The University of Montana
School of Business Administration
BGEN 200- Business Communications
Fall Semester, 2012
Tues/Thurs, GBB L11
11:10-12:30
Caroline Simms, Adjunct Instructor
Office: GBB 336
Phone: 243-2941
Email: caroline.simms@business.umt.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30-2:00 and by appointment
I will update you if any information on this syllabus changes during the semester.
Purpose
This course is designed to help you become a more fluent and effective communicator in a
variety of business situations. You will learn how to choose and apply the best communication
strategy for a given context, to use an effective and appropriate style for business writing and
speaking, and to gain more control of the conventions of Standard English.
Course Objectives
More specifically, this course aims to teach you to:
1. Understand the scope and function of workplace communication
2. Communicate effectively in a variety of vehicles or genres
3. Evaluate audience, purpose, and message and tailor your communication
accordingly
4. Understand the use and implications of language, and use that knowledge to
communicate clearly and to appeal to audiences
5. Understand the use and practice of writing in the digital age
6. Revise and edit your writing thoroughly and quickly
7. Present ideas with clarity and confidence, making best use of presentation
technology
8. Market yourself and your ideas successfully
9. Pose a question and answer it through investigation and analysis
10. Understand and follow the conventions of written Standard English
Required Texts
-Handouts available in class and on Moodle
Handouts and Moodle postings are our textbook. In order to prepare for class
and discussions, I expect you to PRINT, READ, ANNOTATE, and BRING TO
CLASS all assigned readings.
-An approved style guide or handbook. We will discuss this in class.
Course Format
This course focuses on discussion, practice, and workshop; students do not necessarily learn
to improve writing and speaking skills by listening to lectures. Expect to write and to speak in
class. You are expected to contribute to whole class and small group discussions on a regular
basis. Active participation is essential for your success in this class and for a vibrant class
dynamic.
Expect regular reading and writing assignments, as well as individual and team work in class.
Often the team work will be in the form of writing workshops or responding to each other’s
written assignments.
***Reading good writing is one of the best ways to improve your own communication.***
You are responsible for reading handouts and electronic postings, many of which are articles
from various publications (The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times,
Business Week, Forbes, etc.). Seek out and read good writing to help you improve your own.
Assignments and Assessment
Participation
Attendance-50 points
Quality participation in class discussions and group
work, completion of ungraded writing -50 points
Total points: 500
20%
100
Points
60%
300
Points
20%
100
Points
Written Assignments
1. Summary (30 points)
2. Email (25 points)
3. Letter (35 points)
4. Report (150 points)
5. Cover letter and Résumé (60 points)
A 10 minute presentation on a topic of your choice
Oral Presentation
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A+ (97-100), A (94 - 96); A- (90 - 93); B+ (87 - 89) B (84 - 86) B- (80 - 83); C+ (77 - 79), C (74
- 76), C- (70-73); D (60-69); F (59 or below)
Outcomes and Assessment
Learning outcomes for all assignments include:

Understanding each written genre’s expectation (email, professional letters, resumes,
etc.)
o This includes format, appropriate style and tone, organization, length, purpose

Understanding each writing and speaking situation’s audience and that audience’s
expectations
Understanding each writing and speaking situation’s purpose (usually to inform or to
persuade) and including appropriate content to achieve that purpose
Competency in the conventions of written Standard English
Brevity and clarity of prose
Understanding and demonstrating effective non-verbal strategies in an oral presentation
Competency organizing content of an oral presentation with audience retention and
acceptance in mind
Effective use of presentation media to promote retention of information and audience
engagement
Competency in the use of persuasive rhetoric and strategies to promote one’s self in job
seeking genres
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Instructor will assess students’ demonstrated ability to meet all of the above outcomes
as well as the following criteria for individual assignments:
Summary – accuracy of information presented, paraphrasing skills
Email – inclusion of all required information
Letter – strategy for communicating a negative message
Cover letter and resume – persuasive rhetoric, choices of relevant information,
ease of reading
o Report – ability to ask and answer a question through research, organizing large
amounts of information, crediting sources (use of MLA style citations)
o Presentation – Professional, memorable, and clear delivery of information,
effective use of visual media to catch and hold audience attention and support
retention of content
o
o
o
o
All assignment handouts list specific intended outcomes and assessment criteria.
Policies
Attendance: You are expected to attend class and be on time. If you have to miss class or
leave early, I expect you to contact me; however, this does not negate your
absence. Your presence and participation will factor into your final grade. You will
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earn an attendance grade based on the total number of class periods you
attended.
Assignments: Hand in hard copies of all assignments in class on the day they are due.
 Do not email assignments to me.
 Late assignments will be docked a full letter grade for every day they
are late.
Rewrites: You have the opportunity to rewrite the letter and resume/cover letter assignments.
The grade you earn on the rewrite will be averaged into the first grade you earned
on that assignment. Rewrites are due one week after I return the original graded
copies to you.
Emails:
Follow the University’s policy regarding student e-mail accounts. Faculty members
may only correspond with students regarding academic issues if both parties use
official UM e-mail addresses. I cannot respond to email sent to me from addresses
other than umontana, nor will I respond to email sent to addresses other than
my business.umt.edu account.
Consider all forms of communication in relation to this and other University
classes a chance to practice thoughtful, clear, and clean writing and
speaking. Your emails to me and your other professors must open with a
greeting, be clearly written, signed, and proofread for mechanical errors.
Grading:
Assigning a numerical grade to writing is tricky. I do my best to assess your work
by evaluating your success in each assignment’s areas of focus.
I also operate under the assumption that as college students, you have a solid
grasp of the conventions of written Standard English. I therefore take off points
for papers that show a clear lack of editing, sometimes a point off for each glaring
error. While this class does aim to help you polish grammar and punctuation, I
have a short fuse for work that is unedited. If you do not have confidence in your
ability to catch all of your surface errors, it is your job to find someone who can
help you edit BEFORE you hand in your work to me.
Classroom Dynamics:
We all expect you to be respectful, supportive, and thoughtful members of this
relatively small class. I expect that you will reflect on all forms of your own
communication and think before speaking, writing or acting. For example, text
messaging during class sends us all a clear message about your investment in
both the class and the conversation. Your actions have direct results on the
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class’s atmosphere and productivity. If you all contribute constructively and
conscientiously to this class, we can have a valuable learning experience.
→Turn off your cell phones etc. BEFORE class begins. You communicate lots about
yourself when you text or mess with various technologies during class.
It’s just rude.←
Accommodation: Students with disabilities may request reasonable modifications by
contacting me. UM assures equal access to instruction through collaboration between
students with disabilities, instructors, and Disability Services for Students
(DSS). “Reasonable” means the University permits no fundamental alterations of
academic standards or retroactive modifications. For more information, please consult
http://www.umt.edu/disability.
**Please see me if there is a specific reason why you need a laptop open and on during
class. These are generally not necessary and I prefer that they remain off.
Procedural Basics – Homework and Graded Written Assignments
1. Type all assignments to be handed in.
2. Letters, memos, and proposals should be single-spaced, short response papers should
be double-spaced.
a. Use one-inch margins
b. Use Times New Roman, 12-point font
c. Number all pages in the lower right hand corner
3. Keep copies of all your work, as hard copy and digital
4. Keep all drafts with my comments on them until the semester’s end
You are responsible for understanding and adhering to the following:
Academic Misconduct –
From The University of Montana’s Student Conduct Code
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Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course instructor and/or a
disciplinary sanction by the University. Academic misconduct is defined as all forms of academic
dishonesty, including but not limited to:
1. Plagiarism: Representing another person's words, ideas, data, or materials as one's own.
6. Submitting work previously presented in another course: Knowingly making such
submission in violation of stated course requirements.
7. Facilitating academic dishonesty: Knowingly helping or attempting to help another
commit an act of academic dishonesty, including assistance in an arrangement whereby any
work, classroom performance, examination activity, or other academic exercise is submitted or
performed by a person other than the student under whose name the work is submitted or
performed.
Penalties
Depending on the severity of the acts of academic misconduct, a student may incur one or more of
the following penalties:
1. Academic Penalty by the Course Instructor: The student receives a failing or
reduced grade in an academic exercise, examination, or course, and/or is assigned additional
work which may include re-examination.
2. University Sanctions: A penalty exceeding the academic penalty may be imposed by the
University. Sanctions a. through d. require administrative review and approval by the Provost
& Vice President for Academic Affairs.
a.
c.
d.
e.
Denial of a Degree
Expulsion
Suspension
Disciplinary Probation
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