English 205:Winterim 2015

English 205Business Writing,Hybrid Winteirm 2015

Instructor

/ Dr. Nancy Nygaard
Office: Curtin 506
Office hours: Please e-mail for an appointment
Virtual Office Hours: Monday and Thursday, 8-10am
Office Phone: 229-5910
E-mail:
Required Materials and readings /
  • Business Communication: Process and Productby Mary Ellen Guffey 8th edition.(Please note, the international edition is fine, but no earlier editions, please)
  • The Business Writer’s Handbook. Any edition. This text is optional, but highly recommended. A copy will be held on library reserve under my name in the Golda Meir Library.
Unless otherwise indicated, readings refer to the Guffey text.

Course Objectives

/ This class will examine how to write most effectively to business and organizational audiences. Our goals are many in these short weeks, and this preparation will help you for many years. We will strive
  • to understand the purposes, audiences, processes, and formats of workplace communication.
  • to analyze effective and ineffective workplace communication, written, oral, and visual.
  • to produce and practice workplace communication appropriate for various audiences using visual and verbal elements.
  • to participate fully in all activities and discussions.
  • to use language that is both grammatically and mechanically correct.
  • to model effective professional online communication.
  • to become familiar with current issues in corporate and organizational communication.

Homework and
E-mail / This class is writing intensive; we will write almost every session. Our goal is to create polished, professional, correctly formatted, clearly written documents. For this reason, homework is half of your final grade. You’ll receive a calendar with that month’s assignments and readings. Additional exercises and readings may be assigned on the daily updates.

When is my homework due, and what format should it be in?

A D2L drop box will be set up for your homework. Please name your files according to the guidelines for file-naming standards. Use Word or an acceptable Word equivalent.

Can I e-mail you my homework?

Please use the dropbox unless we’ve agreed you can e-mail an assignment.

How do errors affect my grade?

The business community won’t put up with incorrect spelling or bad grammar. To help you become more meticulous editors and proofreaders, we’ll focus on quality documents. As a first step, use spell check, but remember that it won’t catch all incorrect spelling. Points are deducted for spelling errors. Three spelling errors signals that you didn’t take adequate time or adequate care with your document, and the document receives a zero.

What else is important in my writing?

We’ll focus on all the things that go into good writing including grammar, punctuation, tone, style, content, format, sentence and paragraph construction.
All of these are factored into your grade. Keep electronic copies of all the work you produce for this class. Don’t delete any of your files just because you’ve turned in the assignment; you may need to revise and re-submit them

How will you contact me?

Please make sure you have a UWM e-mail account. A class e-mail list has been set up using your UWM e-mail address. Please check your e-mail regularly. If you use another account more often, please have your UWM e-mail forwarded to that account. See me if you need help getting set up.
If you need to contact me, e-mail me using the guidelines outlined on the “Classroom Policies and Procedures” reference on D2L.
Quizzes and Exams / To encourage you to keep current with your reading, quizzes will be given every few days. They will cover the reading due for the week and assigned grammar topics.
What if I can’t take a quiz as scheduled?
Quizzes may be taken ahead of time, if you contact me early.
Neither quizzes nor exams can be taken late. To boost your average, your lowest quiz grade will be dropped.
Grading / Your grade in the course will be based primarily on your writing assignments. They’re graded on content, organization, tone, and correctness for the context in which you are writing. Your participation in discussions, activities, and workshops is also important because it will help prepare you for your next writing assignment.
Grade Weightings / in %
Homework / 50%
Quizzes / 10%
Formal Report or Proposal / 25%
Professionalism and Participation / 15%
Total / 100%
ACADEMIC HONESTY
AND
RELIGIOUS
OBSERVANCE
ACCOMMODATION / The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee has a responsibility to promote academic honesty and integrity. Academic misconduct is carefully monitored in this course. Cheating on examinations, quizzes, or homework activities, turning in assignments or other material which are not your own, or using someone else's print and/or non-print material without proper citation, improper collaboration on homework, papers, etc., all constitute academic misconduct. Such behaviors may result in the immediate failure of the course in which the misconduct occurs. Academic misconduct will be reported to the Investigating Officer of the College of Letters and Science and additional sanctions may be recommended. If you’re not sure about what’s permissible, please ask!
You may be allowed to complete examinations or other course requirements at an alternative date and time if your participation in a religious observation prevents you from completing the assignment on the scheduled date. You are responsible for contacting me during the first two weeks of the semester regarding the need to reschedule the assignment dates.
For other important enrollment information, including information on grade appeals, military duty absences, religious observance, discriminatory conduct, incompletes, and disabilities see: