Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
WRTG 3040, 1
Writing On/In Business & Society: Genres & Rhetorics of/on/for “The Job” Spring Online, CE/PWR Jan. 20, 2015 – May 1, 2015
Daniel Singer, MEd, PhD-‐ABD [email protected]
SKYPE OFFICE HOURS , W(daniel.singer88) 8-‐9 A.M. & BY APPT.
PHYSCIAL OFFICE HOURS, MW (ENVD, 1-‐B30-‐D) 12-‐2 P.M. & BY APPT.
WELCOME TO CLASS!
Some opening questions: why do we still believe that a college degree should land us a good job when the research does not necessarily bear this out? Why do some people seem to be so much more successful on the job market (and even afterward) than others with similar credentials and backgrounds? There are real and actionable answers to these questions, and we can use practical study of business writing, rhetoric, and genre to get at them, to know what to do. In the context of what some scholars are now (frighteningly) calling the “Post-‐Opportunity-‐Bargain” employment economy, we will learn how to a) practicably navigate the almost dizzying rhetoric of “success” in modern business and b) how to effectively compose texts in a range of traditional and emergent genres for business and professional audiences (resumes, emails, memos, websites, blogs, digital videos, and others) designed specifically to address the specialized rhetorical and ethical needs of the “successful” 21st century job-‐seeker and job-‐haver.
Here’s a little bit about WHAT we do in this course: Through selected reading/analyzing and writing/composing experiences, we will develop and extend our skills in critical thinking, our knowledge of rhetoric and rhetorical contexts, writing processes and genres in various business and professional situations, generally focusing on Rhetorics and Genres of, on, or for “The Job.” In general, we will focus on developing our capacity to transfer these skill sets and knowledges from one situation, effectively, to new situations. Sections of WRTG 3040, generally, will focus on critical thinking, analytical writing, and oral presentation. As the course is typically taught as a writing workshop, we will emphasize both effective communication with professional and non-‐technical audiences through a variety of genres, as well as effective use of various writing processes as we develop our critical thinking, analytical writing, and oral presentation abilities. Additionally, WRTG 3040 tends to stress the role of
WRTG 3040, 2 genre in participating in professional discourse communities, framing public policy, and engaging in related communities. As such, our assignments and lessons are specifically designed to help you gain facility in forms of rhetorical analysis that lead to genre-awareness as the basis for textual production. The purpose is to introduce you explicitly to genre-‐based approaches to writing and speaking that you can apply to acquiring new genres you encounter in upper division courses in you major, as well as in the workplace and elsewhere in your civic and professional lives. Specifically, we take what’s called a “socio-rhetorical approach” to genre-building and genre-use that is informed by the social roles of texts in business and professional environments, and we focus on the constitutive role of language in these and related discourse communities for shaping ways of knowing and various means of analysis and persuasion. (Don’t worry if you don’t know some of these terms! You will soon!)
To ACCOMPLISH this we will: • Experiment with a variety of “Professional Writing” genres (ones that will
help you do things like get and do well in interviews, jobs, and other professional contexts, like memos, emails, cover letters and resumes, job postings, Facebook/LinkdIn/Google+ profiles, and digital presentations, among others),
• Examine and write about ethical and social issues surrounding Genres and
Rhetorics of/on/for The Job in the context of business decision-making processes for a variety of audiences (issues like persuasion and manipulation, creativity and innovation, collaboration and individual ownership, gender and sexuality, sustainability and the concept of time, artificial intelligence and the function of ‘profit’ and "achievement" in a post-‐human/cyborg society, among others),
• And, along the way, develop a range of knowledge and skills in rhetoric and
writing (like how making use of persuasive appeals [think, ‘logos, pathos, and ethos’] can be used to your advantage in a whole range of business/professional contexts, how to use different inventionary topoi to help you figure out how to develop and organize really effective arguments in everything from an email to a professor to an advertisement for a product, how to understand all the moving parts of any new rhetorical situation you come into as a business or professional writer so that you are best able to succeed—whether you’re in that situation as a writer, a reader, or even as a text yourself).
************************************************************************************ So, to clarify, this is not, strictly speaking, a course in Business—we are studying Writing and Rhetoric in the context of business (business issues, discourse
WRTG 3040, 3 communities in or related to the business world and society, and communications in business and professional environments). I'm looking forward to what I expect to be a thoroughly wonderful course with you all learning about:
• Writing and rhetoric in business and professional environments;
• Writing ethically and persuasively on issues in business and society for specialist and non-technical audiences; and about
• Being something called a "good business writer" and doing a whole range
of things that get called "good business writing!"
Required Texts & Tech(s) All required texts in this course are freely available through this D2L site or elsewhere online—so, you do not need to purchase any books for this course. The majority of our texts will come from Open Educational Resources, others will come from PDFs that I will provide, and the rest will come materials I have specifically composed for you as course texts or from work produced by your colleagues and past students. Though there are no required texts, there are two texts I recommend, both of which can be purchased very cheaply online (one of which can be downloaded for about $10) and both of which can be viewed, in part, for free through Google Books:
o Business and Professional Communication in a Digital Age, by Jennifer Waldeck, Patricia Kearney, and Tim Plax (Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013). A digital version of this text is available through Google Books-‐-‐it's a preview, which means you don't have full access to the entire book but you do have access to quite a lot of it for free. I'm not a big textbook-‐fan and don’t usually require them—but, if you want a pretty good textbook-kind of text for business writing students, this is a relatively good one. You'll be able to USE this book loooooong after you finish this course.
o The Global Auction: The Broken Promises of Education, Jobs, and Incomes, by
Phillip Brown, Hugh Lauder, and David Ashton (Oxford: Oxford UP, 2010). A digital version of this text is available through Google Books-‐-‐it's a preview, which means you don't have full access to the entire book but you do have access to quite a lot of it for free, but you can download the full text for $10, and used paperback edition should run you no more than $12-‐$15. This text informs the TOPICAL approach we're taking to Business Writing and Rhetoric this term, and also serves as an EXCELLENT model of "Writing ABOUT Business in Society"-‐-‐and you may appreciate having it as a model
WRTG 3040, 4 for our one, larger research project (although, obviously, what you'll produce for that project will be much, much shorter—this is just one class, after all—not your dissertation).
As we work through each segment of our work together, you can SELECT from these recommended readings/resources and from those provided on D2L to help you figure out how to DO things—but we don’t need to all read the same things each time for our work together to be rich, focused, and informed. In fact, I suggest that our discussions will incorporate a WIDER range of topics, ideas, and materials by knowing we’ve read some things our colleagues have not, and vice versa—but that we’re all making selections about what to read to help us prepare for workshops, discussions, and assignments. We will also make use of some basic social media technology, including but not limited to:
• Gmail and Google Plus • Google Hangouts and YouTube • Facebook and LinkdIn
You will need to set up a personal Google Plus profile (if you’ve not done so already) so that you have a Gmail account that is separate from your CU email service (among other reasons).
***Attention luddites and technophobes! We will do a little tech-setup together when necessary to get you started—so, not to worry! You do NOT need to be particularly tech-savvy to do well in this course, but you will almost certainly be more tech-‐savvy by the end of the class.
Assignments
Over the course of the semester, we will learn about and produce work in a range of genres for a variety of different audiences and purposes. AND, we will deliberately attempt to transfer the information, skills, and experiences we gain in studying one set of genres in one rhetorical situation to a new genre in a new rhetorical situation. These assignments are highly “scaffolded”—which means we’ll do smaller assignments/experiments to learn a particular skill or concept that you can use to do well on a larger assignment to follow. Then, we’ll take what you learned in that larger assignment and use it to help you succeed in your next assignment.
EXAMPLES:
1) In various aspects of our larger projects, we will utilize what’s called “Multi-‐Modal” composition and/or rhetoric (don’t worry—you’ll know just
WRTG 3040, 5 what that term means in a couple weeks!) to help us achieve our persuasive goals in various genres and situations.
So, in our orientation unit, we’ll do a small experiment in “Nonverbal Composition” where you’ll learn how to COMPOSE yourself and your immediate surroundings to COMMUNICATE a specific message to an audience without actually speaking. Then, we’ll USE what you learn in that experiment in Nonverbal Composition to INFORM what you think about and attempt to accomplish through the VISUAL RHETORIC of a Resume in a larger project: The Job Application Packet (see above). Then, we’ll COMBINE what you learned about NONVERBAL COMPOSITION and VISUAL RHETORIC to help you figure out how to produce ethical and persuasive digital media products in our next larger project, The Digital Communications Packet (see above).
2) In our third unit, we’ll begin working on our Digital Communications Packet, which will include a study of genres like Email. So, when we begin that unit, we’ll start off by composing a Mass Email designed to address a fictional mistake we’ve made at our company in which we’ve accidently sent a personal message to everyone in the company with a disparaging remark about something the company is doing, though we’d only intended it for a buddy in another department (!!!). The goal will be to help ‘manage the fallout’ and mend our reputation, but we’ll need to make some careful decisions about what other genres we choose to incorporate into our strategy beyond this apology-‐email to achieve our goal.
Then, we’ll USE that experiment to help us understand more about the complexities of using Email in a multi-‐document, multi-‐modal strategy for getting a potential employer to bring us in for an interview/hire us for a job we want.
3) Likewise, each of our genre-analyses will help us understand how to read/analyze and write/compose texts IN the genres we’re studying.
LARGER ASSIGNMENTS. We will produce a small set of fairly simple pieces for our Orientation Packet, a bit more complex set of pieces for a Job Application Packet, a fairly sophisticated set of pieces for a Digital Communications Packet, and a cumulative Independent Research Project. In general, we will proceed together along the following schedule (which is tentative and subject to change based on our actual needs as we work):
WRTG 3040, 6 1. Orientation Packet (Unit 1—Two Weeks): Notes on Readings and Videos,
Early Research Project Topic and Genre Development, Orientation Completion Memo (5-8 pages or equivalent, in total)
2. Job Application Packet (Unit 2—Two Weeks): Genre Analysis of Job
Postings, Cover Letters, and Resumes; Cover Letter and Resume Draft, Workshop I, Final Draft of Job Application Packet and Analysis of Growth and Transfer-‐Ability (10-15 pages or equivalent, in total)
3. Digital Communications Packet, (Unit 3—Eight Weeks) 2 Email
Experiments, Genre Analysis of Emails and Personal-‐Professional Websites, Email and Website Drafts, Workshops, Optional Genre Analysis of FB/LinkdIn/Google+ Profiles, FB/LinkdIn/Google+ Profile Draft(s), Workshop III, Genre Analysis of Professional Video Introductions/Video Resumes, PVI/VR Draft, Workshop IV, Finalized Digital Communications Packet and Analysis of Growth and Transfer-‐Ability (20-25 pages or equivalent, in total)
Additionally, we will each individually work throughout the semester on one extended Research Project (though we will also spend a few weeks at the end of term concentrating on this) in which we will:
a) research a topic of our own interest related to the societal implications of the rhetorics or genres of employment, employability, etc., b) make a highly persuasive argument for a targeted specialist or non-specialist audience in the business community through ONE of the following four genres: 1) An article for a print journal, 2) A website-‐based digital essay, 3) A series of blog posts on our personal-‐professional webpages, or 4) a digital video presentation to be presented on our personal-‐professional webpages and/or YouTube, and c) publish the final product as the final addition to our “Digital Communications Packet” online.
This project will be introduced during our Orientation Unit in the first weeks of class, and you will work independently on this project throughout the term, though we will have a few check-in assignments as we go so that you have solid support throughout before turning our full attention to it in the final weeks of class. You will submit two Research Project Status Update Memos so I can check your progress and so you have a couple of designated times to pull your materials together as you go:
o Research Project Status Update Memo I (Outline w/ Preliminary Research)—a bit after mid-‐term.
WRTG 3040, 7 o Research Project Status Update Memo II (Completion/Revision Plan)—in
the final few weeks. In total (Memos, Draft, Workshop, and Finalized Research Project with Analysis of Growth and Transfer-‐Ability) should account for 15-‐20 pages (or equivalent) and will complete the PWR requirement that all WRTG 3040 students produce at least 50 pages, which includes drafts receiving substantive feedback and media projects involving effort comparable to written pages. For a detailed schedule of assignments please refer to the CALENDAR link on the bottom right of the COURSE HOME page in D2L—this schedule is also reproduced in a single page at the end of this document.
Workshops This is a workshop course, which means we often (and thoroughly) work to develop useful, effective, and ethical workshop practices in our community of writers, readers, speakers, and listeners. By the end of the third week of class, I will assemble workshop groups based on your responses to the D2L survey regarding your workshop experience and availability. This workshop group is your direct line to:
a) GET HELP from other writers in class on any assignment or project, b) GET REVISION COMMENTARY on any major project before you submit a finalized version for grading and assessment, and c) DISCUSS AND GET FEEDBACK on your Research Project throughout the term
We will conduct several MAJOR WORKSHOPS over the course of the term, each of which may take one of TWO forms (entirely up to you):
• A recorded virtual meeting (a video of at least 30-45 minutes in length) about the documents each group member has submitted for workshopping—I recommend using Google Hangouts On Air for this. This virtual meeting should have a written agenda that lays out the purpose, schedule, and each individual’s responsibilities for the meeting, should follow the workshop assignment, and should include discussion of each person’s draft based on a) reading/research from appropriate sources and b) providing clear textual examples from the group’s drafts to show each other what you’re talking about when make comments in the meeting.
• A collaboratively written document (2-3 single-spaced pages in length)
about the documents each group member has submitted for workshopping—I recommend using Google Drive for this. This document may be written
WRTG 3040, 8 asynchronously (which just means you don’t all have to be there working on it at the same time) and should follow the workshop assignment posted on D2L. These should formal in tone, highly analytical, and in which all claims should be a) carefully contextualized with clear reading/research from appropriate sources and b) carefully proven using clear textual examples from each person’s draft. Please note: you can earn ONLY partial credit for a document-only workshop.
Workshops will be graded AS A GROUP—so, it’s to YOUR advantage to both BE a “good workshopper” and to help your colleagues ALSO be “good workshoppers.” Having individual group members NOT participate in a given workshop will NOT negatively impact the group’s grade; however, an individual who does not participate in a given workshop will not receive credit for the group’s work on that workshop assignment (we can’t bank on the group to carry us without actually participating, in other words). Being a ‘good workshopper’ requires “being the right person for The Job” or, if you will, being “up to The Job” at hand. That means our workshops will teach you to engage your own and others’ documents through a carefully developed knowledge based on data about the genre and the rhetorical situation in which you and your colleagues are working, as well a deliberate awareness of what assumptions you might be making therein. Choosing to be in workshop is an ethical decision. It means accepting personal and partial responsibility for the quality and success (or failure) of your colleagues’ work. So, that means we take our workshops seriously. We do not engage in the kinds of behaviors and attitudes we might adopt in a number of peer-‐review situations where we don’t really know enough to be able to contribute positively to the work and success of our colleagues. Thus, to PREPARE for our workshops, we will typically RESEARCH and ANALYZE both the genres and rhetorical situations in which we (and our colleagues) are working—and we will BRING that research directly into our workshop practice. Showing up for a workshop unprepared to take personal and partial responsibility for the quality and success (or failure) of your colleagues’ work is, put simply, irresponsible. We don’t do it—it means we can’t do The Job.
***Generally, you can complete your research for any workshop by reading selections from our two RECOMMENDED texts or from the readings and resources posted on D2L in the unit tabs to the left of the CONTENT screen. ***However, you are NOT limited to just those materials. Bringing in MORE sources beyond what we’ve already provided will be MUCH APPRECIATED—and will earn your group BONUS POINTS for any workshop in which you do so.
WRTG 3040, 9
Grading 15% Orientation Completion Memo & Scaffolding Assignments
15% Final Job Application Packet & Scaffolding Assignments
30% Final Digital Communications Packet & Scaffolding Assignments
20% Final Research Project & Scaffolding Assignments
20% Workshops (Graded as a Group and Evenly Weighted)
Generally, you can think of the “scaffolding assignments” in each unit as knowledge-‐and-‐skills practice (but “practice” in which you’ll actually develop materials you can use directly in the final submission of a larger project) and the final submission of a larger project as the “applied cumulative exam,” at the end of a unit. Smaller (scaffolding) assignments will typically earn completion grades or marks on 1-‐5 scale.
1 – Something was turned in, but it does not accomplish the learning goal for the assignment.
2 – The assignment was submitted but is not complete.
3 – The assignment was submitted and is complete.
4 – The assignment was submitted and exhibits greater-‐than-‐average depth/complexity of thought.
5 – The assignment was submitted and is extremely well done (thorough, sophisticated, knocked it outta the park).
Larger projects will typically be graded using a formal grading rubric, and all of the individual grading rubrics will be available in the "Grading Rubrics" TAB to left of the CONTENT screen in D2L so that you always know exactly how your work will be assessed long before submission. If you're EVER unsure of how your work is being graded, look at the rubrics first. STILL unsure, even AFTER YOU'VE LOOKED AT THE RUBRIC? Email me ASAP. Being unsure how something is being graded is just no fun—I get it—so, don't stress. Just read the rubric, carefully, and then email me immediately if you still have questions. If you are ever unsatisfied with your grade on any piece in the course, you may always a) workshop it again with one or two of your classmates, significantly revise it, and resubmit the piece for a second grade, and I will average the two scores. The only exceptions to this will be the final Digital Communications Packet with the
WRTG 3040, 10 Independent Research Project Included, to be submitted during exam week, which means there will not be time to workshop, revise, and resubmit before final grades for the course are officially posted to the university. However, I strongly recommend against re-‐doing smaller assignments and experiments unless you feel it is absolutely necessary-‐-‐work piles up, folks fall behind, and adding more to the pile might help you gain an extra point on a small assignment, but the extra time and stress may end up hurting your work on a larger, more heavily weighted project. I'll try to help you do whatever you feel like you need to do—but stay reasonable. Consistency beats after-‐the-‐fact perfectionism every time. A piece graded and returned without further workshopping by your classmates will not be re-evaluated for a higher grade. That means, also, that you cannot simply miss an assignment and then submit it later as a "resubmission." That's not resubmitting-‐-‐that's just submitting. And submissions are always due by the deadline. Period. Final grades for this course will be calculated according to standard grade-math:
100-‐97% A+ 96-‐94% A 93-‐90% A-‐ 89-‐87% B+ 86-‐84% B 83-‐80% B-‐ 79-‐77% C+ 76-‐74% C 73-‐70% C-‐ 69-‐67% D+ 66-‐64% D 63-‐60% D-‐
You will have the opportunity to REVIEW your final course grade and ask questions BEFORE I officially post them to the university.
Attendance This is an online course, so our class D2L site is our classroom. And, as this is a semester-long online class offered in a digital format for the Fall term, you really have to SHOW UP in our online classroom in accordance with our schedule to be "present" and learn the skills and material.
• This is not a "Self-Paced" course offering. That means it's just like taking any other class on campus-‐-‐the only difference is that our "classroom" is this D2L site. So, going to class IS doing things on the D2L site. Not logging into the course website and participating in our work online for ONE WEEK would be equivalent to skipping A FULL WEEK of class on campus and getting zeros on all the work you missed.
• You must be actively present in the "online classroom," participate in
online workshops, and submit the required assignments in order to pass this course.
WRTG 3040, 11 • Please note that every student is personally responsible for all missed
material, information, and assignments—not your instructor. So, that means, if you miss an online meeting (like a workshop), you need to contact a classmate to get the materials and information you missed—not your instructor (though, you should always feel free to pop in during my scheduled office hours to get some help catching up). If you didn’t show up online for two weeks during the term because you were traveling in Guatemala, I do hope you had a wonderful trip, but class went on without you, and what’s missed is missed.
• Waitlisted students will LIKELY be able to enroll in the course—provided they have not missed any assignments. You must complete every assignment if you want to be added to the class without penalty. (In case of long-‐term illness and other extenuating circumstances, exceptions may be made.)
• As per PWR policy, any student who has missed more than two
assignments during the first two weeks will be dropped from the course. I also support this policy because, in such cases, that student will have established a pattern early that makes me think he or she won’t be able to contribute productively to the class and to pass.
Late Work
Because deadlines and punctuality in virtually all business and professional writing/communications environments actually matter—and because I will not be able to keep track of materials submitted after set deadlines—I can accept no late work for credit.*** Miss a string of deadlines in your job and expect to be seen by coworkers, subordinates, and supervisors as someone who is unreliable and incompetent. An unreliable, incompetent employee is a good candidate for a pink-‐slip. Here, an unreliable and incompetent writer is a good candidate for an F in the course.
***While I have said I cannot accept late work, life happens. I get it. So, you may request one—and only one—extension on an assignment or project. If you need an extension, I will CONSIDER granting you that extension ONLY IF:
a) You have never requested an extension before. Life happens. I get it. One extension request, if absolutely necessary, is perfectly reasonable. b) You are requesting an extension MORE THAN 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE. If something is due in 2 hours, don’t ask for an extension unless it’s an emergency (like, for instance, it’s the apocalypse, and
WRTG 3040, 12 you really have to get to your underground bunker and inventory your dry goods and water supply before logging back into D2L). c) You make a highly persuasive argument to me as to why you should have an extension. Don’t bank on a pathos-‐appeal for this, though—the “Asking for an Extension” Email experiment we’ll do during the Digital Communications Packet will help you understand why and what to do instead.
So, two words-to-the-wise notes: First, don’t bank on pathos if this comes up—sob-‐stories and extension requests are too generically cliché to be rhetorically effective for most professors and teachers. Ethos and logos are the way to go in convincing me, if you absolutely need to do so. Second, do not wait until the last minute to type up drafts and other posts—save your work constantly. Computers and D2L are willful beasts and often have minds of their own. They are moody and may decide to eat your entire project for no apparent reason. Give yourself adequate time to recoup in case this happens by finishing and posting your assignments well before the deadline.
Additional Course and University Policies Classroom Behavior
Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be asked to remove themselves from the classroom—or even the course. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, color, culture, religion, creed, politics, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and gender expression, age, disability, and nationalities. With that in mind, class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun.
Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records. See policies at:
http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html<http://www.alumniconnections.com/links/link.cgi?l=3958271&h=16861&e=UCBI-‐20130104183129> and at http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code
WRTG 3040, 13 <http://www.alumniconnections.com/links/link.cgi?l=3958272&h=16861&e=UCBI-‐20130104183129.
Absences Due to Religious Observances
Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. See full details at: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html<http://www.alumniconnections.com/links/link.cgi?l=3958268&h=16861&e=UCBI-‐20130104183129. In this class, I will make reasonable accommodation for absences from scheduled workshops and with regard to due dates for projects (large and small), so long as you have informed me of a conflict AHEAD OF TIME. For example, emailing me at the BEGINNING of the week to say that you will be unable to turn in a major project on Thursday because it is a religious holiday that requires that observers not work or use technology on that day is perfectly reasonable, and I will work with you to accommodate that observance. Emailing me the night before or the day afterward that you did not turn in the major project on time because it was a holiday, however, is unacceptable—in that case, the regular policy on late work is in effect. So, plan ahead, and communicate with me EARLY.
Plagiarism (and the Honor Code)
Plagiarism is most often defined as stealing, buying, “borrowing,” and/or using someone else’s work in whole or in part as your own. “Recycling” your own work from another class is also considered plagiarism. Plagiarism, intentional or unintentional, is against university policy and carries disciplinary consequences. More importantly, if you plagiarize in this class, you are disrespecting your colleagues, your professor, and your own intellectual pursuits . . . and wasting all of our time! The University of Colorado subscribes to an anti-plagiarism service known as www.turnitin.com. This online database matches specific words and strings of text with available online sources, including for-‐profit and free paper-‐generating/paper-‐sharing services available for students. If necessary, I may use this database to determine the extent to which individual student works “reflect” previously composed documents. If you plagiarize in this course, you will face one of two consequences. Depending on the extent and intentionality of each individual case of plagiarism, the student in such a case will either a) receive an “F” for the plagiarized assignment or b) receive an “F” in the course. Which disciplinary action befalls you is solely at my
WRTG 3040, 14 discretion, based on the level of severity I attribute to your particular case. For further information on the CU Honor Code, please consult: http://honorcode.colorado.edu/about-‐honor-‐code.
Disability Accommodations
If you have a documented disability or think you may have a learning disability, please contact Disability Services at (303) 492-‐8671, visit them in Willard 322, or go to their website at www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices. If do you qualify for accommodations because of a documented disability, please send me a letter from Disability Services in a timely manner (for exam accommodations provide your letter at least one week prior to the exam) so that your needs can be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. Contact Disability Services at 303-‐492-‐8671 or by e-‐mail at [email protected]. If you have a temporary medical condition or injury, see Temporary Injuries under Quick Links at Disability Services: http://www.alumniconnections.com/links/link.cgi?l=3958265&h=16861&e=UCBI-‐20130104183129 Then, please discuss your needs with me, given what you feel is appropriate for me to know.
Getting Help Individualized Feedback: You will receive considerable written and verbal feedback from me, as your instructor, on the majority of the work that you do in the course (and on all of the major projects). I will expect you to USE that feedback to help you a) revise your work IN PROCESS and b) to work even more successfully on the NEXT piece you write in class. Additionally, you will receive considerable feedback from your colleagues through formal and informal workshops throughout the term. However, if you are ever in need of (or simply would like to have) additional feedback beyond these avenues, or if you are feeling overwhelmed by any assignments in this class, you have several options: 1) You can always contact me during my scheduled office hours or email to make an appointment to conference with me. Do not wait until the last minute, though! The sooner and more regularly you conference with me, the more guidance I can give you on your work—and it must be the student’s responsibility to seek assistance when necessary. I’ll do my best to invite you to conference with me if I’m
WRTG 3040, 15 seeing a pattern of difficulty emerge, but I’m not a mind-‐reader! Pay attention to the things you’re struggling with and CONTACT ME to get help—there’s no reason to let yourself feel lost when you’re instructor is just an email or a Skype session away! 2) The Writing Center in Norlin (if you’re near campus). Another good resource for assistance is the Writing Center (www.colorado.edu/pwr/writingcenter.html). Every Writing Center consultant has experience teaching writing at the college-‐level and working one-‐on-‐one with students to help each student improve his/her writing based on individual student goals and needs. The Writing Center is located just inside the EAST entrance Norlin Library, Rm E111. Hours of operation and available slots are limited. I suggest making appointments in advance. You can schedule 50 minute consultations on the Writing Center website at www.colorado.edu/pwr/writingcenter.html. You MUST register for a free account in order to make an appointment. Appointments MUST be made in advance. However, cancellations do occur. In such cases, “drop-‐in” students may be able to meet with a consultant. I highly recommend making your appointment in advance of when your draft is due to 1) ensure that you get an appointment and 2) give yourself ample time to revise your draft after your appointment and before it is due. 3) Continuing Education’s Writing Center Online (CEWCO—if you’re not near campus). This is a newer resource that has been established for CE students only. You can schedule either a synchronous (real-‐time) or an asynchronous (not real-‐time) appointment. You must upload your work on time and be prepared to work actively with your consultant during your session. Go here for more information: http://cewco.colorado.edu/ Hours of operation and available slots are limited. I suggest making appointments in advance. You can go to the writing center at every stage of the writing process. Even if you haven’t started writing yet, but you have some ideas, the writing center will help you to create a plan for putting those ideas down on paper. NEITHER writing is an editing service but rather are invaluable resources where you can get more one-‐on-‐one help with your work. When you go to the Writing Center, go prepared!!! Always show consultants your assignment sheet, any class handouts, any peer or teacher feedback on your drafts, and any other related materials. The more context you give the writing consultant, the more appropriate assistance s/he can give you!
The Rest The links to the left of the CONTENT screen in D2L have everything you need to navigate virtually any question about the course, your work, grading, and so on.
WRTG 3040, 16 For a detailed schedule of assignments please refer to the CALENDAR link on the bottom right of the COURSE HOME page in D2L—this schedule is also reproduced in a single page at the end of this document. For emergencies only: My cell phone number is 603-‐312-‐2957. You may use this for emergencies only—and, just to clarify, “I’m stressed out, and my assignment is going to be late” is not an emergency for me. An easy test for this: If I, as your instructor, were to call your cell phone about the same issue you are going to call me about, would you be wondering why I hadn’t just sent you a quick email instead of demanding your immediate attention when you might be at work, in a meeting, out with friends, etc.? If so, just shoot me an email, and I'll get back to you shortly. I will generally respond to emails within 24 hours between Monday and Friday, and within 72 hours over the weekend. So, that means, if you send me an email at 1 p.m. on Monday, you can expect a response from me (most of the time) by 1 p.m. on Tuesday—and, typically, sooner. If you send me an email at 10 p.m. on Friday night, I’m not online over the weekend, and so you can expect a response from me by 10 p.m. Monday night—but, typically, much sooner.
PWR Course Goals and CCHE Learning Outcomes WRTG 3040 fulfills the core upper-division writing requirement for students majoring in business, economics, international studies (IAFS), and Spanish for the Professions. The course is also approved for the Arts and Sciences core curriculum: written communication, and builds on the skills practiced through the first-‐year writing core requirement by applying an advanced understanding of rhetorical concepts to communication within specialized fields Our course is specifically intended to meet the three course goals for all WRTG 3040 classes set by the Program for Writing and Rhetoric (PWR), as well as the learning outcomes set by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE). That means our various writing assignments, projects, workshops, lessons, readings and research, are all intended to help you: 1) Develop and Practice Rhetorically-Informed Critical Thinking Skills and Strategies Meaning that you will learn to:
• Analyze issues, problems, or opportunities relevant to their field or profession.
WRTG 3040, 17 • Identify and evaluate information sources for relevance, validity, and
credibility.
• Apply advanced rhetorical knowledge in order to recognize the elements of sound reasoning.
• Pose questions that lead to sustained inquiry and innovative thinking.
• Frame an issue and develop a stance based on evidence and sound reasoning.
• Recognize the elements of and logical progression of persuasive arguments.
• Employ rhetorical strategies to produce a coherent and persuasive argument.
So, we will:
a) Use texts and concepts from rhetoric, discourse studies, communication, or related disciplines to develop an understanding of rhetoric and its application various issues related to employment and employability in local and global business and professional discourse. b) Develop sophisticated strategies for critical analysis of disciplinary or specialized discourse in business writing and for selecting and analyzing sources for use in developing knowledge of various genres through which to present carefully researched, highly logical arguments intended to persuade targeted audiences of the validity of our claims.
***See, for example, the scaffolding assignments for our THREE PACKETS and our use of topic development, research, and argumentation in our RESEARCH PROJECT.
2) Develop and Utilize a Practical Knowledge of The Rhetorical Situation in Context Meaning that you will learn to:
• Analyze the professional and, as appropriate, societal context of issues, problems, or opportunities under consideration.
• Understand writing and other forms of communications as collaborative
dialogues among authors, audiences, editors, critics, and colleagues.
• Recognize and address the imperatives of social responsibility in rhetorical situations.
• Understand how constraints such as time, resources, professional protocols,
conflicting obligations, or political pressures influence any rhetorical situation.
WRTG 3040, 18
• Analyze the values, perspectives, and expectations of different audiences.
• Base rhetorical strategies on an advanced understanding of audience and a highly focused purpose.
• Shape rhetorical strategies from an advanced understanding of elements of
genre, persuasion, voice, and style.
• Use field-‐specific language appropriate for other professionals that, where appropriate, remains intelligible to a non-‐expert audience.
So, we will:
a) Use texts and concepts from rhetoric, discourse studies, communication, or related disciplines to extend understanding of rhetorical situations related to business writing. b) Develop sophisticated strategies for critical analysis of disciplinary or specialized discourse in business writing. c) Learn more sophisticated ways to communicate knowledge to appropriate audiences within business and societal contexts.
***See, for example, our EMAIL EXPERIMENTS and the FINAL SUBMISSIONS of our THREE PACKETS, the our two STATUS UPDATE MEMOS for the RESEARCH PROJECT and THE RESEARCH PROJECT itself—each of which targets differing audiences, requiring varied styles and design components, and, in varying form, emphasizes the social contexts and responsibilities of authors and audiences across a range of rhetorics and genres of, on, and for “The Job.”
3) Develop a Practical Knowledge of Sophisticated and Varied Writing Processes Meaning that you will learn to:
• Understand writing as an ongoing, recursive process that requires multiple drafts, as well as various strategies for developing, revising, and editing texts.
• Develop skill in critiquing works in progress, whether it is their own or the
work of colleagues. • Convey meaning through concise, precise, highly reading language and
understand options for shaping meaning through syntax and diction.
• Use standard grammar and mechanics and develop the habit of proofreading.
• Understand and employ information technologies in communication.
WRTG 3040, 19 So, we will:
a) Develop and use multiple drafts. b) Hone strategies for generating ideas, revising, editing, and proofreading in a range of genres and situations for a variety of audiences. c) Learn to critique our own and other’s work and to reflect on our own writing processes. d) Use a variety of technologies as writing and research tools. e) Learn to evaluate sources and models for accuracy, relevance, credibility, reliability, and bias. f) Apply reflective strategies to the analysis and communication of our own knowledge and assumptions about our core content (Genres and Rhetorics of/on/for The Job) to various audiences in various rhetorical situations. g) Select and adapt genre conventions, depending on the rhetorical situation at hand h) Use specialized vocabulary, format, and documentation appropriately, given the specifics of what a particular rhetorical situation actually calls for. i) Control features such as style, syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling. j) Control features such as nonverbal and visual rhetoric through document design and nonverbal composition.
***See, for example, our WORKSHOPS, SCAFFOLDING ASSIGNMENTS, and the ANALYSIS of Growth and Transfer-Ability accompanying each of our THREE PACKETS and accompanying the RESEARCH PROJECT.
In working to meet these three driving PWR goals for the course, we will also meet the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) criteria for an Advanced Writing Course (Guaranteed Transfer CO3) in the Colorado system of higher education: 1) Extend rhetorical knowledge
• Use texts from rhetoric, discourse studies, communication, or related disciplines to extend understanding of rhetorical concepts to the discipline that is the focus of the course.
• Develop sophisticated strategies for critical analysis of disciplinary or specialized discourse.
• Learn more sophisticated ways to communicate knowledge to appropriate audiences.
WRTG 3040, 20 • Apply reflective strategies to the synthesis and communication of knowledge.
2) Extend experience in writing processes
• Use multiple drafts. • Hone strategies for generating ideas, revising, editing, and proofreading for
disciplinary or specialized discourse. • Learn to critique our own and other’s work. • Use a variety of technologies (writing and research tools). • Learn to evaluate sources for accuracy, relevance, credibility, reliability, and
bias. 3) Extend mastery of writing conventions
• Select and adapt genre conventions for disciplinary or specialized discourse. • Use specialized vocabulary, format, and documentation appropriately. • Control features such as style, syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
4) Demonstrate comprehension of content knowledge at an advanced level through effective communication strategies including the following:
• Ability to compose messages for specific audiences and purposes;. • Ability to communicate to the variety of audiences in disciplinary or
specialized discourse. • Ability to adapt content and style to respond to the needs of different
audiences and rhetorical situations in disciplinary or specialized discourse. And, obviously, as we do so, we cannot help but further develop your:
• Competency in critical thinking.
• Competency in written communication.
• Competency in reading.
Selected Readings & Tentative Schedule
Please note: 1) this schedule is subject to change as needed—up-‐to-‐date information available through the CALENDAR link on D2L, and 2) that you are not responsible for reading everything in every unit—I want you to make selections about what you read to get the most benefit for your own individual work and that of your colleagues in workshops. There are a series of REASONS for asking you to read SELECTIONS of available materials rather than requiring everyone to read the same piece for each day.
• Selection of readings better mimics the experience of trying to learn about a given genre or rhetorical situation beyond the classroom (so, you’ll learn more about how to make good reading selections on your own this way,
WRTG 3040, 21 which will help you do so more effectively in your professional life after the course has ended).
• Selection of readings provides you more agency (more power, more
decision-‐making capability and responsibility for your own choices and the learning that results from those decisions). It’s an old truism in writing studies (from cognitive studies of composing) that “writers only really solve the problems they define for themselves,” and this will help you take greater agency in using readings to define compositional problems for yourself and then take action to solve them.
• Selection of readings enables richer, more productive workshops and
class discussions. We don’t all need to read the same things to have a great workshop or conversation in class—in fact, when we’ve all read different things to prepare, we tend to get more information, more of a developed view of the topic under discussion or the texts being workshopped because we simply have more material on which to draw in our commentary, and we tend to develop more sophisticated opinions because our view is more broadly grounded in reading/research than it would be if we all only read and discussed one source.
SAMPLE AVAILABLE READINGS available on D2L under “Orientation”:
• “Welcome to Writing on/in Business and Society: Rhetorics and Genres of/on/for “The Job” (Singer, Video)
• “Rhetoric, Genre, and Transfer in the Post-‐Opportunity-‐Bargain Global Auction Economy” (Singer, Text)
• “Business E-‐mail: Guidelines for Users” by Mary Munter, Priscilla Rogers, and Jone Rymer in Business Communication Quarterly (66.1, March 2003)
• “Principles of Persuasion in Business Writing,” from Elements of Business Writing by Gary Blake and Robert Bly (Longman, 1992)
SAMPLE AVAILABLE READINGS available on D2L under “Job Applications”: • “Rhetorics and Genres of Job Application in the Post-‐Opportunity-‐Bargain Economy”
(Singer, Video & Text) • Selections from The Global Auction: The Broken Promises of Education, Jobs, and Incomes
by Phillip Brown, Hugh Lauder, and David Ashton (Oxford UP, 2010) SAMPLE AVAILABLE READINGS available on D2L under “Digital Comm.”:
• "The 30-‐Second Networking Commercial" from the Career Center at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Text)
• "Why Every Job Seeker Should Have a Personal Website, And What It Should Include" by Jacquelyn Smith, Forbes Magazine (Text)
• "The Importance Of Being Inauthentic" by Mark Bowden (Video, TEDxTalk) • "Identity Creation and Maintenance Rhetoric" Mary Hoffman and Debra Ford in
Organizational Rhetoric: Situations and Strategies (SAGE Pub., 2009)
WRTG 3040, 22 SAMPLE AVAILABLE READINGS available on D2L under “Independent Research Project”:
• Selections from Innovatio, The Magnum Opus, and Flashback—three recently launched OERs published by CU students focusing on various rhetorics and genres in business communications, entrepreneurship, marketing, management, etc. targeting specialized audiences in the business community
• “Classical Rhetoric Up in Smoke: Cool Persuasion, Digital Ethos, and Online Advocacy” by Mark Pepper in Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy
• "Text -‐ Video -‐ Text: Multimodal Remediation with an Eye on Viral Literacy" by Dan Wuebben in Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy
Please note, what’s listed on the schedule below is the MOST we will do—I reserve the right to CUT assignments as we go if I believe doing so a) is warranted by your demonstrated learning and b) will further enable your learning as we progress. UNIT ONE: INTRO & ORIENTATION to Writing on/in Business and Society (1/20-2/30) Week 1
• Complete Lesson 1: Understanding the Online Learning Environment and Our Assignments (1/20)
• Complete Lesson 2: Intro to Business Reading and Transferability (1/23)
Week 2
• Complete Lesson 3: Intro to IRP Topics and Genre & Submit Topic Development Form and Genre-‐Preview (1/27)
• Complete Lesson 4: Intro to Visual/Nonverbal Rhetoric and the Memo &
Submit Orientation Completion Memo & Unit Notes (1/30) UNIT TWO: Job Applications Packet (1/31-4/7) Week 3
• Complete Lesson 5: Select/Analyze a Job Posting & Submit Analysis of Job Posting (2/3)
• Begin Lesson 6: Cover Letter & Resume Genre Analysis and Drafting (2/6)
Week 4
• Complete Lesson 6: Cover Letter & Resume Genre Analysis and Drafting (2/10)
• Begin Lesson 7: Workshopping and Revising the Job App Packet (2/13)
Week 5
• Complete Lesson 7: Workshopping and Revising the Job App Packet (2/17)
WRTG 3040, 23
• Complete Lesson 8: Submission and Completion Memo/Analysis of Finalized Job App Packet with Reflection on Growth and Transfer-‐Ability, and, if you choose, Submit Optional Orientation Notes (bonus) (2/20)
UNIT THREE: Digital Communications Packet (2/21-4/7) Week 6
• Complete Lesson 9: Review Digital Communications Materials & Emailing in Professional and Business Contexts: An Org Comm. Warm-‐Up (2/24)
• Begin Lesson 10: (Re)Composing Social Media Profiles for Professional
Purposes (2/27) Week 7
• Complete Lesson 10: (Re)Composing Social Media Profiles for Professional Purposes(3/3)
• Begin Lesson 11: The Personal-‐Professional Website (3/6)
Week 8
• Complete Lesson 11: The Personal-‐Professional Website (3/10)
• Begin Lesson 12: The Professional Video Introduction (3/13) Week 9
• Complete Lesson 12: The Professional Video Introduction (3/17)
• Begin Lesson 13: DCP Workshop & Follow-‐Up Email Drafting (3/20) Week 10: SPRING BREAK Week 11:
• Complete Lesson 13: DCP Workshop & Follow-‐Up Email Drafting (3/31)
• Begin Lesson 14: Finalized DCP and Completion Memo/Analysis of Growth and Transfer-‐Ability, and, if you choose, Submit Optional Digital Comm. Notes (bonus) (4/3)
Week 12:
• Complete Lesson 14: Finalized DCP and Completion Memo/Analysis of Growth and Transfer-‐Ability, and, if you choose, Submit Optional Digital Comm. Notes (bonus) (4/7)
UNIT FOUR: Independent Research Projct (to be added to the Digital Communications Packet) (4/8-5/1)
WRTG 3040, 24 Week 12 (Cont’d)
• Begin Lesson 15: Topic Development Materials w/ Analysis of Your Target Genre and, if you choose, Participate in Optional Virtual Workshop B (4/10)
Week 13
• Begin Lesson 16: Outlining the Argument of the Independent Research Project (4/14)
• Complete Lesson 16: Outlining the Argument of the Independent Research
Project (4/17) Week 14
• Begin Lesson 17: Submit Genre-‐Analysis & Complete Draft of Independent Research Project for Workshop & Commentary (4/21)
• Complete Lesson 17: Submit Genre-‐Analysis & Complete Draft of
Independent Research Project for Workshop & Commentary (4/24) Week 15
• Complete Lesson 18: IRP Workshop (4/28)
• Complete Lesson 19: Final Workshop and Submit Independent Research Status Update Memo II, and, if you choose, participate in Optional Virtual Workshop D (bonus) (5/1)
Check Final Grades on D2L on 5/3 and Email with Questions BEFORE Final Grades are Posted to the University 5/4.
