Course Documents
Note: These files are the basic documents for this course, but any information on this website supercedes the information contained in these files. When in doubt, refer to this site to find the most current information.
Weekly outline
19 August - 25 August
- Tuesday, August 22 (3379 Food Science)Topic: Introduction to the course; review syllabus and policy document.
- Thursday, August 24 (37 Ross Hall)
Topic: The writing process; making presentations; discuss diagnostic memo. Read: Keenan; Adelstein; Elbow. Assignment: Complete diagnostic memo, due by Monday night at midnight.
26 August - 1 September
- Tuesday, August 29 (3379 Food Science)
Topic: The writing process; revision; discuss individual presentation assignment sheet. Read: Flower & Ackerman; Harris; Lindsell-Roberts. Assignment: Please bring to class a paper you have written for another course in the past. The paper can be on any subject and it can be an example of your best or your worst work. The only requirement is that you are willing to let your classmates see it.
- Thursday, August 31 (37 Ross Hall)
Topic: Problems with language; discuss correspondence unit. Read: Chase, Zinsser. Individual Presentation: Cathy Hollestelle. Assignment: Complete the First Paragraph Revision Exercise (click on the link below) before class on Thursday.
2 September - 8 September
- Tuesday, September 5 (3379 Food Science)
Topic: Problems with language; discuss correspondence unit. Read: Lutz; Siegel; Univ. of Wisconisn; and chapter 6 of the SEC Handbook (linked in PDF format below). Individual Presentation: Ryan Allan. Assignment: Bring a list of ten terms from your workplace or academic experience that qualify as "jargon." You should list the terms and give the definitions. You will turn this assignment in, but it can be handwritten or typed.
Thursday, September 7 (37 Ross Hall)
Topic: Business correspondence; email etiquette. Read: Lewis; Royal Bank of Canada; Glatthorn; Mintz. Individual Presentations: Jessica Quade and Alexa Knier. Assignment: Correspondence scenarios due. Submit them to the website using the link below.
9 September - 15 September
- Tuesday, September 12 (3379 Food Science)
Topic: Continued discussion of email vs. print correspondence; other forms of electronic communication; correspondence unit. Read: Schulz; Business Writer's Companion chapter 6 (although you don't need to bring the BWC to class); and the two articles linked below. Individual Presentation: Matt Marine. Assignment: Bring paper copies of the drafts of your positive and negative letters. The letters don't need to be complete at this point; just bring what you've written so far.
Thursday, September 14 (37 Ross Hall)
Topic: Analyzing websites; correspondence unit workshop. Read: Read the Washington Post article and the information on Cornell University's website, both linked below. Individual Presentation: Drew Templeton. Assignment: Before class, upload a copy of your negative letter (in draft form) to the website using the "Negative Letter Revision Workshop" link below. Reminder: Your correspondence unit is due by Monday night (the 18th) at midnight; upload your assignment to the website by clicking on the "Correspondence Unit" link under Week 3.
16 September - 22 September
- Tuesday, September 19 (3379 Food Science)
Topic: Writing reports; discuss website analysis assignment. Read: Dodge; Vinci; Business Writer's Companion chapter 3 (although you don't need to bring the BWC to class). Individual Presentation: Juli Dirks. Assignment: Bring printed and signed copies of your positive and negative letters from the correspondence unit, along with stamped and addressed envelopes. I will mail the letters after I have graded them.
Thursday, September 21 (37 Ross Hall)
Topic: International considerations in business communication; group workshop for website analysis assignment. Read: Ewing; Kolin; Business Writer's Companion chapter 4 (although you don't need to bring the BWC to class). Individual Presentations: Kaci Sloss and Zach Mangrich.
23 September - 29 September
- Tuesday, September 26 (3379 Food Science)
Topic: Ethical considerations. Read: Winsor; Huff; Jones. Individual Presentations: Brian England and Jennifer Smith. Assignment: One member from each team needs to email me by Monday night with the company name, company website, and country name for your website analysis and recommendation report assignment.
Thursday, September 28 (37 Ross Hall)
Topic: Ethics case study workshop; team meetings on website analysis report. Update: Teams will have almost the entire class period to work on their website analysis reports. Each team will meet with Quinn for ten minutes to discuss its progress.
30 September - 6 October
- Tuesday, October 3 (3379 Food Science)
Topic: We will discuss group presentations and conduct a group revision workshop. Assignment: Each team should bring the most current draft of its report (on paper, not electronically) to class. Ideally, each member of the group would have a copy of the report.
Thursday, October 5 (37 Ross Hall)
Topic: Team presentations in the computer lab. Each team will present for ten minutes; the order of presentation will be determined in advance by drawing straws on Tuesday. Presentations can focus on the report itself or on the process your team used to write the report. Because the team reports will occupy almost all of class, there will be no quiz today. Assignment: By Friday Monday night at midnight, each member of your team should upload your completed report, using the link under Week 5.
7 October - 13 October
- Tuesday, October 10 (3379 Food Science)
Topic: Discuss case study response assignment; conduct midterm review session. Read: Please print out and read the 2005 and 2006 case studies, linked below. Bring the case studies with you to class. Individual Presenations: Amanda Wolf and Marcus Richard. Assignment: All members of your group should have uploaded their completed website analysis and recommendation reports by midnight on Monday night.
Thursday, October 12 (37 Ross Hall)
Topic: Midterm exam. Assignment: Prepare for the midterm exam.
14 October - 20 October
- Tuesday, October 17 (3379 Food Science)
Topic: Discuss the Brookhaven Lab case and begin drafting your case study response assignment. Assignment: Reread the case study response assignment, then visit the Brookhaven National Lab website and perform news searches (using Google News, Lexis-Nexis, or other database tools available on the Parks Library website) to find an answer to the following question: "What went wrong at Brookhaven Lab?" Print out at least one additional resource (beyond the case itself) and bring it to class. We will analyze the Brookhaven Lab case in detail and discuss its implications for your response to the case study assignment.
Thursday, October 19 (37 Ross Hall)
Topic: Document design workshop and continued work on your case study response assignment. Assignment: Bring a draft (in electronic format) of your "communication plan" for the case study response assignment. (You do not need to have a draft of your memo to me completed by Thursday.) It is important that you have an electronic version of your document, since we will spend most of the class period working in the computer lab.
21 October - 27 October
- Tuesday, October 24 (3379 Food Science)
Topic: Visual rhetoric and document design. Read: Chapter 5 of the Business Writer's Companion; "Designing Proposals," linked below in PDF format. Individual Presentations: Loran Weiler and Heidi Hultquist.
Thursday, October 26 (Optional Lab Day)
Topic: We will not hold a formal class today, but the lab is reserved for you to come in and work, if it would be a productive use of your time. You may complete the Case Study Revision Checklist during class on Thursday or during another time that works better for you. Assignment: Download the Case Study Revision Checklist (linked below in PDF format) and follow the instructions contained inside the file. Remember that your completed case study assignment is due before midnight on Friday, October 27.
28 October - 3 November
- Tuesday, October 31 (3379 Food Science)
Topic: Discuss visual promotional mailer. Assignment: Bring an example of a visual promotional mailer to class.
Thursday, November 2 (37 Ross Hall)
Topic: Graphic design workshop. Individual Presentation: Katie Burkhardt. Assignment: Each group should come to class with a specific idea in mind for the visual promotional mailer assignment.
4 November - 10 November
- Tuesday, November 7 (3379 Food Science)
Topic: Visual representations of data. Read: Browse through this website on infographics before you come to class. - Thursday, November 9 (37 Ross Hall)
Topic: Informal presentation of visual promotional mailer prototypes, followed by continued group work on the project. Assignment: Each team should bring a "prototype" of their mailer to share with your classmates.
11 November - 17 November
- Tuesday, November 14 (3379 Food Science)
Topic: Discuss final project (job application portfolio); begin work on branding exercise. Read: Three PDF files on branding (linked below). Individual Presentations: Michael Brechler and Bruce Boehm. Assignment: Each team needs to submit one printed copy of your visual promotional mailer assignment. (The PDF version of your assignment should be uploaded to the website by Monday night.)
Thursday, November 16 (37 Ross Hall)
Topic: Individual branding and visual identity. Read: Business Writer's Companion, chapter 7. Assignment: Bring your completed branding exercise to class.
18 November - 24 November
- Thanksgiving Break — NO CLASSES
25 November - 1 December
- Tuesday, November 28 (3379 Food Science)
Topic: Cover letters. Read: Munschauer; Graber; review BWC chapter 7. Individual Presentation: Dan Greenfield. Assignment: Bring the Business Writer's Companion to class. Find and print out two job listings and bring them to class; these can come from a newspaper, the web, etc.
Thursday, November 30 (37 Ross Hall)
Topic: Resume writing and design workshop. Read: Beatty; Nadler. Individual Presentations: Kelly Howard and Carrie Mortvedt. Assignment: Make sure you have an electronic copy of your current resume available to work on in the lab.
2 December - 8 December
- Tuesday, December 5 (3379 Food Science)
Topic: Portfolio selection and arrangement; mock job interviews. Individual Presentations: Emily Cummins and Ryan Zies. Assignment: Review the electronic portfolios linked under Week 13 and come prepared for discussion; complete the initial selection of your portfolio items.
Thursday, December 7 (37 Ross Hall)
Topic: Portfolio workshop. Assignment: Bring drafts of all portfolio items (in either paper or electronic format) to the lab.
9 December - 15 December
Friday, December 15 (431 Ross Hall)
Final exam, 9:45–11:45 a.m. Your final job application portfolio is due any time during the exam period. You may submit your portfolio earlier in the week, but I cannot accept late portfolios, due to the university's grading deadlines. Bring your portfolio to my office, 431 Ross Hall. (If you submit your portfolio early and I'm not in my office, you may put it in my mailbox in 206 Ross Hall.) Some of your portfolio materials may be submitted in electronic form, depending upon the assignment details you negotiated with me.