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English 3010A and B: Writing for Business
Fall 2009 Dr. Lee Campbell West Hall 216 1. DESCRIPTION: Prerequisites: ENGL 1102 or 1102H. An advanced writing course focusing on the
elements of effective writing, particularly as they apply to business and the
professions. 2. OUTCOMES: Students who successfully complete Writing for Business will i. demonstrate the ability to produce a variety of written business documents, including letters, memos, fact sheets, instructions, and proposals ii. develop skills in five components of successful business writing: a. style b. chunking (organization and design) of information c. audience appeal d. message e. purpose iii. learn to manage all stages of the composing process iv. improve skills with word processing v. increase their awareness of the importance of skillful and ethical communication in their lives at work. 3. ASSIGNMENTS: In order to produce the above outcomes, class members will complete three kinds of assignments, all to be posted to BlazeView: (a) five memos planning documents or requesting the instructor’s permission to write on chosen topics, (b) eight rough drafts of assignments, and (c) eight final drafts of business writing documents. The following list presents the 12 assignments for topic memos and final drafts. Descriptions of assignments may be revised as the semester goes along, so don’t print them all at the start of the term.
These assignments will be worked on inside and outside class, the instructor and classmates guiding members’ decisions at various stages of the writing process. 4. TEXT AND REQUISITES: The required text is an advanced introduction to business writing: Successful Writing at Work (9th ed.), by Kolin. In addition, class members will need some USB drives for word processing, access to BlazeView via VSU’s website, and, depending on their skills, a grammar handbook and/or dictionary. Members might also want to use an email account to communicate with the instructor. Class members should send email to the instructor’s BlazeNet email address--<jlcampbe@valdosta.edu>--not BlazeView mail. 5. ATTENDANCE: These sections of ENGL 3010 will be run as hybrid courses, combining in-class and online work: attendance will be taken at about half of class meetings (on almost all Thursdays), during which the instructor will lecture on matters generally applicable to all class members. The instructor will introduce new assignments, answer general questions, and respond to work posted to BlazeView. Other meetings are optional. Class members may attend and work individually or collaboratively on assignments, ask the instructor questions, and post assignments to BlazeView from the classroom computers (which have fewer connectivity issues than those off campus). Or they may work on assignments and post to BlazeView out of class. The instructor encourages members to attend when not required and get the instructor’s help individually. In addition, collaborative writing groups may find meeting in the classroom much more convenient than arranging special times off campus. Collaborative writing groups are responsible for making and keeping their own appointments if they choose not to attend on days when attendance isn’t required. 6. LATE ARRIVALS, CIVILITY, LATE WORK: Late arrivals to required meetings will be disruptive. Do your very best not to be late. Also disruptive are ringing cell phones; please turn off your ringers while in class. When the instructor is lecturing, members should not be paying attention to irrelevant material on the Internet. Final drafts of assignments will be counted late when they are handed in
after the rest of the class's work has been graded. Each late final draft will be penalized two points. Rough drafts and topic memos must be
posted by the end of the day on which they are listed in the schedule or they will not be credited and may not
be responded to. 7. GRADING: All final drafts of writing assignments will be given numerical grades that correspond roughly with letter grades. Each final draft will be scored analytically on five criteria, for which SCAMP is an acronym. In ascending order of importance, these five criteria are
Each of the eight final drafts of business writing documents is worth ten points (two points for each criterion) for a total of 80 points. A rough draft is not just any response to an assignment. It is a bona fide attempt to meet an assignment. Rough drafts that represent a bona fide attempt will be commented on and given 1 point each for a total of 8 points. Rough drafts aren’t worth much in terms of points, but they are essential steps to completing successful final drafts. Memos written to the instructor to plan a document or get his permission to proceed with a chosen subject will be commented on and given 1.2 points each for a total of 6 points. Like rough drafts, topic memos may not be worth many points, but they must be completed so that members complete the necessary planning for assignments and do not choose inappropriate topics. Six points will depend on attendance at lectures (there are no excused absences—including the first meeting) according to this scale: 0-1 absence, 6 points; 2 absences, 5 points; 3 absences, 4 points; 4 absences, 2 points. There are thus 100 points possible in the course. The following lists grade equivalents for numerical scores on the final drafts:
Final grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
All final drafts must be completed in order for a class member to earn
a C in the course. 8. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Class members are advised not to submit any work written by anyone other than themselves, especially work written for this instructor in past sections of Writing for Business taught by him. That constitutes plagiarism (and stupidity). During collaborative work, a class member should not allow a group to write a document without his/her contribution. That's just lazy. Last, although documents will submitted to BlazeView will be posted on discussion boards accessible to everyone in the class, students must never copy the work of classmates posted before them. That constitutes perhaps the worst form of plagiarism. 9. SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS: The following schedule and reading assignments are tentative; class members are expected to keep up with changes announced in class. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Finals week 10. SPECIAL SERVICES: Class members requiring classroom accommodations or modifications because of a documented disability should discuss this need with the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Class members who require assistance but who are not registered with the Special Services Program should contact the Access Office. |