Hello, my name is Dustyn Hall and I am a senior English major with a minor in Children’s Literature at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. I am currently on track to graduate this May with a Bachelor of Arts in English after four years in the English program. Originally I came to Longwood to be a teacher, and I began my studies here as an English major with a concentration in Secondary Education. While I love kids and have always had a passion for teaching writing and a love for reading, working for Longwood University exposed me to careers I never imagined I could pursue. During my time at Longwood, I have served as a Building Supervisor for the Lankford Student Union, then as the Club & Organization Resources Specialist with the University Center & Student Activities Office, and since my sophomore year, I have worked as the Alumni Engagement Specialist in the Office of Alumni Engagement.
During this final semester of my undergraduate career, I took English 470: Business & Professional Writing, which has taught me a lot about the formal side to writing, reading, and editing. As an English major, I have been taught to write long, superfluous arguments that align with a genre, author, or time period, exploring the boundaries of literature. In ENGL 470, I have learned to write a press release, craft formal reports, argue via letters using pathos, ethos, and logos, and I have grown to understand the important of quality, constructive criticism via open discussions.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Analyze and produce writing genre commonly found in the professional world (e.g., business, government, media).
- Create professional documents that use plain English (clear, concise, and grammatically correct).
- Conduct research to create content for a variety of professional documents (memos, letters, reports, etc).
- Create professional documents that uses design– standard formats, layout, use of graphics, etc.
- Practice oral communication skills to present content effectively (enhance with multimedia tools).
- Participate productively in collaborative projects.