Course
Objectives: In
today’s workplace, writers often serve as the mouthpiece for a company or
organization. Therefore, business and technical
writers must possess excellent critical and analytical skills. Good business writers have the necessary
critical judgment and technical ability to meet the requirements of any writing
requirement, however new or unfamiliar.
In the world of business, with its specific requirements, capable
writers must also be familiar with the established formats of professional
documents. They need to be able to
analyze arguments, charts, data, and other information. They must be able to perform traditional and
nontraditional research, engage in constant peer collaboration and group
writing, and they must be familiar with the specifics of professional style and
etiquette.
The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the
elements of business writing and to provide them with the skills necessary for
success. Toward that end, students
will:
§
become
familiar with writing and its processes
§
learn to
evaluate their own writings and those of others
§
learn the
formal requirements for various professional documents
§
learn the
intricacies of voice, style, and rhetorical strategies
§
learn to
evaluate their own writings and those of others
§
learn to
revise and proofread their own professional writings and those of others
§
produce
professional-quality documents as per specified guidelines
§
learn to
employ professional ethics in business writing and research
§
learn to
incorporate research in to formal business documents such as a proposal and
report
§
collaborate
with other writers in situations that mirror the business environment
§
prepare
and deliver an oral presentation on a specified topic
Students will be held to the same standard as any
business pr technical writer. That is,
they will be fully responsible for delivering required assignments that are
well executed and on time, for communicating with the instructor with any
questions or concerns, and for interacting with one another in a way that is
productive and collegial.
Course
Format: This course
will consist of lecture presentations and workshops. While much of the emphasis
will be on acquiring new information concerning the formal details of business
writing, the course will also emphasize discussion and hands-on experience. In workshop style, students will apply what
they learn in class by producing assignments and sharing them with their peers
for feedback, in small groups. They will interact with one another in editing,
critiquing, and proofreading one another’s work, in a manner that is true to
professional situations.
In addition to workshops, collaboration,
lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on time at the computer lab, class will
also feature various speakers on the topics covered in class. They will include representatives from a
cross section of the professions who will talk about writing in their
workplaces. Another guest will be a
career specialist who will speak on successful resumes.
Assignments: There will be 4 formal assignments, in addition
to 20 less formal ones.
1.
Through
the formal assignments, students will demonstrate their understanding and
mastery of specific writing formats.
These formats will entail:
§
A proposal
incorporating research
§
A formal
research report
§
Analysis
§
Internal
Communications: memos, emails, etc
§
External
Communications: letters, brochures, WebPages, etc
§ Resume and cover letter
§
An oral
presentation using visuals and PowerPoint
§
Collaborative
Writing
One of these assignments will entail group
writing to further familiarize students with the writing practices common to
professional life. Additional details
on all these assignments will be issued separately.
2.
Shorter,
informal assignments may include:
§ Executive Summary
§ Abstract
§ Description of a Process
§ Critical reading and analysis of business and other
documents
§ Traditional and Electronic Research methods
§ Collecting Information and Research
§ Readers, Writers and Ethical Communication
§ Organizing Information, Outlining, Table of
Contents
§ Front and End Matter
§ Evaluating Sources
§ Using and Citing Sources (MLA style)
§ Forms of Business Correspondence (letters, memos,
etc)
§ Audience and Style
§ Charts, Graphs, Illustrations and other visuals
§ Editing and Revision
§ Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling
3.
In the
final quarter of the semester, students will produce as their term paper
a Formal Report (approximately 8-12 pages).
This project will be the culmination of the semester’s work and will
utilize skills developed during the term.
For this project students will:
§ Create a proposal topic
§ Formulate questions for research
§ Conduct research that utilizes a diversity of
resources
§ Organize, design, and format the document
appropriately
§ Use correct documentation style
§ Create tables, charts or graphs and other visuals
§ Provide front and end matter