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English 3010IA: Writing for Business
CRN 50292 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 communication, 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 discussion boards: (a) three memos requesting the instructor’s permission to write on chosen topics, (b) six rough drafts of assignments, and (c) six final drafts of business writing documents. The following list presents the nine assignments for topic memos and final drafts.
Members will write topic memos to gain the instructor’s permission to write on topics they have chosen and to do some preliminary thinking about their documents. Members who do the topic memos will have a much better chance of doing well on their final drafts, as the instructor will comment on their ideas. Similarly, instructor comments on rough drafts will help members to produce more successful finished documents. 4. TEXT AND MATERIALS: The required text is an advanced introduction to business writing: Successful Writing at Work (9th ed.), by Kolin. In addition, class members will need good word processing abilities; the requisite knowledge and technology to access and navigate BlazeView (don’t ask the instructor to help with technology issues: contact IT’s help desk); depending on their skills, a grammar handbook and/or dictionary; and (optionally) an email account to communicate with the instructor outside of BlazeView. Class members may send the instructor mail via BlazeView or BlazeNet at <jlcampbe@valdosta.edu>. 5. LATE WORK: In a
seven-week online term in a writing course, there is, in short, no late
work. Rough drafts and topic memos not
submitted on time will not be given credit.
(If the instructor has some
extra time, he might comment on
them—but for no credit. Final drafts
not submitted on time will receive a six-point penalty, which is a two-grade deduction. The course is a skills-focused writing
class, so it requires consistent work—not cramming. The schedule is tight, requiring of the
instructor a great deal of commenting and scoring. He will simply not be able to help with
late work. If members find themselves getting behind due to technical difficulties, time constraints, less than adequate writing skills, or personal issues, he strongly encourages them to drop before midterm, July 2. 6. 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 six final drafts of business writing documents is worth 15 points (three points for each criterion) for a total of 90 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 one point each for a total of six points. Rough drafts aren’t worth much in terms of points, but they are essential steps to completing successful final drafts. Topic memos written to the instructor to get his permission to proceed with a chosen subject will be commented on and given one or two points each for a total of four points. (The first two topic memos will be worth one point, the third two points.) Like rough drafts, topic memos may not be worth many points, but they must be completed so that members do the necessary planning for assignments and do not choose inappropriate topics. 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. Members should note that the
grading is not done on a percentage basis: do not divide a score by the total
possible points. It’s a GPA-like
system in which a certain number equals a certain grade. Final grades are determined by simply
totaling points earned, not by averaging or anything else: if a member wants
to know what his/her grade is at a given time, he/she must total up the
number of points earned and then estimate the number of points he/she is
likely to earn in the points remaining.
Members who want an A are shooting for
as close to 90 as they can; members who need at least a B must
accumulate 70 points. The instructor will use the BlazeView gradebook tool to score rough drafts, topic memos, and final drafts. Students can access their scores by clicking on My Grades. 7. 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). Rough drafts, topic memos, and final drafts will be posted to public discussion boards. Members may, therefore, get an idea of how other people in the class are responding to assignments. It should go without saying that members must never copy words or ideas from their classmates’ postings in order to complete their own assignments. A member can certainly review the general content and format of documents posted on the discussion boards, but he/she must not copy specifics. Also, members must be careful not to take as good models documents that do not respond well to the assignment; check the instructor’s comments before deciding that a document is a good model. 8. OVERVIEW OF ONLINE PROCEDURES: Here’s a quick review of how the course will work on WebCT: · The instructor will create on the homepage a discussion board for general questions, comments, and announcements about the course. If members have a question or problem that isn’t personal, please post it to the general discussion board rather than mailing it to the instructor; other members may benefit from reading the instructor’s reply. Keep an eye on this board throughout the term. · Members will use discussion boards to post rough drafts and topic memos (by attachment). Attach documents in only Word or Rich Text Format with extensions .doc, .docx, or .rtf. Don’t use Works (.wps extension) or anything else. You may also post questions or comments along with the attachment in the message text area. · The instructor will comment on rough drafts and topic memos by replying to members’ posts. Replies will be made on a first posted, first commented on basis and will be completed as quickly as is humanly possible. Obviously, members need to read the instructor’s replies in order to know how best to proceed with an assignment. Members may post questions in response to instructor comments and he’ll try to respond before the assignment is due. · Members will also post final drafts by attachment to discussion boards. The instructor will not reply to these, however. They’ll simply be graded; check My Grades for your scores. Questions about grading, correctness, grammar, punctuation, and so on can be asked in the general discussion board on the homepage. · Assignments 2, 6, and 7 can be written individually or collaboratively in groups of up to three members. If members choose to do these assignments collaboratively, they should post only one rough draft, topic memo, or final draft and indicate in a message who worked on the assignment. 9. SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS: The following schedule and reading assignments are tentative; class members are expected to keep up with changes announced online. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10. ACCESS: Class members requiring course 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. |