writing Sample in class | Jan 15 Introduction & How to Edit Writing Sample in class #1-7 due Sunday 1/18 @ 11:59PM |
Week of 1/18 | Jan 20 Review 7 Common Grammar Mistakes Class Prompt Exercise #1 | Jan 22 Online lecture- no F2F class Ethos, Logos and Pathos #8-14 due Sunday 1/25 @ 11:59PM |
Week of 1/25 | Jan 27 Review 7 Common Grammar Mistakes Class Prompt Exercise #2 | Jan 29 Target Audience, Call to Action, Profiling Ch 1. Exercise Due Sunday 2/1 #15-21 due Sunday 2/1 |
Week of 2/1 | Feb 3 Review 7 Common Grammar Mistakes Class Prompt Exercise #3 | Feb 5 Your first draft, briefs, Assessing your draft Ch 2. Exercise Due Sunday 2/8 #22-28 due Sunday 2/8 |
Week of 2/8 | Feb 10 Review 7 Common Grammar Mistakes Class Prompt Exercise #4 | Feb 12 Brand Identity, Brand Guide Ch 3. Exercises Due Sunday 2/15 #29-35 due Sunday 2/15 |
Week of 2/15 | Feb 17 Review 7 Common Grammar Mistakes Class Prompt Exercise #5 | Feb 19 Class Writing Day for first draft Ch 4. Exercise Due Sunday 2/22 #36-42 due Sunday 2/18 Draft of Final Paper Due at beginning of class |
Week of 2/22 | Feb 24 Review 7 Common Grammar Mistakes Class Prompt Exercise #6 | Feb 26 Profiling your audience, angles Ch 5. Exercises Due Sunday 3/1 #43-49 due Sunday 3/1 |
Week of 3/1 | March 3 In Service Day, No Classes | March 5 Retail Promos, Customer Journeys Class Prompt Exercise #7 Ch 6. Exercise Due Sunday 3/8 #50-57 due Sunday 3/8 |
Week of 3/8 | Spring Break | Spring Break |
Week of 3/15 | March 17 Review 7 Common Grammar Mistakes Class Prompt Exercise #8 | March 19 Magazines, Newsletters and Internal Communications Ch 7. Exercise Due Sunday 3/22 #58-64 due Sunday 3/22 |
Week of 3/22 | March 24 Review 7 Common Grammar Mistakes Class Prompt Exercise #9 | March 26 Catalogs Ch 8. Exercises Due Sunday 3/29 #65-71 due Sunday 3/29 |
Week of 3/29 | March 31 Review 7 Common Grammar Mistakes Class Prompt Exercise #10 | April 2 Writing for the digital environment #72-78 due Sunday 4/5 |
Week of 4/5 | April 7 Review 7 Common Grammar Mistakes Class Prompt Exercise #11 (Board Game) | April 9 Editing Relay Race #79-85 due Sunday 4/12 |
Week of 4/12 | April 14th Last Day for Late Work April 14 Review 7 Common Grammar Mistakes Class Prompt Exercise #11 (Board Game) | April 16 Portfolio building from class exercises #86-92 due Sunday 4/19 |
Week of 4/19 | April 21 Review 7 Common Grammar Mistakes Class Prompt Exercise #11 (Board Game) | April 23 Game Day! Who made the best board game!? #93-100 due Sunday 4/26 |
Week of 4/26 | April 28 Review 7 Common Grammar Mistakes Class Prompt Exercise #12 Focus on Final Papers | April 30 Jeremy Bleh, Copywriter Final Papers Due at beginning of class |
Week of 5/3 | May 5 Study Day or Portfolio Build Day | May 7 Final Exams - Exam Date & Time TBD |
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS
Weekly “7 Tragic Copy Mistakes” Log:
Each week, you will read through SEVEN (7) of the copy errors noted in your English Grammar: 100 Tragically Common Mistakes and How to Correct Them textbook. For each entry, you will craft THREE (3) sentences that correctly use the word/terms. These cannot be sentences already used by the textbook as examples. You will upload your 21 sentences as a Word Doc or PDF to Blackboard each week by Sunday at 11:59pm.
Copywriting Exercises:
The Copywriting: Successful Writing for Design, Advertising and Marketing textbook consists of 8 chapters. We will work through a chapter each week (weeks 3-11). All copywriting exercises are due each week on Sunday at 11:59pm as noted on the syllabus and Blackboard. You will complete ALL end-of-chapter exercises noted in the textbook for that chapter. In some cases (ex. CH1 and CH2) there is only one Exercise to complete at the end of the chapter. In other cases (ex. CH3...) there are two. Please be sure to complete ALL of those noted at the end of the chapter and include them in one document (Word or PDF) that you upload to Blackboard. Your Copywriting Exercises are due as Word Doc or PDF files, uploaded to Blackboard each week by Sunday at 11:59pm.
Class Prompt Exercises:
Each Tuesday, the class will review the grammar mistakes submitted the Sunday before class. I will then issue a class prompt like, “You are a copywriter for a cleaning company advertising a new cleaning product on a local billboard. Create your copy for the billboard as well as images you think that would communicate your idea.” After a set amount of time, you will trade your exercise with a partner and they will make edits and suggestions to your work. You will then create a final exercise with the edits and suggestions incorporated. At the end of class I will ask for your handwritten first draft with the edits and suggestions attached and a final typed version. These exercises are classwork and if you miss the class, you miss the exercise.
Rhetorical Analysis of Ad Copy Assignment (8-10 pages, draft and final-draft):
Draft Due: February 19th(in class we will review each other's work)
Final Due: April 30th
1. Describe the ad (what you see, what is said, how it is organized) and the ad’s overall effect or tone. Is the ad old-fashioned, somber, disturbing, serene, purposely confusing, busy, funny, sarcastic, ironic, understated, sad, sexy, vague and so on? Does it sentimentalize, glorify, or play off of nostalgia? What grabs your attention? How do your eyes move across the page? Are the objects interacting in some way? Is there subcontext or an implied message? Be detailed.
2. Find the argument. What is the argument? The explicit messages? What is the context? What kind of values? What are the implied values? The explicit messages? What is the context? Discuss how the audience and the ad’s message are linked. What kinds of knowledge or experience does the ad assume its audience possesses? What associations might the audience make with the images in your ad? How and why are these associations important? How do they connect with the product? How might these associations motivate viewers to purchase the product? Who do you think is the target audience and how do you know?
3. Prove or challenge the argument. Identify the ad campaign’s rhetorical strategies. What appeals are being used to support the argument? Are they used effectively? In short, is the copy working? If so, how? If not, where are its failures? Remember the rhetorical strategies we’ve read about:
● Ethos--Credibility by name or brand or endorsement
● Pathos--Emotions
● Logos--Logic
Note: This section of your analysis is the most important. Here you need to bring it all together.
To get full credit, you must use text evidence to support your position.
4. Conclude. Be sure to wrap up your analysis with summary thoughts.
5. Check your references. You should use BOTH in-text and bibliographic references in either MLA or APA format. You should use your copywriting textbook as a reference, the ad itself, and at least two other academic sources. All four should be cited BOTH in the text and in the bibliography at the end.
The grading scale will be as follows:
Grading Policy
A-90-100%
B-80-89%
C-70-79%
D-60-69%
F-Below 60%
All late work will receive a grade reduction of 50% . I will not be accepting any more late work after April 14th.
Instructor Course Policies
Attendance See the current Student Handbook for the college’s Attendance policy, especially as it pertains to excused absences.
Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct will not be tolerated in the classroom. Failure to follow the aforementioned classroom policies may result in additional academic penalties as determined by the instructor and/or by the Office of Academic Affairs. In this course, you may use AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) to help with brainstorming, generating ideas, or refining your work, but you must always cite and acknowledge your use of AI. Submitting AI-generated content as your own work is a violation of academic integrity and will result in a failing grade. Please document your use of AI tools by including screenshots of the prompts and outputs, and cite the AI tool as you would any other source. If you have any questions about the AI policy, please do not hesitate to ask.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Undergraduate: SP25 Final Exam Schedule Graduate:
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. |
Class Attendance Policy |
Accessibility and Disability Services
Accessibility and Disability Services
Wilmington College provides accommodations and services for student with a variety of disabilities, including chronic illnesses, psychological, physical, medical, learning, and sensory disability amongst others. If you anticipate or experience barriers based on disability and feel you may need a reasonable accommodation to fulfill the essential functions of this course, you are encouraged to contact:
Spencer Izor, Associate Vice President of Compliance - Title IX/ADA Coordinator at spencer.izor@wilmington.edu or 937-481-2365 or Nathan Flack, Academic Resource Manager at 937-481-2208 to learn more about the process and procedures for requesting accommodations, or by visiting College Hall Room 306a or the Robinson Communication Center, Room 103.
Religious Accommodations
Wilmington College strives for an inclusive climate and welcomes students from all backgrounds, faiths, and experiences. If religious observance impedes your ability to participate fully in classroom activities or a principal holiday from your religious tradition occurs during the semester and conflicts with class meetings or activities, please make the professor aware of this immediately to determine if a reasonable accommodation is possible.