Syllabus
for English 203G,
Business
& Professional Communications
New Mexico
State University at Alamogordo
Summer II, 2006, Online
The mission of New Mexico State University at
Alamogordo is
to provide quality learning opportunities for individuals in the diverse
communities we serve.
Business & Professional Communications
Prerequisite: Credit for English 111G, Rhetoric & Composition
Catalogue Description: Effective writing for courses and careers in business, law, government, and other professions. Strategies for researching and writing correspondence and reports, with an emphasis on understanding and responding to a variety of communication tasks with a strong purpose, clear organization, and vigorous professional style.
Background: In the past, many business and accounting students at NMSU-A have found that the course English 218G, Scientific and Technical Communication fits--or is accepted--in their degree plans, including business degree plans. There will still be some overlap of rhetorical information and communication skill development between English 218G and English 203G. But, in order to better prepare students for specific disciplinary demands and work place demands, we offer English 203G to target the skills needed for success in the business environment. To that end, this course will draw upon communications assignments, such as case analyses, commonly found in the fields of business and law.
Course Objectives: Students will gain the ability to
Grading: Grades will be figured as follows:
| Grade Points | Assignments |
| 0, but required | Self-introduction posted to the Class Discussion Tool |
| 20 | Individual Project: 1 pg. Memo. May be revised |
| 30 |
Individual Student's Chapter Presentation: Chapter
Summary, Summary and analysis of chapter weblinks, discussion questions.
May use WebCT Discussion tool, email attachments. Students
do not need to use the Presentation Tool for this assignment. |
| 40 | Group Project. |
| 10 | 1 pg. Application (Cover) Letter. May be revised. |
| 20 | 1-3 pg. Resume, formatted in Word or WordPerfect, and formatted for ASCI. May be revised. |
| 100 |
Quizzes, short writing assignments, responses to case studies: 10 @ 10 points each. |
| 20 | 1 pg. Proposal for Formal Business Report, Proposal, or Plan |
| 40 | Annotated Bibliography for Formal Business Report, Proposal, or Plan |
| 40 | Presentation Based on Formal Report, uploaded as a website in WebCT's
Presentation Tool if possible. Or, uploaded as a PowerPoint presentation
in the Discussion Tool. |
| 90 |
Formal Business Report, Proposal, or Plan. 4-6 pages of text, not counting formal elements; requires graphics |
| 90 |
Required Final Exam: 2 pages. Specific
Assignment, Time (2 hour block of time), and Date to be announced. Times
and dates may vary by individual students to accommodate distant learners.
If you cannot take this final exam under supervision on NMSU-A's campus,
arrange for a Proctor (university official, librarian, work supervisor)
who will mail to me a signed letter vouching for the fact that you
presented a picture ID, took the exam under supervision, and did not use
aids or outside help prohibited in the exam instructions. |
| 500 Total Points | |
Attendance Policy
Attendance
This is NOT a self-paced course. Although it isn't easy,
it is possible to create a community of learners online. One way to
do this is to work together on some common tasks, and to read the same chapters
at the same time. So, we will work together, week by week, even if
we don't always do it synchronously.
(Vocabulary note: synchronous computer mediated communication
means that participants in computer communications are all online at the
same time, as in a Chat Room, or on the telephone. Asynchronous computer
mediated communication means that participants use computers to communicate,
but may not all be online at the same time, as with Email or with Discussion
Tools, or leaving a message on an answering machine.)
Attendance will be taken weekly in the Discussions Tool or the Chat Tool.. (I also have sneaky ways to check on whether you logon or not, but I'd rather note your participation as a "talker"). Absences (that is, no evidence of a student logging in and participating in a calendar week--Sunday through Saturday) will be reported to the financial aid office, possibly resulting in loss of financial aid. There are no make-ups for attendance. However, the way to "make-up" for trouble with WebCT is to email me directly with your comments on the week's reading assignment: rmcneel@nmsu.edu
If you miss any two weekdays by not logging in and participating, your
semester grade will be lowered by one letter grade. That is, an A
grade becomes a B grade for the semester. If you miss any three
weekdays by not logging in and participating, your semester grade will be lowered
by two letter grades. That is, a C grade would become
an F grade.
How to attend: Students must log in and participate in the discussions, most of which may be student-led. Help your fellow students who are trying to stimulate learning through online discussions, questions, web links, and presentations by showing up online and commenting on their discussion questions or prompts.
Together we will make an effort to learn how internet connections and the WebCT platform can create productive attendance and participation in a community of learners.Oliu, Walter E., Charles T. Brusaw, and Gerald J. Alred. Writing That Works:
Communicating Effectively on the Job. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004.
Hacker, Diane. A Pocket Style Manual. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2004.
Optional Text:
Alred, Gerald J., Charles T. Brusaw, and Walter E. Oliu. The Business Writer's Handbook. 7th ed. New York: St. Martin's, 2004.
Other Required Tools:
| Instructor Contact Information | email: rmcneel@nmsu.edu
Alternate email, and for publisher's online test reporting: mcneel@nmsua.nmsu.edu
|
| Ron McNeel Professor of English |
Face-to-Face and Online Office Hours: M, Tu, W, Th 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Office #115, Faculty Office Building Office Phone with voice-mail: (505) 439-3742 |
Any changes will be announced in advance.
| Dates | Assignments and Activities |
|---|---|
| July 11-13 |
Orientation to NMSU/ NMSU-A online courses using
(mostly) the WebCT platform. If you haven't completed the self- and technical-assessments
at NMSU's Distance learning site, please do so. Also, review the WebCT tutorial at the NMSU Distance
learning site. Make sure that you get a NMSU User ID and password
at http://salsa.nmsu.edu, or at http://my.nmsu.edu,
the NMSU Portal. Register as a student at the website for our textbook, Writing That Works: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/writingthatworks Register as a student at the website for our handbook, A Pocket Style Manual: http://dianahacker.com/pocket and take the Electronic Diagnostic Test A, under the Additional Resources link on the home page for the handbook. This diagnostic test will count as the first quiz. Use this email for me for reporting purposes: mcneel@nmsua.nmsu.edu Respond to Self-introduction discussion topic, and to New Discussion Topic. Look over the syllabus and email me your request for the Chapter you wish to present--probably something with which you are already familiar. July 13 is the deadline for drop/add. |
| July 13-15 |
Read
Chapter 1, on Audience & Purpose, and Chapter 2, on Organization. Respond
to discussion questions. Quiz or Case Study. |
| July 16-19 |
Read Chapter 3, on Drafting, Chapter 4, on Revising
for Essentials. Respond to discussion questions. Quiz or Revision Exercises. Assignment
of individual correspondence project. |
| July 19-22 |
Read Chapter 5 on Revising for Coherence, Emphasis,
and Ethics, and Chapter 6 on Collaborative Writing. Case Study
exercise on Ethics. Assignment of group correspondence project. Student #5 leads discussion of Chapter 5,using discussion tool to provide chapter summary, comments on chapter web links, and discussion questions. Student #6 leads a discussion of Chapter 6, using discussion tool to provide chapter summary, comments on chapter web links, and discussion questions. Discuss Research Topics.
Read Chapters 7 on Research, and Chapter 12 on Formal Reports.
Student #7 presents Chapter 7. Student #12 presents Chapter 12. Quiz,
probably at the Hacker website. Assignment of Annotated
Bibliography. |
| July 23-26 |
Exercise on Ethics continued, collaboratively. Read Chapter 9 on principles of Business Correspondence, and Chapter 10 on Writing Business Correspondence. Quiz or case study. Student #9 leads discussion of Chapter 9,using discussion tool to provide chapter summary, comments on chapter web links, and discussion questions. Student #10 leads discussion of Chapter 10, using discussion tool to provide chapter summary, comments on chapter web links, and discussion questions. Individual correspondence project is due. Read Chapter 14 on Proposals. Student #14 (or instructor)
presents Chapter 14. Assignment of Proposal
for Formal Report. |
| Dates |
Assignments and Activities |
|---|---|
| July 26-29 |
Read Chapter 8 on Designing Effective Documents
and Visuals, and Chapter 16, Writing for the Web. Student #8
presents Chapter 8. Student # 16 presents Chapter 16 (Let's get
a web-savvy volunteer for Chapter 16.) Quiz. Work on group
correspondence project. |
| July 30- Aug. 2 |
Read
Chapters 11, on Informal Reports, and 13, on Instructions. Student #11 presents
Chapter 11. Student #13 presents Chapter 13. Quiz or exercise. Group Correspondence project is due |
| August 2-5 |
Annotated Bibliography is due. Read Chapter
17, Job Search materials. Student #17 (or possibly 2 students)
present Chapter 17. Assignment of the Application Letter and Resume. Proposals for Formal Reports are due. Individual
e-conferences on formal reports. Send me a draft. Additional Chapter Presentations by students if needed. |
| August 6-9 |
Individual Presentations on formal reports
are due Wednesday, August 9, within the WebCT Presentations Tool if
possible--in the Discussion Tool otherwise. |
| August 9-11 | Formal Reports are due Friday, August 11, 11:55 P.M. Final Exam. Make advanced preparations for a proctored exam if you cannot take the exam on the NMSU-A campus. |
| August 14 | Last possible class day, last possible day to take the Final Exam. Return of Formal Reports. |
If you have (or believe you have) a disability and would benefit from classroom accommodation(s), please contact the Office of Special Student Services located in the George Fettinger Student Services Building (phone: 439-3720). If you have a condition that may affect your ability to exit safely from the premises in an emergency or that may cause an emergency during class, you are encouraged to discuss any concerns with the instructor. |
In Case of Holloman Air Force Base Closure
National or international events may cause Holloman Air Force Base to
close, keeping students from leaving the base to attend classes on campus,
and keeping instructors from entering the base to teach classes there.
To alleviate the problems a closure would cause,
• the instructor may collect student phone numbers and email addresses;
• the instructor may use email addresses to create a distribution list
to keep students up-to-date on assignments and activities;
• students should note the instructor’s email address and be adept at
sending word-processed assignments as attachments via computer;
• instructors and students may need to mutually agree on a make-up class
or classes, times, places, and modes of instruction (including email or
chat room discussions), in order to abide by state requirements of 750 minutes
of class time per credit hour.
Classroom Conduct
• You are not allowed to use tobacco products in classrooms at NMSU-A
or HAFB.
• You are not allowed to eat or drink in computer classrooms at NMSU-A
or HAFB.
• Any student engaging in disruptive behavior will be required to leave
the class. This may include harassment via email.