Rhetoric 3316.06 Writing for the Workplace
Course Requirements/Policies Fall 2001
Class Location/Times/Days: SUA 106C 4:30-5:45 MW
Professor: Cindy Nahrwold <canahrwold@ualr.edu>
Office: SUB 100-B, phone 569-3316
Office Hours: 3:15-4:15 MW, 3:15-4:30 TR, and by appointment
Note: This course is "housed" in the Department of Rhetoric
and Writing, which offers a B.A. in professional and Technical Writing
and an M.A. in Technical and Expository Writing.
Required Textbook:
Technical Communication, 5th ed., by Rebecca Burnett (2001)
Recommended Textbooks:
The Business Writer's Handbook, 6th ed., by Alred, Brusaw,
and Oliu (2000)-strongly recommended
Online!: A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources, Harnack
and Kleppinger (2000)-also available at the following URL: <http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/citex.html>
The style manual/style sheet for your field (MLA, APA, CBE, ACS,
IEEE, etc.)-again, strongly recommended. You need to learn to "talk
the talk" of your discipline.
A desk-size collegiate dictionary
Additional Supplies:
High-density 3.5" diskettes
Prerequisites:
To be enrolled in Rhetoric 3316, you must have successfully completed
Rhetoric 1312 or its equivalent.
General Description:
Rhetoric 3316 studies and practices "workplace communication
required of professionals who write as part of their jobs. Emphasis
on developing a sense of audience and purpose, writing in teams, and
learning problem-solving strategies. Intensive practice writing workplace
documents such as memos, letters, e-mail, resumes, and reports"
(UALR Undergraduate Catalog 2001-2002 132).
Section Description:
This course is an introduction to the types of written and oral communication
that professionals use in both academic and workplace settings. In-class
activities/workshops and lengthier major projects will familiarize
you with the writing styles, organizations, and formats of various
documents.
In other words, Rhetoric 3316 will help you prepare for the special
demands of workplace communication. We'll do a lot of writing, become
better constructive critics of other people's work, and learn to plan,
research, and write effectively and efficiently.
This course is intended to make you a better writer. Like any writing
(or skill development) course, what you get out of it is in large
measure dependent on what you put in. I can't force you to pay attention,
read carefully, or put the necessary amount of time and energy into
assignments; I can only try to persuade you to do so (and I certainly
shall).
Class Structure:
You'll read, discuss, and write, and I'll provide background information
through informal lecture. Informal and more formal writing assignments
as well as oral presentations will help you integrate, synthesize,
and present material.
Collaboration with another writer in this course is always an option
(except for the application portfolio); in fact, it's encouraged.
In the workplace, you'll be expected to know how to work (and work
well) with others on projects of all sorts. If two (or more) of you
work together, put all names on the text.
Since this is a workshop class, participation is important. Feel
free to bring samples of interesting writing to class to share. Talk
in class about what you're learning. Take an active role, and your
grade will take care of itself. The word "workshop" is meant
to suggest that we'll work together. Rarely will I talk "at"
you for the entire period. This class is meant to be a place where
we can work together, a place where you can find others who are genuinely
interested in your work and willing to give it close (and constructive)
criticism.
Note: All cell phones, beepers, pagers, and wristwatch alarms
must be turned off during class.
Quizzes:
Four brief quizzes will be given during the semester, based on reading
assignments. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped at the end of
the semester. These quizzes will be given at the beginning of class
periods, designed to launch class discussions.
Computers:
All of our class meetings will be held in the Rhetoric and Writing
Department's computer classroom. Although I don't require a certain
level of computer knowledge, I do assume a basic familiarity with
personal computers (e.g., word processing programs, keyboarding, etc.)
and a willingness to not only learn more but to also help your classmates-and
me-learn more.
All writing is to be word-processed and laser/inkjet printed on high-quality
paper. Remember to back up all of your work, and plan ahead if you'll
be using other on-campus computer facilities; mechanical difficulties
and long waiting lines only get worse as the semester progresses.
These problems won't suffice as excuses for late work.
Assignment Format:
The format requirements for each assignment depend on what kind of
document you're composing. As a rule, use plenty of white space, ample
margins, and boldface, italics, headings, typeface, and other devices
to highlight the organization of your texts. If you're unsure about
format, prepare drafts of assignments double-spaced, left-justified,
12-point type, with 1-inch margins; we'll discuss format issues during
peer response-and throughout the semester.
The work you submit should look and be as professional as you can
make it. If you should catch an error at the last minute, please don't
submit the work as is; make your handwritten correction(s) neatly
and call my attention to it/them with a Post-It note.
Office Hours:
You can either schedule an appointment or drop in. Your having specific
issues you want to work on (e.g., talking over ideas for a paper,
reviewing a rough outline, planning research, revising a draft, etc.)
will help make our time together more productive. I also suggest that
you bring your work on disk-or at the very least, bring a disk-so
that we can work on screen. If my office hours conflict with your
class or work schedule, I'll try my utmost to meet with you at different
times. You have my office phone number and e-mail address, so you
should always be able to reach me or get a message to me. And I will
always reply. But you have to make the effort.
Students with Disabilities:
It's the policy of UALR to accommodate students with disabilities,
in accordance with federal and state law. Any student with a disability
who needs accommodation-for example, in seating placement or in arrangements
for examinations-should inform me at the beginning of the course.
The chair of the department offering this course (Dr. Richard C. Raymond)
is also available to assist with accommodations. Students with disabilities
are also encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Support Services,
which is located in the Donaghey Student Center, Room 103, phone 569-3143.
Attendance:
Regular attendance is required in this class and will be considered
in your final grade. If you, for any reason, miss two consecutive
class meetings or three class meetings before the last day to drop
an individual course, I'll ask you to drop. Missing more than three
classes over the course of the entire semester will result in points
being subtracted from your final point total for each class missed
over three. Late arrival may be counted as an absence, and missed
quizzes or other in-class assignments can't be made up. As in the
workplace, absences and tardiness can lead to loss of employment.
Incompletes:
An incomplete may be given ONLY if you've passed the first half of
the course and are unable to successfully complete the course because
of a documented illness or family crisis that I believe genuinely
prevents you from finishing the course. You'll have 90 days from the
end of the semester to complete your work and submit it to me.
Late Work:
Keeping deadlines is an important part of a professional writer's
life. Each assignment will have a specific due day. Your work is to
be on time, all the time. In other words, late work won't be accepted-unless
prior arrangements have been made, which involves your (1) contacting
me before the assignment is due by means of formal memo (either hard
or electronic copy), explaining the reason for the delay, and (2)
your proposing in the memo a reasonable deadline (no more than one
week), which you then keep. The memo stands as a contract between
you and me. Failure to keep this new deadline breaks the contract,
and I won't accept your work. Use this option no more than once during
the semester. Oral presentations and other forms of in-class work
(e.g., quizzes, completed drafts for peer response) are obviously
excluded from this option; they're always due on the assigned date.
Here's an example of an e-mail memo I received last fall semester:
From: <The-bug-reaper@aol.com>
To: <canahrwold@ualr.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 7:03 PM
Subject: Request for Deadline Extension
I will not be attending class Monday, October 9, due to medical
tests. As mentioned in our course policies, I would like to use
my one late work option for the Field Interview Report and turn
it in on Wednesday, October 11.
Considering the circumstances, I feel this would be the safest
way to ensure my report is handed in. I also understand this memo
stands as a contract, and my report is due no later than class time
on Wednesday, October 11.
Thank you so much for allowing students to have one chance to miss
a deadline. In my case this is invaluable. If you have any questions,
you can reach me at 123-4567 or e-mail me at <The-bug-reaper@aol.com>.
I provide you with this example not to have you copy it (please don't!)
but to give you a sense of what you need to say and how you should
say it.
Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty:
Plagiarism, which is dishonest and illegal, will cause you to fail
this course. Always turn in original work and be careful to cite sources
for information derived from other writers, whether in hard or electronic
form. Even paraphrased text must credit the original author. You're
held accountable for furnishing upon request all sources and preliminary
work (i.e., notes, rough drafts, etc.). If you can't produce these
materials upon request, you can't receive a satisfactory evaluation
on the assignment. Please ask if you have questions. As a member of
the academic community, you have the ethical obligation to understand
plagiarism and to be as honest as you can about using another person's
writing or ideas. Consult The Business Writer's Handbook, Online!,
and/or the UALR Student Handbook for further information on
plagiarism.
Grades:
In order to earn a passing grade in Rhetoric 3316, you must attend,
participate, and successfully complete all assignments. This course
is about communicating, so if you have problems relating to assignments,
attendance, health, or any other class-related factor, please talk
to me. If I don't know you have a problem, I can't help you with it.
Your final grade for the course will be mathematically computed from
the point total for all evaluated assignments:
+ quizzes
+ assignments
- incomplete, untyped drafts for peer response
- absences/late arrival over three during the course of the semester
A: 90-100%
B: 80-89%
C: 70-79%
D: 60-69%
F: Below 60%
You may find it helpful to keep track of your class performance on
the attached "Final Grade Breakdown."
Brief Overview of Assignments:
In addition to readings, quizzes, and in-class work, you'll complete
the following assignments. You'll receive more information about each
of these in class.
1) Field Interview: Proposal
memo, Report in memo report format,
Oral report, Thank-you
letter
Arrange to interview a professional at a site where you envision yourself
working in the future. (I prefer that this site be located off campus.)
After submitting a proposal memo to me and getting approval, you'll
conduct an interview with that individual and present your findings
in two ways: an oral report to the class and a written memo report
to me. You'll then send a revised version of an evaluated thank-you
letter to your interview subject. "Work smarter, not harder"
by thinking ahead to the Group Research Project assignment and make
the knowledge gained through your interview do "double duty."
2) Group Research Project:
Proposal memo, Progress
report, Individual progress report (e-mail), Oral
presentation, Formal report
- Choose one of the following:
Depending upon your situation, the position you apply for may be a
full-time job announced at Counseling and Career Planning Services (CCPS)
or in a newspaper, trade magazine, or website (e.g., <http://www.monster.com>;
an internship offered by your department or announced on a website (e.g.,
<http://www.rsinternships.com>);
or a coop offered through CCPS.
