ENG420.F12.JJacobs.syllabus

7/31/2019 ENG420.F12.JJacobs.syllabus

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English 420 Business Writing: SyllabusFall 2012

Instructor: Jessica JacobsDay/Time: M, W, F 4:30-5:20DClassroom: WTHR 212C

Class website:opw.rhetorike.org/jacobs1o

Office Hours: M 2:30-3:30 or byappointmentaOffice: Heavilon 442

(4th

Floor, Sycamore Review Office)Email: [email protected]

Course OverviewEnglish 420 teaches students the rhetorical principles and writing practicesnecessary for producing effective business letters, memos, reports, andcollaborative projects for a professional context. The curriculum is informed bycurrent research in rhetoric and professional writing and is guided by the needsand practices of business, industry, and society at large. All sections of English420 are offered in networked computer classrooms or exclusively online toensure that students taking the course are prepared for the writing environmentof the 21st-century workplace. The course teaches the rhetorical principles thathelp students shape their business writing ethically, for multiple audiences, in avariety of professional situations.

Required TextProfessional Writing Online3.0 by Porter, Sullivan, and Johnson-Eilola, an onlinetext

Access codes for this text can be purchased at the University Bookstore, onlinethrough Amazon, or at the publishers website. (Avoid buying used access codesas they are likely about to expire):http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/access/Pearson_Default/6085/6231411/login.html

Course Goals

Professionalization The single most important concept that we will address this

semester, professionalization is the process of developing thehabits, skills, and comportments that will contribute to your successin the workplaceand the ability to demonstrate these qualities inyour writing. We will spend time exploring these conceptsthroughout the semester. To this end, you will find a high level ofautonomy and, therefore, responsibility, required for formulatingand negotiating the parameters of your own projects.

Writing in Context

Writing for a range of defined audiences and stakeholders

Negotiating the ethical dimensions of workplace communication

Project Management

Understanding, developing and deploying various strategies for planning

Researching, drafting, revising, and editing documents both individuallyand collaboratively

Selecting and using appropriate technologies that effectively and ethicallyaddress professional situations and audiences
http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/access/Pearson_Default/6085/6231411/login.htmlhttp://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/access/Pearson_Default/6085/6231411/login.html


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Building a professional ethos through documentation and accountability

Document Design

Understanding and adapting to genre conventions and audienceexpectations

Understanding and implementing design principles of format and layout Interpreting and arguing with design

Drafting, researching, testing, and revising visual designs and informationarchitecture

Teamwork

Working online and face to face with colleagues

Determining roles and responsibilities

Managing team conflicts constructively

Responding constructively to peers' work

Soliciting and using peer feedback effectively

Achieving team goals

Research

Analyzing professional contexts

Locating, evaluating, and using print and online information selectively forparticular audiences and purposes

Triangulating sources of evidence

Selecting appropriate primary research methods, such as interviews,observations, focus groups, and surveys to collect data

Working ethically with research participants

Technology

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

Major Course Units:Each unit contains multiple deliverables. Each unit is worth 25% of your finalgrade.

Unit 1: White Paper/BackgrounderWhite papers are a genre of report commonly used in professional settings. Theyare typically used either before a project gets off the ground, to summarize the

known information pertaining to that project or product, or are written after aproduct has been developed to aid in its marketing. They are sometimes calledbackgrounders because they provide background information.Main unit goals: research skills, project management, organization andpresentation of information, visual rhetoric, use of InDesign, audience awareness,and the thoughtful evaluation of the work of others.

Unit 2: Group Project


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For Unit 2, you will work collaboratively in project teams on a client-basedservice-learning project that teaches you to manage complex writing challengesin real contexts that matter. You will learn principles of project management,collaboration, document cycling, oral presentation, and client-based research.Because you will work with real clientseither in the community or online, youwill also learn important principles of professional and ethical communication.

Unit 3: Employment ProjectYou will be asked to locate a job for which you are qualified and apply for it. Step1 of the project asks you to learn about and use various web-based resources for

job seekers and ultimately to select one job or internship to pursue. Steps 2 and3 ask you to prepare the all-important "Job Application Letter" and a resumespecifically designed for the job or internship you've selected in Step 1. In Step 4,you will assess your experience in a "Project Assessment Document." In theprocess of completing each step, you will work closely with your peers and yourinstructor to shape your writing so that it represents you and your experiencefully and effectively, given the rhetorical circumstances. You will also study andrespond to examples from the textbook.

Blog Posts and other DeliverablesMuch of your writing for this class will be posted to the course website. Posts tothe website will include reading responses, drafts of projects, blog entries, andresearch notes, among other types of content. The course calendar will specifywhat you should post to the site and on what days. Posts will be due by 2 p.m. onthe day they are due unless otherwise specified. Posts that are turned in on timeand thoughtfully and thoroughly meet the assignment requirements will receive5 points. All comments and replies to other's posts should follow effectiverhetorical strategies for networking with others on the Web.

Grading

Backgrounder 25%

Group Project 25%Employment 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-gradescale:s99-100 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 onlineposts in order to pass this class.

Weekly Course CalendarThe weekly course calendar provides information on what is due each classperiod, what is the class topic of the day, and what is for homework. You areresponsible for reading the calendar every week to know what yourresponsibilities are for the coming week. Note that the calendar is subject to


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revision based on our progress in class; therefore, youll want to visit thecalendar multiple times per week in order to stay 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 tothe Internet and email. Because the course home page is the main locus of theclass community, you are responsible for reading and keeping current with allcontent posted there, including what has been submitted by both the instructorand your colleagues. You'll be responsible for configuring your system to accesscourse materials, to read course email and participate in online discussions, andto submit your work. If at any time you have problems accessing the Internetfrom home, you'll need to find a public lab or connection point. Problems withcomputers will not be an excuse for falling behind or failing to complete requiredassignments. If your Internet service goes down, youll need to find anotherconnection point. If your computer breaks, youll need to use another one. Inother words, find a way to complete the assignments on time. Because computerproblems are a fact of life, always work to complete your assignments early andmake frequent backups to multiple media.

Formatting FilesIn any office/classroom setting, there will always be a massive amount ofinformation being passed between various individuals. Digitally generatedreports need to be shared with team members, bosses, or other departmentsthrough email attachments. To help ensure that no ones work will become lostover the course of the semester, please use the following general guidelines forsaving and submitting the 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

AttendanceAttendance is required. To best utilize our time, please come to class on time.

You are 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 misstwo classes without penalty.Use these for when you are sick. Please do notcome to class sick. For every class missed after the first two, I will lower yourfinal grade by two 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 notrelated to course 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 notyet begun. If you have an emergency and need to access your phone duringclass, talk to me before class begins.


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Academic IntegrityPurdue students and their instructors are expected to adhere to guidelines setforth by the Dean of Students in "Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students,"which students 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 standardsof academic conduct. To be prepared to meet societal needs as leadersand role models, students must be educated in an ethical learningenvironment that promotes a high standard of honor in scholastic work.Academic dishonesty undermines institutional integrity and threatensthe academic fabric of Purdue University. Dishonesty is not anacceptable avenue to success. It diminishes the quality of a Purdueeducation, which is valued because of Purdue's high academicstandards.

Academic dishonesty is defined as follows: "Purdue prohibits "dishonesty inconnection with any University activity. Cheating, plagiarism, or knowinglyfurnishing false information to the University are examples of dishonesty."[University Regulations, Part V, Section III, B, 2, a] Furthermore, the UniversitySenate has stipulated that "the commitment of acts of cheating, lying, and deceitin any of their diverse forms (such as the use of substitutes for takingexaminations, the use of illegal cribs, plagiarism, and copying duringexaminations) is dishonest and must not be tolerated. Moreover, knowingly to aidand abet, directly or indirectly, other parties in committing dishonest acts is initself dishonest." [University Senate Document 72-18, December 15, 1972]" Ifyou have any questions about this policy, please ask.

PlagiarismAll ideas and quotations that you borrow from any source must be acknowledged.At a 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 andcommonly known (e.g., the earth is round). You should know that penalties forplagiarism are severe and can entail suspension from the University. We will alsoreview in class strategies for avoiding plagiarism. In the meantime, see me if youhave any questions.

The Purdue Writing LabThe 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 WritingLab are highly encouraged and recommended. Be sure not to wait until the lastminute.

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 arevised semester calendar or other circumstances. You can acquire updatedinformation from the course website or by emailing me.

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

ENG420.F12.JJacobs.syllabus

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