English 205 Syllabus – Spring 2018

Course Overview

In Business Writing, you will learn to write and discuss workplace documents including emails, memos, letters, resumes, cover letters, proposals, etc. while analyzing effective choices for the purpose, audience, and context. In this section, you will write and revise documents for your own small business, including a business plan, advertisements, job documents, and pitch proposal. Along the way, we’ll consider ethical implications, how to define professionalism, and the ways in which our communication choices affect others in school, the workplace, and in civic life.

Course Objectives

·  Analyze a variety of business contexts to identify audience and purpose

·  Produce documents, such as memos, letters, and reports, that fulfill the goals of different business contexts

·  Use language that has appropriate form, tone, style, and mechanical accuracy

·  Deliver content and organization of positive, neutral, and negative messages

·  Employ writing as a process in research, drafting, testing, editing, and revising

·  Develop and demonstrate skills related to business communication including teamwork, collaboration, listening, non-verbal communication, and intercultural communication

Required Texts & Technology

·  Writing That Works, 11th or 12th ed., by Alred, Oliu, & Brusaw. ISBN 978-1457611131

·  GoReact Software: https://get.goreact.com/ $19.99 for the semester

·  Microsoft Word: free here https://uwm.edu/o365/student-advantage/

·  Optional: The Business Writer's Handbook. 11th ed., by Alred, Oliu, & Brusaw

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Our Assignments

During the semester, we will have six major assignments:

Complaint Message & Memo - 10%

In this assignment, you will write a letter (or email) of complaint about a product, service, or situation that has displeased or disappointed you. Your goal is to write a detailed, specific letter or email that could realistically receive a satisfactory response from the business/organization. Along with your Complaint Message, you will write a 300-400 word memo that outlines how and why you made specific writing choices in your complaint message.

Job Packet - 20%

This assignment will require you to create a resume, cover letter, and analysis memo that will help you apply for employment in your chosen field after you graduate. You will select a job ad for an internship or job that you could apply to now or after graduation; we’ll talk about how to tailor and design your resume and cover letter to showcase your personal brand and increase your chances of getting hired.

Business Plan - 10%

During the second half of the semester, you’ll create documents for your own small business or side hustle. The Business Plan outlines your business idea, your target demographic, and how your business stands out from your competition.

Advertisement & Presentation - 20%

For this assignment, you will write an advertisement for the business that you described in your small business plan earlier in the semester. You will learn to tailor your advertisement to your audience by thinking carefully about who your customers will be and how to use writing and design strategies to attract customers to your ad. and convey the action that they should take to purchase your product or service.

Pitch Proposal & Packet - 20%

In this final assignment, you will use components of your job packet, business plan, and advertisement to create a pitch presentation that you will present to “investors” to persuade them to finance your small business idea in a “Toothless Shark Tank.” Along with your pitch presentation, you will also submit a packet containing a letter of transmittal, your revised resume, revised small business plan, and revised sample advertisement.

Evaluation Letter - 5%

In your evaluation letter, you will discuss how you grew as a professional communicator as you were taking this class, by evaluating your contributions to the class environment and demonstrating changes in your writing and work habits. This assignment ties directly to the types of workplace writing that you’ll be asked to do when completing internships and preparing for a new job or promotion.

Participation and Professionalism - 15%

Throughout the course, you will engage with each other’s work and the assigned reading substantively. Our class will be structured around class discussions, group activities, and exercises on D2L; demonstrating professional workplace communication practices will help you get the most out of this course.

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