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ENGL 3106.2: Professional Comm

Course Schedule

This schedule represents the ideal outline for our study this semester. Yet, like all best-laid plans, we will probably not be able to keep up with our agenda. Please be flexible and try to look and read ahead whenever possible. We will do our best to stick by this schedule, but we will inform you verbally whenever there is a change in or an addition to an assignment. Getting these updates is solely your responsibility. Therefore, this syllabus is tentative and subject to change contingent upon the needs of the students and the professor, and dictated by time and other constraints which may affect the course. This syllabus reflects only an overview of the assigned reading and other major course assignments. It does not always indicate other specific class session assignments or activities.

Note: Reading and homework assignments will be due the following class period unless otherwise noted. For example, if your class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, a reading assignment that appears under Tuesday will be due on Thursday.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

Week 1: January 7 and 9, 2003

In-class Lecture / Discussion / Activities

• Course Introduction: What is “professional communication?”
• Discuss course policy statement, objectives, syllabus, and requirements.
• Sign up for Listserv
• HTML Tutorial (Handout)

Reading / Discussion Assignment (due 1/14)

1. Business Communication (BC), Chapter 1
2. Designing Effective Web Sites (DEWS), Chapters 1 and 2
3. Handout: “Build Your Own home Page”

Writing Assignment (due 1/14)

1. Complete Questionnaire
2. Exercise 4 (DEWS, p. 19)
3. Begin thinking about what you want your portfolio web page to look like; practice your HTML and look up resources on Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

Week 2: January 14 and 16, 2003

In-class Lecture / Discussion / Activities

• HTML Review
• Listening Skills
• Audience: Who will use our documents?

REMINDER: Sign up for Listserv if you have not already done so. This mailing list is crucial for last-minute communications and announcements.

Reading / Discussion Assignment (due 1/21)

1. DEWS, Chapters 3, 4, and 5
2. BC, Chapter 2
3. Review BC, Chapters 3 and 4

Writing Assignment (due 1/21)

1. Exercise 1 (DEWS, p. 32)

Week 3: January 21 and 23, 2003

In-class Lecture / Discussion / Activities

• Determining Users: the importance of reader-friendly documents in professional communication
• Exercise 2 (DEWS, p. 59) in class

Reading / Discussion Assignment (due 1/28)

1. BC, Appendices A and C
2. Find other information on-line about HTML and forward any good links to the class mailing list
3. Look up information on-line or in the Castro book about CSS

Week 4: January 28 and 30, 2003

In-class Lecture / Discussion / Activities

• HTML Workshop

Reading / Discussion Assignment (due 2/4)

1. Business Communication (BC), chapters 5 and 6
2. Review BC Appendix A: Reference Guide to Document Formats

Writing Assignment (due 2/4)

1. Activity 5.6 (BC, p. 125)
2. Exercise 2 (DEWS, p. 40)
3. Activity 6.10 (BC, p. 155)
4. Exercise “Message Openers” (BC, pp. 120-21) (bring to class)
5. Exercise “Direct Openings” (BC, pp. 150-51) (bring to class)

Week 5: February 4 and 6, 2003

In-class Lecture / Discussion / Activities

• Email, Letters, and Memorandums
• Review Exercise “Message Openers” (BC, pp. 120-21)
• Review Exercise “Direct Openings” (BC, pp. 150-51)

Reading / Discussion Assignment (due 2/11)

1. BC, Chapters 13 and 3
2. Review chapter 14

Writing Assignment (due 2/11)

1. Evaluating Your Qualifications (BC p. 381, Activity 13.2)
2. Résumé (BC p. 383, Activity 13.8)
3. Job Application Letter (BC p. 383, Activity 13.9)

Recommended Writing Assignment

1. Preparing Success Stories (BC, p. 406-7, Activity 14.3)

Week 6: February 11 and 13, 2003

In-class Lecture / Discussion / Activities

• Résumé and cover letter workshop. Bring several printed copies of both documents to class with you.
• Sign-up for conference

Writing Assignment

1. For your conference you will submit a memo that examines your progress so far in this course, using the self evaluation form as an example of the types of questions you should consider in your memo — do not fill out the form itself. Also consider what you have been doing to improve your writing and what I might do to help you further.

Week 7: February 18 and 20, 2003

(Almost) Midterm Check — no class this week

There will be no official class meetings this week. Please show up for your scheduled time on either Tuesday or Thursday. Missing your appointment will cost you points and two missed classes.

Reading / Discussion Assignment (due 2/25)

1. BC, Chapter 7

Writing Assignment (due 2/25)

1. Request Refusal (BC, pp. 185-88, complete any two of the following activities: 7.8, 7.10, 7.11, or 7.14)
2. Refusal Letter: Day Care Explusion

NOTE: Bring your assignment 2 printed to workshop next week.

Week 8: February 25 and 27, 2003

In-class Lecture / Discussion / Activities

• Communicating Bad News — Direct or Indirect, that is the question!

Reading / Discussion Assignment (due 3/11)

1. DEWS, Chapters 6, 7, and 8

Writing Assignment (due 3/11)

1. Exercise 3 (DEWS, pp. 84-5) — answer in memo form
2. Exercise 2 (DEWS, p. 100) — answer in an email
3. Exercise 3 (DEWS, p. 110) — bring to class next time

WARNING: You should be considering how to apply the elements of these chapters to your portfolio. From this point on, you should be working on your HTML project. Putting it off until the last minute will result in a poor grade. Trust me on this: begin work now if you have not already.

Spring Break: March 3

Week 9: March 11 and 13, 2003

In-class Lecture / Discussion / Activities

• Designing effective web sites with C.R.A.P.
• Cascading Style Sheets
• Review Exercise 3 (DEWS, p. 110)

Reading / Discussion Assignment (due 3/18)

1. BC, Chapter 8
2. Review chapter 9

Writing Assignment (due 3/18)

1. Revise your cover letter and résumé and bring them both printed to class
2. See activity 8.5 (BC, p. 212). Use these questions and apply them to a web site that has influenced your own web site. What strategies do they use to “sell” their site to their audience? How will you sell your web site? In an email, outline aspects of their web site that you feel are effective and discuss how you plan to incorporate similar characteristics in your own site.

Week 10: March 18 and 20, 2003

In class Assignment (Tuesday)

• Résumé and cover letter workshop. You will workshop one (1) of your classmate’s résumé and cover letter. Read each document carefully, considering the questions for both résumés and letters. You may write comments on the original documents, but you will also write a memo that evaluates both the strengths and the weaknesses of each document (CC me as well on the memo); use the methods of persuasion discussed by Guffey in BC chapter 8. Finally, discuss your evaluations with the respective owners of the documents. Please be considerate and detailed in your persuasive critiques.

Workshop (Thursday)

• HTML and CSS. Advanced training. Bring problems and questions with you to class. This workshop is for you, so make the best of it.

Reading / Discussion Assignment

1. BC, Chapter 10
2. Review BC, Chapter 11

Writing Assignment (due 10/25)

1. Information Report: Describing Your Job (BC, p. 266, Activity 10.2)
2. Write a progress report in letter format about your Web portfolio — bring with you to class next time

Week 11: March 25 and 27, 2003

In-class Lecture / Discussion / Activities

• Formal and Informal Reports — Professional Researching and Reporting
• Review progress reports about Web Portfolio

Reading / Discussion Assignment

1. BC, Chapter 12

Writing Assignment

1. Internet Tips (BC, p. 340, Activity 12.6) — bring to class for discussion
2. Researching an Organization (BC, p. 406, Activity 14.1)

Week 12: April 1 and 3, 2003

In-class Lecture / Discussion / Activities

• Oral Reports
• Internet Tips

Reading / Discussion Assignment

1. Catch up

Writing Assignment

1. Work on your oral presentations and web portfolios

Week 13: April 8 and 10, 2003

In-class Lecture / Discussion / Activities

• Classroom review of projects. Bring what you have completed on your HTML portfolio for peer review and initial evaluation. Also bring further questions on this project to workshop and questions you might have on your presentation.
• Begin Oral Presentations

Week 14: April 15 and 17, 2003

No class this week. Dr. Lucas at a conference. Work on your portfolios and presentations.

Week 15: April 22 and 24, 2003

Oral Presentations

Week 16: April 28, 2003

Web Portfolios Due
Final Exam, if applicable