1 BADM 3223 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TR 12:00-1:25 TROUTT 316 Dr. Meagan Rodgers Davis 204A mrodgers@usao.edu Office hours: MW 10:10-2:10, TR 8:30-9:30 and by appointment Office Phone: 405-574-1394 Required text Markel, Mike. Practical Strategies for Technical Communication. ISBN 978-1-4576-0940-4 -available in the USAO bookstore (If you don t have the book yet, it s your responsibility to make arrangements to keep up until you do. I don t have any extras to loan.) Business Communication for Success. Saylor Academy. Available online in these places: http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/business%20communication%20for%20success.pdf USAO K: drive Business Comm FA15 (Rodgers) Nash Library Electronic Reserves You will also need a source for MLA guidelines for formatting papers and citing sources. The Bedford Handbook you used in Writing 1 and 2 should be fine. The Purdue Owl website is also good. There are various online sources of information, some are not very good, though. Prerequisites Pass Writing 1 and Writing 2 Objectives Bus Comm is designed to familiarize you with various types of written communication within the workplace. You will study the principles that guide various types of communication. You will use problem-solving and critical thinking skills to create communication of your own. Your work in this class will help you be more effective in your future professional work. Assignments All work is due at the beginning of class. I do not accept late work.
2 All out-of-class work MUST be typed and formatted following MLA rules (and any other rules I specify). All out-of-class work MUST be printed and stapled. I do not accept homework via email unless you have made arrangements with me in advance. General writing portfolio (email, memo, letter, negative 100 comm) Resume Cover letter 150 150 Proposal 100 Report 100 Oral presentation (10-15 minutes) 100 Homework, quizzes, in-class work 50 Participation 50 Midterm 100 Final 100 Total 1000 Homework, quizzes, in-class work are graded using a check system. Strong work that shows your effort and comprehension will receive a check-plus. Decent work that meets the basic requirement receives a check. Bare-bones work receives a check-minus. Anything not turned in gets a zero. At the end of the term, I convert these checks to a number which I use in calculating your final grade. If you get all checkpluses, you ll get an A, half check-pluses and half check-minuses equals a B, and so on. If you have questions about this calculation, please ask. Policies Attendance Your attendance is an essential part of your success in this course. During class, we will discuss and expand on the concepts covered in readings and homework. When you come to class, be prepared. Do the assigned reading. Bring your book and a notebook. Be ready to answer questions and ask questions of your own. Show me that you are interested and eager to learn. There is no specific attendance requirement. For each class you miss, you get a zero for participation. Participation For each class, I make a note of your participation. I assign a check-plus if you contribute to discussion, a check if you are present and attentive but quiet, a check-minus if your presence is disruptive, or a zero if you are sleeping, texting, or not present. At the end of the term, I convert these checks to a number which I use in calculating your final grade. If you get all check-pluses, you ll get an A, half check-pluses and half check-minuses equals a B, and so on.
3 Missed class & late work You CANNOT make up in-class work, regardless of the reason you miss class. You CAN turn in homework early if you know you re going to miss class. If you miss a class unexpectedly, get a friend to turn in your work for you. Every assignment must be turned in on-time. I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK. If you are going to miss class for a university-related activity (e.g. academic conference, athletic event, choir performance), it is your job to make sure that you have seen me a few days AHEAD OF TIME to make arrangements to turn in your assignment BEFORE your absence. You are also responsible for knowing what was covered and assigned on days that you miss. Check with a reliable classmate to fill in the details. If you miss class on a Wednesday and an assignment was given out for Friday, you need to turn yours in on Friday along with the rest of the class. Missed exams I do not give make-up exams unless your conflict is due to a university activity. You must request a makeup ahead of time. The make-up will occur after the regular exam has been given to the class. Instructor communication If you have questions that are not answered in the syllabus, book, or the assignment description, please ask. It s my job to help you learn, and if I can answer a question so that you better understand what my expectations are, I am happy to do so. The best way to contact me is via email (mrodgers@usao.edu). We ll actually cover professionalism in emails in class, but for now, please follow this format when emailing me (or any other instructor): Dr. Rodgers, Type your question. Be clear and specific. Your full name Class name Plagiarism All the work that you hand in must be your own. If I find evidence that suggests you have turned in an assignment that contains the work of someone other than yourself, I will submit your work to the Academic Integrity committee. At a minimum, you will fail the class. The committee may impose additional penalties. If you have questions about how to properly use information you learned elsewhere, visit the Writing Center or see me. I will never penalize you for asking a question.
4 Writing Center Nash 306 The Writing Center is free for all USAO students. The tutors work with writers to help them learn how to become more competent and confident in their work. Tutors are trained to assist students with a variety of writing issues, including the following: Understanding assignment instructions Thesis statements Paper organization Sentence structure (including run-on sentences and comma splices) English as a Second Language (ESL) writing MLA format Visit http://usao.edu/writing-center for hours. Technology policy DO NOT TEXT IN CLASS. Laptops, ipads, etc. are not allowed in class unless I have specifically said otherwise. (Occasionally I will set aside class time for you to work on projects on these days, you may bring your computer. I ll tell you in advance.) Special Accommodations If you have a disability for which you require special arrangements, you must first register with Student Services. They will give you a letter that you will give to me. I am happy to make reasonable accommodations for students who have registered.
5 Assignment Schedule Version 1 PS = Practical Strategies for Technical Communication BCS = (ebook) Business Communication for Success This will change come to class for the most current information. Homework and readings are due on the day listed. TUES THURS Aug 24-28 Syllabus, Roster Discuss Audience Aug 31-Sep 4 General principles of Bus Comm Read BCS 1.2, 1.4 Ethics Read BCS 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 5.4 Sep 7-11 General business writing (Introduce portfolio assignment) Visuals BCS 2.5, 9.1, 9.2 Read PS 9, BCS 5.2 Sep 14-18 Style, Read BCS 6.2 General writing portfolio due Negative messages, Read BCS 17.1 Sep 21-25 Discuss Job Search communications Read BCS 9.5 Read PS Ch 10 Sep 28-Oct Discussion Workshop 2 Oct 5-9 Resume & cover letter due Discussion Oct 12-16 Midterm exam FALL BREAK- no class Oct 19-23 Proposals Read PS Ch 11 Oct 26-30 Proposal due Informational Reports, Read PS 12 Nov 2-6 Informational Report due Discuss Presentations, Read BCS 13.5, Nonverbal communications Read BCS 11.1-11.5 13.6 Nov 9-13 Review presentation instructions Oral reports Nov 16-20 Oral reports Oral reports Nov 23-27 Oral reports THANKSGIVING- no class Nov 30- Dec 1 Oral reports Final: 10-11:30