Spring 2026 – LIT 199/Career Planning for English Majors

LIT 199 – 01 1/2 course unit no prerequisites Term: Spring 2026 Time: 5:30-6:50 T Room: Bliss Annex 151

Prof. Glenn Steinberg Office: Bliss Hall 216 Office Phone: 771-2106 Office Hours: 2-5:30pm on Mondays or by appointment E-mail: gsteinbe@tcnj.edu

TEXTBOOK.  We will use the 2021-2022 edition TCNJ Career Handbook as our textbook for class.  It is available under “Files” in Canvas.  The most recent version of this handbook is available at https://career.tcnj.edu/career-handbook/.  You may want to consult the newer version as well, but it does not always include all the same material that the older version has (or use the same page numbers) – so always use the older edition in Canvas for class assignments.

There are LOTS of other resources available for you under “Files” in Canvas and on the Career Center website.  Over the course of the semester, you should familiarize yourself with these resources.

COURSE DESCRIPTION.  This course is designed to help students understand and articulate their own career goals and develop short- and long-term plans for their TCNJ education to help meet their career goals.  Topics covered include:  career opportunities in business, government and non-profit sectors, interviewing, networking, internships, cover letters, resumes, graduate and professional school opportunities, statements of purpose, degree audits, internships, study abroad, undergraduate research, experiential learning.

When the College went through a curriculum revision several years ago, the vast majority of undergraduate courses were “transformed” from 3-credit to 4-credit (1-unit) learning experiences.  While most of the classes continued to meet for only 3 academic hours per week, it was understood that the “transformed” courses offered a depth of learning with additional learning tasks unfolding in the equivalent of a fourth hour, including, sometimes, an actual additional hour of class interaction.  As the equivalent of the fourth hour in this course,

F) students are assigned additional learning tasks that make the semester’s learning experience more deeply engaged and rigorous, and no other additional classroom space is needed.

GOALS.  By the end of the course, I want you

1. 1. 1. to have learned about and considered many different potential careers,
      2. to have researched those potential careers and learned what kinds of qualifications and skills they require,
      3. to have learned the basics of professional etiquette and networking,
      4. to have learned the basics of written business communications (especially résumés and cover letters), and
      5. to have realistically appraised your prospects for a successful job search and career.

This course also contributes to the following goals for the School of Humanities & Social Sciences and the English Department:

#1 Written Communication
#5 Critical Analysis and Reasoning:  Ability to critique the arguments of others in the discipline and the construction of one’s own arguments in the discipline, using data/evidence are a focus of instruction and/or the ability to analyze linguistic and cultural patterns

REQUIREMENTS. There are four requirements for this course:

1. 1. 1. You must submit nine “reports” listed in the course outline below and participate in the discussion of the reports in class.  Each report is worth 3 points.  If you submit a report on time but are absent from class on the day that the report is discussed, you will get only 2 points.  If you are present and participate in class but do not submit the report due that day, you will receive 1 point (with the possibility of receiving a second point if you submit the report later).  Reports are to be submitted in Canvas (unless otherwise indicated in the course schedule below).  Total Points:  27.
      2. You must attend one career-related special event and write one page about what you experienced/learned at the event.  Within 10 days of the event, you should submit your one-page summary of your experience in Canvas.  Suitable events include the English Department’s Alumni Weekend event on April 25 (more information coming soon), the Career and Internship Fair on February 25, or any of the other “Special Events” on p. 5 of the TCNJ Career Handbook (about which there is or will be more information – including dates and registration – on the Career Center web site or in “Handshake”).  For any other event to count for this assignment, you must get prior approval from the instructor.  Total Points:  10.
      3. You must attend one Career Center service appointment and write one page about what you experienced/learned at that appointment (submitted in Canvas within 10 days of the appointment).  Suitable service appointments include those listed under “Services Available” on p. 5 of the TCNJ Career Handbook.  Total Points:  6.
      4. Your final, culminating assignment is to produce a cover letter and résumé for an existing internship or job opening (or to produce a grad school personal statement if you’re planning on going to graduate school).  You will submit the cover letter and résumé (as well as a copy of the ad for the job or internship for which you are applying) in Canvas.  Total Points = 10.

This course is graded Pass/Unsatisfactory.  To pass the course, you must accumulate at least 45 out of the 54 total points possible.  Normally, as long as you have done a reasonable job on an assignment, you will receive all the points that the assignment is worth (although a careless job may only get a portion of the points or none at all).

PROFESSOR’S AVAILABILITY.  My office is Bliss Hall 216.  My in-person office hours this term are 2-5:30pm on Mondays.  If you have questions about class (or just want to talk about stuff), feel free to stop by during these hours (no appointment necessary).  I can also meet over Zoom during my office hours if that’s more convenient for you; just let me know, and I’ll send you a Zoom invitation.  If you cannot meet during my regularly scheduled office hours, talk to me about meeting at another time, and we can set up an appointment.  Outside of class, you may contact me by email (gsteinbe@tcnj.edu) or by calling my office phone (609-771-2106) and leaving a message (if I do not answer), but email is usually the best way to get in touch with me.  You may also leave a written message for me in my box at the English Department offices in Bliss Hall 124.

ATTENDANCE.  Regular attendance is a virtual necessity for successful completion of this class.  If you positively must miss a class, I expect you to find out from a classmate what you missed and to come fully prepared – without excuses – to the next class meeting.  If, due to a religious holiday, you must miss a class meeting for which a report is assigned, let me know ahead of time, and we will arrange a way for you to make up the report.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY.  Academic dishonesty is any attempt by a student to gain academic advantage through dishonest means, to submit, as your own, work which has not been done by you, or to give improper aid to another student in the completion of an assignment. Such dishonesty would include, but is not limited to, submitting as your own a project, paper, report, test, or speech copied, partially copied, or paraphrased from the work of another (whether AI-generated, in print, on the Internet, or another student’s work). Credit must always be given for words quoted or paraphrased and for ideas or information taken from somewhere else. The rules apply to any academic dishonesty, whether the work is graded or ungraded, group or individual, written or oral.  Please, please, please, if you need help with an assignment, let me know rather than resort to cheating.

ACCOMMODATIONS.  The College of New Jersey prohibits discrimination against any student on the basis of physical or mental disability or perceived disability. The College will also provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations to enable students with disabilities to participate in the life of the campus community. If you require such accommodations, I will make every reasonable effort to meet your needs and to create an environment where your special abilities are respected.  Go to the website of the Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) for more information about how to arrange for accommodations.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. We are all enriched by greater diversity, and we all bring different perspectives to this class. I want to create a learning environment that supports diversity and honors your identities and perspectives (including your race, gender, sexuality, social class, religion, mental and physical health, differing abilities, politics, etc.). If, for example, you go by a name and/or set of pronouns that differ from those that appear in your official records, please let me know. If you feel that your performance in class is being impacted outside of class by a hostile environment related to your identity, please don’t hesitate to talk to me. If something is said or posted in class (by anyone, including me) that you consider hostile or offensive to your identity, please talk to me about it. I will expect our whole class (including me) to strive always to honor every form of diversity.  See also TCNJ’s statement on inclusive excellence at https://inclusion.tcnj.edu/inclusive-excellence-statement/.

SCREENS.  Unless required as an accommodation for a physical or mental disability, you may not use screens (laptops, phones, or ipads) during this class.  In the last ten years, there has been a ton of research that shows that screens are bad for learning – that you are less likely to remember what happens in class if you take notes on an electronic device rather than with pen and paper, that you are less likely to comprehend and remember what you read if you read it on a screen rather than in a printed format, that you are more likely to be distracted and miss things in class if you use an electronic device during class time.  I am not a Luddite (someone who despises all technology); I love my screens and use them a lot.  But I have watched a lot of students, especially over the last few years, perform much worse in my classes than they could (or should) have performed, because they used screens for taking notes and reading.  And my anecdotal experience with students over the last decade is nothing in comparison with the towering tsunami of research that shows just how bad screens are for learning in the classroom.

For that reason, you may not use any electronic devices during this class. Note that, if we ever need to look at a text, document, or assignment that is online during class, I will display what we need on the large screen at the front of the room.  You will not need your own screen.

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT AND COMMITMENT TO STUDENT SUCCESS, SAFETY, AND WELL-BEING.  The TCNJ community is dedicated to the success, safety, and well-being of each student. TCNJ strictly follows key policies that govern all TCNJ community members’ rights and responsibilities in and out of the classroom. In addition, TCNJ has established several student support offices that can provide the support and resources to help students achieve their personal and professional goals and to promote health and well-being. You can find more information about these policies and resources at the “TCNJ Student Support Resources and Classroom Policies” webpage at https://academicaffairs.tcnj.edu/tcnj-syllabus-resources/.

Students who anticipate and/or experience barriers in this course are encouraged to contact the instructor as early in the semester as possible. The Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) is available to facilitate the removal of barriers and to ensure reasonable accommodations. For more information about ARC, please visit https://arc.tcnj.edu/.

COURSE SCHEDULE.  The schedule below is subject to revision at the discretion of the professor.  Changes in the schedule made after the first day of class will be shown in red.

Date	Assignment/Topic
T Jan 27	Introductions
T Feb 3	REPORT 1 DUE:  Use FOCUS-2, “What Can I Do with an English Degree?” (under “Files” in Canvas), What Can I Do with This Major?, O*NET OnLine, My Next Move, resources at the Career Center website, and/or Google searches to help you complete pp. 12-13 of the TCNJ Career Handbook (and upload you responses to the questions in Canvas).
T Feb 10	TCNJ Career Handbook, pp. 16 and 19-20 REPORT 2 DUE:   Research 1-3 careers that interest you (using resources at the Career Center website, Become with Lantern, Glassdoor, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and/or Google).  In 1-2 pages, answer ALL the following questions:  What skills are required in the career?  What kind of work does a person in the career do? What does an entry-level position look like?  What promotions and advancement are possible? What kinds of limitations/challenges/opportunities/attractions exist in the career (travel, salary, job availability, job security, geographical limits, working conditions)? What are some of the businesses or organizations for which you might work in this career?
T Feb 17	TCNJ Career Handbook, pp. 17-18 REPORT 3 DUE: Bring a printed draft of your “elevator speech” to class.  You will practice it with your classmates and submit the printed copy to me at the end of class.
T Feb 24	Alumni Panel REPORT 4 DUE:  Create a Linked-In profile, personal website, blog, and/or other online “presence.”  Email me the link or send me a “friend” request.
T Mar 3	TCNJ Career Handbook, pp. 7-10, 14-15, and 22
T Mar 10	TCNJ Career Handbook, pp. 21 and 27 REPORT 5 DUE:  Search “Handshake” for internships or jobs in fields that are of interest to you.  Search other platforms too (such as some of the companies and job sites on the Career Center’s HSS Career Resources page, Micro-Internships, NYWICI, JournalismJobs.com, mediabistro, Freelance Writing Jobs, or NCPH Jobs listing).  In 1-2 pages, answer ALL the following questions:  How easy was it to find appropriate internships/jobs?  What kinds of requirements and skills do the ads request from applicants?  Are you qualified for the kinds of internships/jobs that you would like to get?  What kinds of things do you need to do (classes to take, experience to get) to make yourself better qualified?
T Mar 17	NO CLASS (Spring Break)
T Mar 24	TCNJ Career Handbook, pp. 6 and 29
M Mar 30	last day to withdraw with a W or to request ungraded option
T Mar 31	NO CLASS (I’m away at the Sigma Tau Delta conference)
T Apr 7	TCNJ Career Handbook, pp. 28 and 30-65 REPORT 6 DUE:  Draw up 1 page with a list and descriptions of your transferable skills and where you got each of them (e.g., past job, class, extracurricular).  Be as specific about where you got each skill as you can be (i.e., what specific work task, class assignment, or extracurricular activity taught you the skill).
T Apr 14	TCNJ Career Handbook, pp. 66-71 REPORT 7 DUE:  Fill out TCNJ Career Handbook, pp. 30 and/or 35 (and upload you responses in Canvas).  Use your own Report 6 to help with the content.
T Apr 21	TCNJ Career Handbook, pp. 23-24, 26, and 74-78 REPORT 8 DUE:  Look at the suggested contents of a cover letter – printed in gold on p. 66 of the TCNJ Career Handbook.  Brainstorm a bulleted list of specifics that you could include in each paragraph of your cover letter (lead paragraph, body, optional third paragraph, concluding paragraph).  Use your own Report 6 to help with the content.
T Apr 28	NO CLASS (Celebration of Student Achievement)
T May 5	TCNJ Career Handbook, pp. 25, 79-81, and 72-73 REPORT 9 DUE:  Bring a printed draft of your cover letter and résumé (or grad school personal statement) to class.
FINAL EXAM PERIOD	COVER LETTER AND RÉSUMÉ (or grad school personal statement) DUE in Canvas.  When you submit the cover letter and résumé, include a copy of the ad for the job or internship for which you are applying.