English 405/605 Editing Professor Eldred

Course Descriptions Bulletin: ENG 405: This course is designed for students interested in the basics of editing and publishing and offers instruction and extensive practice in editing and revising both the student’s own writing and the prose works of others. In addition to learning techniques of revision, verification of sources, and preparation of manuscripts, students will be expected to learn about the editing profession generally and to follow trends in editing and publishing. Not for students with writing deficiencies. Prereq: ENG 306 (Introduction to Professions in Writing) or ENG 301 (Style), or consent of instructor. ENG 605: ENG 605 offers instruction in the history of U.S. publishing and extensive practice in verification of sources, fact checking, copy editing, and manuscript preparation. Prereq: Admission to Graduate School or consent of instructor. Section: ENG 405: Editing is frequently called the “invisible” profession. The goal of ENG 405 is to make the work of editing visible and to provide you with instruction and practice in its basic principles, including copy editing, revision, verification of sources, and preparation of manuscripts. We’ll tackle book and magazine editing, with special attention to decoding the hefty reference source The Chicago Manual of Style. Throughout the semester, to keep things interesting, we’ll read from memoirs and biographies chronicling the life and work of some famous editors. ENG 605: This course extends the upper-division offerings in writing and practical experience offered by graduate assistantships with department academic and creative journals. Moreover, it offers graduate students an alternative or supplement to Ph.D. literary study. While undergraduates at the University of Kentucky can complete and have completed coursework that prepares for careers in editing, graduate students have not been offered the same opportunities. Students enrolled in ENG 605 will complete all the coursework expected of students enrolled in ENG 405, and, in addition, will do additional reading and writing assignments, including a short seminar paper. Graduate students will be expected to become familiar with industry publications such as Publisher’s Weekly and to read material that covers some aspect of the history of magazine and book publishing in the U.S. A word here is in order about why we have chosen the paired 405/605 option. In the area of editing, undergraduate and graduate students enter on fairly equal footing. Editing courses are rare enough that no student would likely come with more than one on a transcript. It will be more likely that students (undergraduate and graduate) will not have taken any editing course. Field experience is possible for both the undergraduate and graduate student—the editing profession does not distinguish all that much between the two degrees (academic publishing is the exception). We believe the graduate students will benefit from the foundations supplied by the 400-level class and by further, more scholarly explorations into the field of editing and publishing. Texts ENG 405 ENG 605 Requirements ENG 405 ENG 605 Course Objectives Overview Unit I Unit II Unit III

Chicago Manual of Style, 14^th ed.