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English 420e Business Writing for Entrepreneurs: SyllabusSpring 2013

Instructor: Jessica JacobsCourse Website:http://jjacobscourses.wordpress.com/4

20eCourse Dropbox Folder:http://db.tt/JFFYEiPBDay/Time: T, TH 4:30-5:45D

Classroom: SCG046Office Hours: T 3-4:15 or byappointmenta

Office: Heavilon 442(4 th Floor, Sycamore Review Office)Email: jacobs21@purdue.edu

Course OverviewEnglish 420e teaches students the rhetorical principles and writing practicesnecessary for producing effective business letters, memos, reports, and collaborativeprojects for a professional context. With its specific focus on writing for prospectivefuture entrepreneurs, assignments with emphasis and encourage the creativity,leadership, and powerful use of language needed to express new ideas and securethe buy-in from potential collaborators, investors, and customers. Our networkedclassroom simulates the writing environment of the 21st-century workplace, in whichknowing how and where to access information effectively is a crucial skill.

Required TextThe Essentials of Technical Communication, 2e ; Dragga & Tebeaux (Oxford UniversityPress)

Course GoalsProfessionalization

The single most important concept we will address this semester,professionalization is the process of developing the habits, skills, andcomportments that will contribute to your success in the workplaceand the ability to demonstrate these qualities in your writing. We willspend time exploring these concepts throughout the semester. To this

end, you will find a high level of autonomy and, therefore,responsibility, required for formulating and negotiating the parametersof your own projects (i.e. you will be expected to rely on yourself andyour classmates as primary resources, before turning to the instructorfor help).

Writing in Context Writing for a range of defined audiences and stakeholdersNegotiating the ethical dimensions of workplace communication

Project Management Understanding, developing and deploying various strategies for planningprojects of varying complexitiesResearching, drafting, revising, and editing documents both individually andcollaborativelySelecting and using appropriate technologies that effectively and ethicallyaddress professional situations and audiencesBuilding a professional ethos through documentation and accountability

Document DesignUnderstanding and adapting to genre conventions and audience expectations

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Understanding and implementing design principles of format and layoutInterpreting and arguing with designDrafting, researching, testing, and revising visual designs and informationarchitecture

Teamwork Working online and face to face with colleaguesDetermining roles and responsibilitiesManaging team conflicts constructivelyResponding constructively to peers' workSoliciting and using peer feedback effectivelyAchieving team goals

ResearchAnalyzing professional contextsLocating, evaluating, and using print and online information selectively forparticular audiences and purposes

Triangulating sources of evidenceSelecting appropriate primary research methods, such as interviews,observations, focus groups, and surveys to collect dataWorking ethically with research participants

Technology Using and evaluating the writing technologies frequently utilized in theworkplace, such as emailing, instant messaging, image editing, video editing,presentation design and delivery, HTML editing, Web browsing, contentmanagement, and desktop publishing technologies.

Major Course Projects:Each unit contains multiple deliverables. Each unit is worth 25% of your final grade.

Project 1: Professional Portfolio Project You will be asked to locate a job for which you are qualified and apply for it. Amongother materials, you will be responsible for creating a resume, cover letter, videoresume, and self-assessment memo. In the process of completing each step, you willwork closely with your peers and your instructor to shape your writing so that itrepresents you and your experience fully and effectively, given the rhetoricalcircumstances. You will also study and respond to examples from the textbook.

Project 2: White Paper/Backgrounder White papers are a genre of report commonly used in professional settings. They aretypically used either before a project gets off the ground, to summarize the knowninformation pertaining to that project or product, or are written after a product hasbeen developed to aid in its marketing. They are sometimes called backgroundersbecause they provide background information.Main unit goals: research skills, project management, organization and presentationof information, visual rhetoric, use of InDesign, audience awareness, and thethoughtful evaluation of the work of others.

Project 3: Business Creation Project

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For Project 3, you will work collaboratively in project teams on a client-based service-learning project that teaches you to manage complex writing challenges in realcontexts that matter. You will learn principles of project management, collaboration,document cycling, oral presentation, and client-based research. Because you willwork with real clientseither in the community or online, you will also learnimportant principles of professional and ethical communication.

Blog Posts and other DeliverablesMuch of your writing for this class will be posted to the course website. Posts to thewebsite will include reading responses, drafts of projects, blog entries, and researchnotes, among other types of content. Every day you have a reading assignment, youare responsible for posting a response on at least one of the readings, by no later than noon of the next class day. Posts that are turned in on time and thoughtfullyand thoroughly meet the assignment requirements will receive 5 points. These postscan include your thoughts about the reading, questions raised for you, etc. Allcomments and replies to other's posts should follow effective rhetorical strategies fornetworking with others.

Grading

Professional Portfolio 25%White Paper/Backgrounder 25%Business Creation Project 25%Attendance, Class Participation, Professionalism,Blogs, Reading Responses, Peer Review, etc. 25%

Total 100%

All major assignments will be graded on the standard plus-minus letter-grade scale:A99-100 A+ 88-89 B+ 78-79 C+ 60-69 D 0-59 F94-98 A 83-87 B 73-77 C90-93 A- 80-82 B- 70-72 C-

Students must complete all three major projects and complete required online posts

in order to pass this class.

Weekly Course Calendar The weekly course calendar provides information on what is due each class period,what is the class topic of the day, and what is for homework. You are responsible forreading the calendar every week to know what your responsibilities are for thecoming week. Note that the calendar is subject to revision based on our progress inclass; therefore, youll want to visit the calendar multiple times per week in order tostay up-to-date.

Technology ResponsibilitiesFamiliarity with certain technologies is crucial for participation and success in thecourse. If you need any assistance now or at any point during the semester, please

do not hesitate to ask. During the semester, you'll need regular access to the internetand email. Because the course home page is the main locus of the class community,you are responsible for reading and keeping current with all content posted there,including what has been submitted by both the instructor and your colleagues. You'llbe responsible for configuring your system to access course materials, to read courseemail and participate in online discussions, and to submit your work. If at any timeyou have problems accessing the Internet from home, you'll need to find a public labor connection point. Problems with computers will not be an excuse for falling behindor failing to complete required assignments. If your internet service goes down, youllneed to find another connection point. If your computer breaks, youll need to use

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another one. In other words, find a way to complete the assignments on time.Because computer problems are a fact of life, always work to complete yourassignments early and make frequent backups to multiple media.

Formatting FilesIn any office/classroom setting, there will always be a massive amount of information

being passed between various individuals. Digitally generated reports need to beshared with team members, bosses, or other departments through emailattachments. To help ensure that no ones work will become lost over the course of the semester, please use the following general guidelines for saving and submittingthe work you complete:

Always include your last name in the file name Always include a description of the assignment in the file name Always include the draft for the assignment Always separate each naming component with an underscore (_)

Here is an example: Jacobs_Resume_Draft2.doc

Attendance

Attendance is required. To best utilize our time, please come to class on time. Youare considered absent if 1) you are more than 10 minutes late; 2) you areunprepared for class; 3) you use your cell phone in class. There will be regular in-class work to record your attendance and preparation for class. You may miss twoclasses without penalty. Use these for when you are sick. Please do not come toclass sick. For every class missed after the first two, I will lower your final grade bytwo percent.

Classroom EtiquetteBecause we will be using computers during class, you are expected to use thecomputers appropriately and stay on task. This means checking Facebook, Twitter,

YouTube, news sites, email, etc. during class, particularly when it is not related tocourse content or activities, is distracting to me and your colleagues.

Cell phones, iPods, mp3 players, etc. should be silenced during class. Texting andphone calls should end BEFORE you enter the classroom, even if class has not yetbegun. If you have an emergency and need to access your phone during class, talk tome before class begins.

Academic IntegrityPurdue students and their instructors are expected to adhere to guidelines set forthby the Dean of Students in "Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students," whichstudents are encouraged to read here:http://www.purdue.edu/odos/osrr/academicintegritybrochure.php

The preamble of this guide states the following:Purdue University values intellectual integrity and the highest standards of

academic conduct. To be prepared to meet societal needs as leaders androle models, students must be educated in an ethical learning environmentthat promotes a high standard of honor in scholastic work. Academicdishonesty undermines institutional integrity and threatens the academicfabric of Purdue University. Dishonesty is not an acceptable avenue tosuccess. It diminishes the quality of a Purdue education, which is valuedbecause of Purdue's high academic standards.

Academic dishonesty is defined as follows: "Purdue prohibits "dishonesty inconnection with any University activity. Cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishingfalse information to the University are examples of dishonesty." [University

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Regulations, Part V, Section III, B, 2, a] Furthermore, the University Senate hasstipulated that "the commitment of acts of cheating, lying, and deceit in any of theirdiverse forms (such as the use of substitutes for taking examinations, the use of illegal cribs, plagiarism, and copying during examinations) is dishonest and must notbe tolerated. Moreover, knowingly to aid and abet, directly or indirectly, other partiesin committing dishonest acts is in itself dishonest." [University Senate Document 72-

18, December 15, 1972]" If you have any questions about this policy, please ask. PlagiarismAll ideas and quotations that you borrow from any source must be acknowledged. Ata minimum, you should give the name of the author and the title of the text cited.

The only exceptions to this requirement would involve what is familiar and commonlyknown (e.g., the earth is round). You should know that penalties for plagiarism aresevere and can entail suspension from the University. We will also review in classstrategies for avoiding plagiarism. In the meantime, see me if you have anyquestions.

The Purdue Writing Lab The Writing Lab (Heavilon 226) is a great resource. The staff is ready to help, nomatter what stage you're at in preparing your paper or presentation, from initialbrainstorming to putting on the final touches. Since writing a good paper entailshaving other people looking at it and giving you feedback, visits to the Writing Labare highly encouraged and recommended. Be sure not to wait until the last minute.

In Case of a Campus EmergencyIn the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines andgrading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revisedsemester calendar or other circumstances. You can acquire updated information fromthe course website or by emailing me.

This syllabus is subject to revision. I will notify you of any changes.