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Academic Year 2003/2004

Book Publishing
ENGL 390 FA

Designed to benefit both traditional and nontraditional students, the course will be of interest to anyone who wants to understand the book industry. It will be especially beneficial to undergraduate students who wish to consider or pursue careers in the publishing industry, as well as creative writing students, students planning academic careers, or anyone who hopes to have a book published. Among the topics to be covered in the course are the editorial/acquisitions process; book design and production; book marketing; publishing operations and finance; legal issues in publishing; the relationship among libraries, booksellers, universities, and publishers; careers in book publishing; and the future of the book. While students have an opportunity to engage in a wide variety of publishing activities, they are also being trained to read, speak and write critically and analytically about how knowledge is disseminated through the printed word, books, and technology, and how the dissemination of that knowlege affects the shaping of our culture.

MAJOR READINGS

Balkin, Richard, A WRITER'S GUIDE TO BOOK PUBLISHING (updated third edition, revised by Nick Bakalar and Richard Balkin). New York: Plume, 1994 (paperback).
James O'Donnell, AVATARS OF THE WORD: FROM PAPYRUS TO CYBERSPACE. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1998.
Dessauer, John P., BOOK PUBLISHING: THE BASIC INTRODUCTION (new expanded edition). New York: Continuum, 1993 (paperback).
Strunk, William, Jr. and E.B. White, THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE. New York: Macmillan, 1959.
Greco, Alb ert, THE BOOK PUBLISHING INDUSTRY. Allyn & Bacon (paperback).
Hamilton, Maxwell, CASANOVA WAS A BOOK LOVER. Louisiana State University Press (clothbound).
Korda, Michael, ANOTHER LIFE: A MEMOIR OF OTHER PEOPLE. New York: Dell, 2000 (paperback).

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Mid-term and final paper, plus approximately twelve writing assignments (2-3 pages each) during the course of the term.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: HA ENGL    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-19-2004

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