Course Syllabus

ENC 3250 Professional Writing

Fall 2017

Instructor: Marian Conklin	Section: 010
Course Time: 9:30-10:45	Classroom: CPR 464
Office Location: CPR 340	Office Phone: N/A
Email: mconklin@usf.edu	Office Hours: T/R 10:45-12:15

Course Information & Description
From the Course Catalogue: The course is an introduction to the techniques and types of professional writing, including correspondence and reports. It is designed to help strengthen skills of effective business and professional communication in both oral and written modes.

Professional writing is a vital component of effective, efficient, and ethical workplace practices. Professionals must be able to analyze, interpret and create a variety of communications for a wide variety of audiences. This course exposes students to a variety of real-world communicative means and rhetorical strategies. Through smaller assignments and major projects, this course prepares students to pursue and engage with the communicative components of workplace writing practices.

This is a 3 credit hour course. Prerequisites are ENC 1101 and ENC 1102 or ENC 1121 and ENC 1122. It’s offered through the Department of English in the School of Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences. The course meeting time(s) and location are listed above.

ENC 3250 is part of the University of South Florida’s Foundation of Knowledge and Learning Core Curriculum. This course is certified for the Writing Intensive Capstone core area.

This is a Gordon-Rule 6A Communications course. Students in this course will engage in writing as a “process,” which means employing strategies such as pre-writing, co-authoring, document design, peer feedback, revising, and editing. Students will learn how to develop ideas and texts that follow academic/disciplinary conventions for different contexts, audiences, and purposes. An integral part of writing instruction is the opportunity to revise documents in response to feedback, so students will be required to revise at least some course writing assignments (including one major assignment) after receiving feedback from the instructor. At a minimum, students will write 4500 words for this course. Students must achieve a proficiency level of at least C- in the course in order to receive Gordon Rule Communication credit.

This course is part of the University of South Florida's Foundations of Knowledge and Learning (FKL) Core Curriculum. It is certified for the Writing Intensive Capstone core area. Students enrolled in this course will be asked to participate in the USF general education assessment effort. This might involved submitting copies of writing assignments for review, responding to surveys, or participating in other measurements designed to assess the FKL Core Curriculum learning outcomes.

Course Requirements
This is primarily a writing class, but students are also expected to read carefully, engage in meaningful in-class discussions, and conduct research for major projects. There will be both individual and collaborative work throughout this class. Students will complete three major writing projects (that include several deliverables each), complete reading and homework assigned, participate in class, and conduct regular document review.

Course Goals
This course aims to provide students with strategies for and practice in:

• Composing professional/workplace documents and oral presentations for multiple audiences and specific purposes using appropriate technologies
• Collaborating and managing projects on multidisciplinary writing teams
• Designing documents, visuals, and data displays that are rhetorically effective, accessible and usable for specific audiences
• Developing information literacy strategies
• Recognizing ethical, legal and cultural issues in business and the professions
• Applying/adapting business writing conventions, including genre, tone, and style for particular writing situations

Student Learning Outcomes
In Project 1, students learn to: analyze a writing situation; analyze audience(s), plan a document for a particular audience and situation; describe and distinguish between genres; apply visual design principles to single-page documents; organize content for readability and usability; apply stylistic conventions of a specific genre; use basic features of word-processing applications to design, draft, and edit documents; edit for tone and style; conduct web-based research; recognize and address ethical, legal, and cultural issues related to a particular writing situation.

In Project 2, Student will learn to: research and compose a professional-quality presentation proposing an idea for a new business. 

In Project 3, students learn to: plan a writing project as a member of a multidisciplinary team; create project management documents (Gantt charts, etc); track project progress; develop strategies for resolving conflict; analyze a writing situation for multiple stakeholder audiences; use visual design principles to structure information for readers in a multi-page document; conduct primary and secondary research in response to a given problem; evaluate data and recommend an evidence-based solution; plan a formal presentation as a member of a team; create a formal presentation on a business or professional topic for a specialist audience; evaluate ethical, legal, and cultural issues related to a particular writing situation.

Required Course Texts

• A Rhetorical Approach to Workplace Writing, 4th ed (RAWWr). Available for $47.00 via My Reviewers at https://myreviewers.usf.edu/
• Wolfe, Joanna. Team Writing: A Guide to Working in Groups. Bedford/St Martins. 2010. ISBN-10 0-312- 56582-8. Available for $10.00 - $25.00 print at the USF Bookstore or at Amazon.com.

Critical Assignments
The critical assignments relate to and measure the Student Learning Outcomes. The critical assignments for this course are: Employment Project, Individual Elevator Pitch Project, Business Proposal Project, short assignments, and peer document review:

1. The Employment Project asks students to consider the rhetorical situation of applying for a job and produce deliverables that demonstrate rhetorical awareness.
2. The Individual Elevator Pitch Project asks students to imagine a viable business proposition and present it to the class as an elevator pitch. 
3. The Business Proposal Project asks students to work collaboratively to research, draft, design, and polish a comprehensive business plan.
4. Short assignments ask students to dig deeper into course content in order to be fully prepared for class discussions and activities. Short assignments also help students prepare and produce significant project deliverables.
5. Document reviews are a peer-to-peer document review system and will be completed via MyReviewers, Canvas, or in person; document reviews ask students to learn about the usability of documents and appropriately articulate how documents could be improved. Due dates are listed on the schedule of assignments provided by your instructor. Please refer to project-specific assignment sheets for more details.

Attendance Policy

Twice Weekly Meeting Classes

Students are allowed 3 tardies and 3 absences before grade penalties accrue.

TARDIES: Late arrivals (5 minutes or more after class starts) and early departures shall be known as "tardies." After the first 3 penalty-free tardies, three tardies will count as one absence.

If you arrive late to class, be sure to see me IMMEDIATELY after class to correct your attendance from "absent" to "tardy." Your attendance record is your responsibility.

ABSENCES: Three absences, due to illness, unforeseen circumstances or "tardies," are allowed. Each subsequent absence will result in a 3-point deduction from the (10 point) participation grade.

NOTE: A SEVENTH ABSENCE (APPROXIMATELY ONE-FOURTH OF THE COURSE MISSED), WILL RESULT IN FAILURE OF THIS COURSE.

If you anticipate an issue with regular attendance, please take the course in a semester when your schedule is more flexible.

 

If you will miss class for one of the following reasons, please alert me prior to the absence:

• Court Imposed Legal Obligations, Jury Duty, Court Subpoena, etc.
• Military Duty
• Religious Observance. Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class due to the observation of a major religious observance must provide notice of the date(s) to the instructor, in writing, by the second class meeting. Should an examination or the due date for an assignment fall on one of these dates, I will make arrangements with you for a make-up exam or an alternate date for submission of written work.
• Ongoing Medical Conditions. Students facing extenuating circumstances, such as a debilitating illness or injury (physical or mental) that inhibits him or her from attending class or completing assignments, must work with the appropriate on-campus organization, which will then act as a liaison on behalf of the student and help the instructor determine appropriate action. These organizations include the Center for Victim Advocacy & Violence Prevention, Students with Disabilities Services, and Students of Concern Assistance Team (SOCAT).
• USF Athletics’ Participation. Any student who intends to miss class because he or she is participating in a scheduled USF athletics event is expected to present a schedule of such participating events to his or her instructor by the third week of the semester if he or she intends to be absent for a class or an announced examination.

Grading Policy

Weights of Assignments

Assignment	Final Grade %	Description
Participation	10%	Individual. Participation includes preparedness for class (homework), performance on in-class activities (classwork), and engagement with the course.
Short Assignments	20%	Individual. Short assignments; reading response exercises, in-class assignments, and homework.
Employment Project	25%	Individual. For the Employment Project, students will create application documents for a position they are qualified to fill. See overview of assignment on Canvas for details.
Elevator Pitch Project	15%	Individual. Each student will research an idea for a new business and develop a short pitch that they will deliver to the class. Pitches will be voted on, and the highest voted pitches will be expanded upon in the next project.
Business Proposal Project	30%	Group. For the Business Proposal Project students will research, draft, design, and polish a comprehensive business plan and presentation introducing a business to potential investors. See overview of assignment on Canvas for details.

Grading Scale

A+ (97–100) 4.00	A (94–96.9) 4.00	A– (90–93.9) 3.67
B+ (87–89.9) 3.33	B (84–86.9) 3.00	B– (80–83.9) 2.67
C+ (77–79.9) 2.33	C (74–76.9) 2.00	C– (70–73.9) 1.67
D+ (67–69.9) 1.33	D (64–66.9) 1.00	D– (60–63.9) 0.67

 Note: Students may not take this course S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory).

Late Work / Missed In-Class Work
Late and missed work will not earn assignment credit. You’ll receive credit for all of the work you do for our class, inside or outside, as long as you follow proper protocol for submission and submit your work on time. You will submit most of your work to Canvas drop boxes.

No one can “make up” missed assignments (including homework) or tests. If you ask, I’ll refer you back to this syllabus. All assignments are closed when the assignments are due and won’t be reopened for any reason. Missed coursework cannot be made up even if you are absent for very good reasons (e.g. illness, death in the family, work, and so on). In the business world, as in this classroom, a deadline is a deadline. No excuses.

Incomplete
An “I” grade indicates incomplete coursework and may be awarded to graduate and undergraduate students. (Undergraduate rules apply to non-degree-seeking students.) It may be awarded to an undergraduate student only when a small portion of the student’s work is incomplete and only when the student is otherwise earning a passing grade. Full USF Incomplete policy.

Technology Requirement
Students are required to have regular access to a computer, the internet, a word processor, Canvas, USF email, and a printer. There are many technology labs on campus that students can use at no extra cost, so students should have regular access to all required technology via the USF campus resources. The USF Digital Media Commons is also available for student use. The DMC is an excellent and recently expanded “multimedia production area which provides equipment, instruction, space, and assistance” for students to use design equipment and software.

In the event of a USF service disruption that affects all students, instructors will notify students how to submit assignments.  

Writing Studio
USF's Writing Studio offers assistance to any student who wants to improve his or her writing skills. Rather than offering editing assistance, during a session in the Writing Studio, consultants and students work together to enhance the organization, development, grammar, and style of any type of writing across the disciplines. Students are encouraged to visit the Writing Studio at any stage during the writing process, from brainstorming and pre-writing to final polishing. The USF Writing Studio is conveniently located on the second floor of the library. Walk-ins are welcome dependent on availability, but students are encouraged to make an appointment by visiting the Writing Studio during office hours or calling 813-974-8293. Additional feedback is available via SmartThinking, an online tutoring center, which is accessible via Canvas. 

Students with Disabilities
Students in need of academic accommodations for a disability may consult with the office of Students with Disabilities Services to arrange appropriate accommodations. Students are required to give reasonable notice prior to requesting an accommodation. Contact SDS at 974-4309 or www.sds.usf.edu. For more information about student responsibilities related to disability accommodations, see http://www.sds.usf.edu/students.asp

Academic Integrity
Students attending USF are awarded degrees in recognition of successful completion of coursework in their chosen fields of study. Each individual is expected to earn his/her degree on the basis of personal effort. Consequently, any form of cheating on examinations or plagiarism on assigned papers constitutes unacceptable deceit and dishonesty. Plagiarism is defined as “literary theft” and consists of the unattributed quotation of the exact words of a published text, or the unattributed borrowing of original ideas by paraphrase from a published text. On written papers for which the student employs information gathered from books, articles, web sites, or oral sources, each direct quotation, as well as ideas and facts that are not generally known to the public at large, or the form, structure, or style of a secondary source must be attributed to its author by means of the appropriate citation procedure. Only widely known facts and first-hand thoughts and observations original to the student do not require citations. Citations may be made in footnotes or within the body of the text. Plagiarism also consists of passing off as one’s own another person’s work in part or in total.

A student who submits a plagiarized assignment will receive an “F” with a numerical value of zero on the assignment, and the “F” shall be used to determine the final course grade. The instructor has the right to assign the student a grade of F or FF (the latter indicating dishonesty) in the course. An “FF” grade assigned to indicate academic dishonesty is reflected only on internal records and prevents the student from repeating the course using the Grade Forgiveness Policy. If a student who has been accused of academic dishonesty drops the course, the student’s registration in the course may be reinstated until the issue is resolved. A student who is suspected of cheating may not drop a course to avoid a penalty.

See http://www.usf.edu/undergrad/documents/academic-policies/1academic-integrity-of-students.pdf for USF’s definitions of plagiarism and its policy on academic honesty. Consult with your instructor if you have any questions about these issues.

The University of South Florida has an account with an automated plagiarism detection service which allows instructors to submit student assignments to be checked for plagiarism. I reserve the right to submit assignments to this detection system. Assignments are compared automatically with a huge database of journal articles, web articles, and previously submitted papers. The instructor receives a report showing exactly how a student’s paper was plagiarized.

Academic Grievance Procedures
If a serious issue or conflict arises, the student should first make an attempt to reach a satisfactory resolution with the course instructor. It the instructor and student are unable to resolve the situation to their mutual satisfaction, the student may, within three weeks of the incident, file a letter of notification with Dr. Joyce Karpay, the Assistant to the Chair of the English Department 

Student Conduct
Students are expected to come to class prepared, having read or completed the day’s assignment. Students may expect to be called on in class. Please silence all cell phones before class begins. Students are not permitted to record class lectures or discussions without written permission from the instructor. Also, students are not permitted to sell notes or tapes of class lectures.

Emergency Policy
In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USF to suspend normal operations. During this time, USF may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include but are not limited to: Canvas, Elluminate, Skype, and email messaging and/or an alternate schedule. It’s the responsibility of the student to monitor Canvas for course specific communication, and the main USF, College, and department websites, emails, and MoBull messages for important general information.

Sexual Misconduct/Sexual Harassment Reporting
USF is committed to providing an environment free from sex discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence (USF System Policy 0-004). The USF Center for Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention is a confidential resource where you can talk about incidents of sexual harassment and gender-based crimes including sexual assault, stalking, and domestic/relationship violence. This confidential resource can help you without having to report your situation to either the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (OSSR) or the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Opportunity (DIEO), unless you request that they make a report. Please be aware that in compliance with Title IX and under the USF System Policy, educators must report incidents of sexual harassment and gender-based crimes including sexual assault, stalking, and domestic/relationship violence. If you disclose any of these situations in class, in papers, or to me personally, I am required to report it to OSSR or DIEO for investigation. Contact the USF Center for Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention: (813) 974-5757.