ENGLISH 3213: PROFESSIONAL WRITING
POLICY STATEMENT AND COURSE SYLLABUS
Spring 2000

Instructor:      Jennifer Wojcik

Office:            Trailer C #105
Office Phone: 590-7250
Office Hours: MW 11:00 – 1:00
                        Or By Appointment

E-mail:            jwojcik@fgcu.edu
 

TEXT

Scot Ober, Contemporary Business Communication, 3^rd edition
 
 

OBJECTIVES

While this course will introduce students to the basic conventions of professional writing, its primary focus is to develop the students’ sense of audience and purpose within a variety of contexts in likely, everyday business situations. Good professional writing is built on an awareness of one’s relationship to the reader and on the purpose and ethical dimensions of the immediate task. Consequently, I will assess these skills through both written assignments and spoken performance.
 
 

GRADE DISTRIBUTION

Team Presentation:                                  100 points

Team Report:                                          200 points

Memo Portfolio:                                      100 points

Letter #1:                                                100 points

Letter #2:                                                100 points

Letter #3:                                                100 points

Resume and Cover Letter:                       100 points

Interview and Follow-up Letter:               100 points

Class Participation:                                  200 points
 
                                                               1100 total points

As a total of 1100 points is possible, your final grades will be scored as follows:

1100-1045 points……….A

1044-990 points………...A-

989-957 points………….B+

956-913 points………….B

912-880 points………….B-

879-847 points………….C+

846-803 points………….C

802-770 points………….C-

769-737 points………….D+

736-693 points………….D

692-660 points………….D-

659-0 points…………….F

PLEASE NOTE: I will not allow for any extra credit assignments.
 

GRADING CRITERIA

All of your work I will grade on the basis of consistency of and coherence to format, execution of standard grammar and punctuation, mastery of syntax (varied, precise, and clear language and sentence manipulation), audience awareness, unity of organization, and quality and clarity of content and purpose.
 

• An "A" business document is perfect in format, has mastery over grammar and punctuation, relies on exact diction and emphatic, smooth sentence structures, holds an acute awareness of the reader, is shaped with exceptional unity, and states its purpose clearly, directly, accomplishing both immediate and long-term goals. It goes beyond the call of duty, reflecting well on the writer—the reader will want to continue to do business with this individual.

• A "B" business document is nearly perfect in format, commits one or fewer mistakes in grammar or punctuation per page, executes good diction and sentence variety, shows awareness of reader, is unified, and has a clear if not overtly stated purpose. It fulfills the assignment, having occasional moments of distinction and fewer moments of mediocrity. The writer accomplishes the task, all in good measure. The reader will have confidence with this writer.

• A "C" business document is sound in format but not necessarily consistent, commits one or two mistakes in grammar or punctuation per page, uses good diction but is sometimes wordy or repetitive or passive, has choppy sentence structure, occasionally slips into writer-based prose, is formulaic in organization with weak transitions, and has a general sense of purpose and is adequate with its content. It gets the job done, but not much more than that.

• A "D" business document has distracting errors in format, commits frequent and varied errors in grammar and punctuation throughout the document, consistently misuses words and is often wordy and vague, relies on passive voice constructions, has basic and repetitive sentence structure, is logically flawed in organization, and has trouble with maintaining focus on the purpose and audience. These documents generally will require a follow-up communication (being inefficient) or will need a thorough revision by another employee, or worse, your superior.

• A failing business document is in improper format, demonstrates carelessness in following basic grammar and punctuation rules, uses inappropriate diction and is rudimentary in sentence construction, does not demonstrate audience awareness, uses arbitrary organization, and fails to meet its purpose. It reveals to the reader that you are unprofessional and unreliable.

ATTENDANCE

Because ENC 3213 is a participatory class, I require attendance in this course. I will forgive two unexcused absences; excused absences are limited to your own illness and to official university leaves of absence. I accept excused absences only with documented evidence and with notification prior to the beginning of class. Absences beyond the two unexcused limit will result in deductions from your final grade, beginning with a five percent reduction (55 points) and increasing by five percent (55 points) per absence. Once a student has accrued five total absences, I will withdraw the student from the course in accord with the university’s withdraw policy.
 
 

ASSIGNMENTS

All assignments are due at the beginning of the class. Late assignments, with my approval, will automatically receive a ten percent reduction and will accrue additional ten percent reductions for every 24 hours late. Unexcused late assignments will receive a zero. I accept only documented medical excuses or official school leaves of absence.

Team Report

With three other classmates, you will turn in a minimum 20-page, typed, double-spaced, researched, formal business report (5,000 word minimum). This report, due on March 14, is worth 200 points. Each member of the team must contribute equitably to the actual composition of the team report. I will divide you into your groups on January 25. On February 1, your group will propose a topic relevant to a professional situation (anything from a feasibility study, to a market analysis, to an impact assessment, to a marketing proposal, and beyond). If I approve your topic, then your group may proceed. If not, you will need to turn in a new proposal. To keep your group on track, I have also scheduled sequential assignments to be completed along the way, including but not limited to a questionnaire (February 8), progress report letters (February 15 and 29) and a conference with me (February 29). The point value for each of these assignments will vary and will be announced prior to the due date. The points for these sequential assignments will be included as class participation points.

Team Presentation

During the March 14, 16, and 21 class meetings, the teams will offer interactive and "extra-media" presentations to the rest of the class. These team presentations (based on the team reports) are to be professionally planned and delivered; in other words, they must be well rehearsed. The team members should not merely read their report to the class. The presentation must be at least twenty minutes in length, and each member of the team must participate significantly. I will grade each presentation on its originality, effectiveness, and clarity. Be daring. The presentation is worth 100 points.

Individual Memo Portfolio

During the composition of the team report, you will have to communicate with your other team members. Please keep copies of all your memorandums, and turn in your four best memos in a manila file folder. Your memos must adhere to traditional memorandum format; print outs of e-mail communications will fail the format requirement. Your portfolio, due on March 14, is worth 100 points. The portfolio should be at least 500 words.

Letters

You will compose a total of three assigned letters (due March 28, March 30, and April 4). Each letter will be one to two pages in length, and each letter is worth 100 points. While I will assign the first two letters as take-home assignments, you will compose the third letter in class on April 4, for which you may bring and use a dictionary, thesaurus, and/or grammar handbook to assist you.

Cover Letter and Resume

You will turn in a cover letter and resume for a job you would like to apply for—you will be responding to an actual job listing that you find on your own. The cover letter and the resume are worth 100 points and are due on April 13.

Mock Interview and Follow-up Letter

During one of our last three class meetings (April 18, April 20 and April 25), you will participate in a mock interview for the job you applied for—a team of local professionals, acting as your potential employers, will conduct the interviews. I will forward the description of the job as advertised, your cover letter, and your resume (you may use a pseudonym if you desire) to the team of professionals so that they may have time to prepare interview questions. It is up to the professionals to decide whether they will hold one-on-one interviews or meet with you as a board. Each interview will last approximately ten minutes (obviously shorter than a typical interview) but should be approached with a sense of reality. Dress and respond appropriately. In keeping with good business practice, you will write a follow-up letter and send it to your interviewer at his or her place of employment. The letter must be post-marked by April 27(so that it may be forwarded to me by May 2). After receiving feedback from our visiting professionals, I will determine your grade for this assignment based on your performance. This interview/follow-up letter process is worth 100 points and will take the place of a final exam on May 2.
 
 

SYLLABUS

JAN 6        Course Introduction
 
         11      Basic Business Communication (Chapters1 and 3)
         13

         18      Basic Business Communication (Chapters 4 through 6)
         20

         25      Work-Team Communication (Chapter 2), Division into Teams
         27      Planning the Report (Chapter 10), Team Work

FEB 1        Collecting and Analyzing Data (Chapter 11), Team Report Proposal Due
        3         Team Work

        8        Writing the Report (Chapter 12), Questionnaire Due
        10       Team Work
 
        15       Business Presentations (Chapter 13), Progress Report #1 Due
        17       Team Work
 
        22       Team Work
        24       Team Work

        29       Progress Report #2 Due, Team Conference with Instructor
MAR 2      Team Work

        7         Spring Break—No Classes
        9

        14       Team Reports Due, Individual Memo Portfolios Due, Team Presentations
        16       Team Presentations

        21       Team Presentations
        23       Routine Messages (Chapter 7)

        28       Letter #1 Due, Persuasive Messages (Chapter 8)
        30       Letter #2 Due, Bad-News Messages (Chapter 9)

APR 4        Letter #3 Due (In-Class Composition)
         6        Your Resume and Job-Application Letter (Chapter 14)

        11       Cover Letter and Resume Workshop
        13       Cover Letter and Resume Due, Job Interview and Follow-up (Chapter 15)

        18, 20, 25     Mock Interviews, Follow-up Letter Post Marked By April 27, 2000