English 315: Business Writing
Instructor: Dustin Edwards
Section: A
Day/Time: MWF 8:30-9:25 am
Location: 229 Shideler Hall
Office: 272 Bachelor Hall
Office Hours: Wednesdays noon-1 pm (in Farmer School of Business 3064), Fridays 10 am-noon (in Bachelor Hall 272), and by appointment
Google Chat Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 10 am-noon
Email: [email protected]
Course Description
English 315 is designed to give you exposure and practice with writing for business contexts, purposes, and audiences. Throughout the course we will take a genre-centered approach, studying variations of the fundamental business documents (e.g., memos, letters, resumes, and proposals) used by working professionals today. This approach will allow us to examine documents from a few overlapping perspectives—that is, we will attend to the rhetorical, visual, ethical, and cultural aspects of communicating with colleagues, clients, and/or administrators. The progression of each major project will go as such: introducing a key genre—say, a letter—and then examining multiple letters from these intersecting standpoints. In other words, we will ask these questions: What is the purpose? To whom is it addressed? How is it designed? Is it representing people in a fair/responsible manner? Is it culturally sensitive? By studying genres from these perspectives, the major goal for this class is for you to gain experience in planning, collaborating, designing, writing, and delivering business documents—so that you may apply what you learn here to your professional lives.
Course Objectives
Locker, K. O., & Kienzler, D. S. (2012). Business and administrative communication (10th ed.). Irwin/McGraw Hill.
***Make sure you get the tenth edition
Laptop Requirement
Please bring your laptop (or tablet) with you every class period. If you are unable to bring a laptop with you every meeting, please see me as soon possible.
Policies
Access / Accommodations
I am committed to maximizing your learning potential and making this course as accessible as possible. If there is any way that I can adapt this course to better meet your unique needs as a learner, please let me know! If you have a documented disability, I am especially interested in providing any accommodations that have been best determined by you and the Office of Disability Resources (http://www.units.muohio.edu/oeeo/odr/; 513-529-2541) in advance.
Attendance
It is Miami University policy that every student is expected to attend every class meeting. Attendance is of utmost importance to the success of this class and to your development as a writer. Much of the learning in English 315 happens via in-class activities, assignments, discussion, and group interaction that cannot be easily replicated outside of class. In other words, class time will be highly interactive — requiring frequent participation, discussion, team work, in-class writing, and responding to writing. For this reason, attendance at all class sessions is expected. You are allowed a maximum of 3 unexcused absences in this course. Having more than 3 unexcused absences will result in a lowering of your final grade for the course by one tier (for example from B to B-).
Tardiness
You are expected to arrive on time. Two late arrivals equals one absence.
Late Work
All assignments must be turned in on time. To be allowed an extension, with a grade penalty, you must contact me before the regularly scheduled due date. In most circumstances, final grades on papers will be downgraded one whole grade for each day late (for example A to B).
Plagiarism
Plagiarism consists of knowingly copying and/or reproducing the work of someone else without supplying appropriate credit. In cases involving deception (e.g. buying an online paper or copying others’ work without giving them credit), consequences can result in failing the assignment or, if serious enough, failing the course. Throughout the course, we will discuss issues of plagiarism as they pertain to particular assignments and contexts. However, if at anytime you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, please schedule a time to meet with me. For further details about Academic Integrity at Miami University — including a detailed list of examples of academic dishonesty and procedures and penalties for dealing with instances of academic dishonesty — visit the Undergraduate Academic Integrity website.
Distractions
Please silence your cell phone and refrain from texting during class. While we will regularly use laptops for in-class writing, research, and collaboration, please refrain from using your laptop for non-class activities.
Backing up Work
Please make sure to have a plan for backing up all of your digital work in multiple places in case of computer failure. Please also make sure to save all of the writing you complete for class.
Daily Schedule
The daily course schedule and more detailed assignment prompts will be available on the course website (accessible at businesswriting315.weebly.com). The course schedule is subject to change based on the needs and interests of the class. You are responsible for regularly checking the course website for updates or changes should they occur.
Grading Scale
A 100-93%
A- 92-90%
B+ 89-87
B 86-83%
B- 82-80%
C+ 79-77%
C 76-73%
C- 72-70%
D+ 69-67%
D 66-63%
D- 62-60%
F 59% and below
Section: A
Day/Time: MWF 8:30-9:25 am
Location: 229 Shideler Hall
Office: 272 Bachelor Hall
Office Hours: Wednesdays noon-1 pm (in Farmer School of Business 3064), Fridays 10 am-noon (in Bachelor Hall 272), and by appointment
Google Chat Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 10 am-noon
Email: [email protected]
Course Description
English 315 is designed to give you exposure and practice with writing for business contexts, purposes, and audiences. Throughout the course we will take a genre-centered approach, studying variations of the fundamental business documents (e.g., memos, letters, resumes, and proposals) used by working professionals today. This approach will allow us to examine documents from a few overlapping perspectives—that is, we will attend to the rhetorical, visual, ethical, and cultural aspects of communicating with colleagues, clients, and/or administrators. The progression of each major project will go as such: introducing a key genre—say, a letter—and then examining multiple letters from these intersecting standpoints. In other words, we will ask these questions: What is the purpose? To whom is it addressed? How is it designed? Is it representing people in a fair/responsible manner? Is it culturally sensitive? By studying genres from these perspectives, the major goal for this class is for you to gain experience in planning, collaborating, designing, writing, and delivering business documents—so that you may apply what you learn here to your professional lives.
Course Objectives
- Develop effective rhetorical strategies for producing persuasive, ethical documents—such as memos, letters, reports, and presentations—that respond effectively to a particular business audience’s needs
- Practice designing effective, appealing, and readable documents
- Understand how delivery choice impacts how a document should be presented, designed, and written
- Cultivate writing strategies to build, maintain, and sustain working relationships (e.g., corresponding with clients/managers and collaborating with colleagues to manage projects)
- Practice incorporating persuasive research-supported data and evidence into your writing
- Examine the social and cultural dimensions of business writing to develop adaptive and flexible communication practices
Locker, K. O., & Kienzler, D. S. (2012). Business and administrative communication (10th ed.). Irwin/McGraw Hill.
***Make sure you get the tenth edition
Laptop Requirement
Please bring your laptop (or tablet) with you every class period. If you are unable to bring a laptop with you every meeting, please see me as soon possible.
Policies
Access / Accommodations
I am committed to maximizing your learning potential and making this course as accessible as possible. If there is any way that I can adapt this course to better meet your unique needs as a learner, please let me know! If you have a documented disability, I am especially interested in providing any accommodations that have been best determined by you and the Office of Disability Resources (http://www.units.muohio.edu/oeeo/odr/; 513-529-2541) in advance.
Attendance
It is Miami University policy that every student is expected to attend every class meeting. Attendance is of utmost importance to the success of this class and to your development as a writer. Much of the learning in English 315 happens via in-class activities, assignments, discussion, and group interaction that cannot be easily replicated outside of class. In other words, class time will be highly interactive — requiring frequent participation, discussion, team work, in-class writing, and responding to writing. For this reason, attendance at all class sessions is expected. You are allowed a maximum of 3 unexcused absences in this course. Having more than 3 unexcused absences will result in a lowering of your final grade for the course by one tier (for example from B to B-).
Tardiness
You are expected to arrive on time. Two late arrivals equals one absence.
Late Work
All assignments must be turned in on time. To be allowed an extension, with a grade penalty, you must contact me before the regularly scheduled due date. In most circumstances, final grades on papers will be downgraded one whole grade for each day late (for example A to B).
Plagiarism
Plagiarism consists of knowingly copying and/or reproducing the work of someone else without supplying appropriate credit. In cases involving deception (e.g. buying an online paper or copying others’ work without giving them credit), consequences can result in failing the assignment or, if serious enough, failing the course. Throughout the course, we will discuss issues of plagiarism as they pertain to particular assignments and contexts. However, if at anytime you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, please schedule a time to meet with me. For further details about Academic Integrity at Miami University — including a detailed list of examples of academic dishonesty and procedures and penalties for dealing with instances of academic dishonesty — visit the Undergraduate Academic Integrity website.
Distractions
Please silence your cell phone and refrain from texting during class. While we will regularly use laptops for in-class writing, research, and collaboration, please refrain from using your laptop for non-class activities.
Backing up Work
Please make sure to have a plan for backing up all of your digital work in multiple places in case of computer failure. Please also make sure to save all of the writing you complete for class.
Daily Schedule
The daily course schedule and more detailed assignment prompts will be available on the course website (accessible at businesswriting315.weebly.com). The course schedule is subject to change based on the needs and interests of the class. You are responsible for regularly checking the course website for updates or changes should they occur.
Grading Scale
A 100-93%
A- 92-90%
B+ 89-87
B 86-83%
B- 82-80%
C+ 79-77%
C 76-73%
C- 72-70%
D+ 69-67%
D 66-63%
D- 62-60%
F 59% and below