ENGLISH 205: BUSINESS WRITING
SECTION 009 – 2:00-3:15 P.M. MONDAY/WEDNESDAY, CURTIN HALL #109
SECTION 011 – 3:30-4:45 P.M. MONDAY/WEDNESDAY, CURTIN HALL #109
KIMBERLY BAKER, INSTRUCTOR
KBAKER @ UWM.EDU
OFFICE HOURS: MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS 11:30-1:30 P.M. AT NORTHWEST QUAD BLDG B #2480 AND BY APPOINTMENT
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Appropriate for students pursuing careers in business and related professions, Business
Writing offers instruction and practice in writing business reports, memos, and letters.
Prerequisites. Students must have sophomore standing and have either earned a C or
above in English 102, or scored a 4 or above on the English Placement Test (EPT).
COURSE OBJECTIVES
• Evaluate purposes, audiences, processes, and formats of workplace communication
• Develop effective visual, oral, and written communication for intended audiences
• Use mechanically and grammatically correct language
• Model effective professional communication in class and online
REQUIRED MATERIALS
• Writing That Works, 11th ed. Walter E. Oliu, Charles T. Brusaw, and Gerald J. Alred. ISBN
9781457611131
• The Business Writer’s Handbook, 10th ed. Gerald J. Alred, Charles T. Brusaw, and Walter
E. Oliu. ISBN 9780312679439 print ISBN 9781457604478 electronic
• Additional readings and resources will be available as PDFs on the course D2L site
• Regular access to a computer, internet connection, and printer
PROCEDURES & POLICIES
Academic honesty. The university has a responsibility to promote academic honesty and
integrity and to develop procedures to deal effectively with instances of academic
dishonesty. Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of their
work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of others' academic endeavors.
(uwm.edu/acad_aff/policy/academicmisconduct.cfm)
Assignment guidelines. Students must complete all assignments to be eligible to pass the
course. All assignments must meet the following criteria:
• Type your work in 12-point font, single-spaced.
• Save your document as a DOCX or PDF.
• Name the file to include your name and the document contents as follows:
(YOUR NAME HERE_ASSIGNMENT NAME HERE.doc)
• Proofread for grammar and clarity, and spell-check your work.
ENGLISH 205, SECTION 009 & 011 • FALL 2016 • KIMBERLY BAKER
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• Upload your assignment to the dropbox folder on D2L. Be sure you have uploaded
your work, not the assignment description.
Formats. Acceptable document formats are DOCX or PDF. Other formats will not be
accepted and you will not receive credit for the work.
Grading. Writing assignments are evaluated holistically, based on content, format,
organization, and fulfillment of the assignment instructions as appropriate to the given
context. Spelling and grammar errors indicate carelessness and a lack of professionalism, so
please proofread your work carefully before submitting it.
Late Work. Assignments are due in the D2L dropbox before class. If you need to request an
extension, contact me before the assignment is due. Absence from class does not excuse late
work. Students must complete all assignments to be eligible to pass the course. Assignments
submitted after the deadline (without prior permission) will not be graded and will receive
zero points.
Attendance and participation. Attendance is mandatory, so please plan to be present at all
classes. Attendance is taken starting with the first class. The English Department reserves
the right to administratively drop students who have not attended the first week of classes.
Absences. Please plan accordingly if you must miss class for any reason during the semester.
Students are permitted two absences without penalty in the event of illness, a family
emergency, religious observance (http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S1.5.htm) or other
serious matter. Four absences will lower your grade by one letter. Missing the equivalent
of three weeks of class -- more than six absences will result in failure of this course.
Please contact me as soon as possible if an emergency arises.
Students are responsible for catching up on missed course content and in-class work. If you
must miss class, contact a classmate to get the assignment and notes. I will expect you to
come prepared to the next class meeting.
Late arrivals and early departures are disruptive to your classmates and disrespectful to
your instructors. Please arrive on time and plan to attend class for the full class period.
Students arriving after class is scheduled to begin will receive reduced participation and
professionalism grades. Do not schedule other commitments such as job interviews, doctor
appointments and review sessions for other courses during class meeting times.
Participation. Students are expected to actively participate in class activities including class
discussions, peer review, group activities, and in-class exercises. In addition, students are
expected to offer thoughtful, constructive critique of their own work and classmates’ work.
Time commitment. Students can generally expect that for every hour spent in weekly class
meetings, they will spend an additional two to three hours outside of class completing
readings and assignments, and working with classmates on group projects. In a 16-week
semester, estimates are at minimum, 40 hours of time spent in the classroom, 80 for
preparation, and 24 for papers and exams.
ENGLISH 205, SECTION 009 & 011 • FALL 2016 • KIMBERLY BAKER
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Professionalism. To model appropriate and effective workplace communication and
practices, please plan to arrive on time, complete assignments on time, and to be ready to
actively participate in class activities.
Respect for others. To ensure that the classroom remains an environment where student
learning receives the highest priority, please refrain from behavior that distracts or disturbs
others and actions which create a hostile environment that is not conducive to learning and
teaching. Students who interfere with the learning of others through disruptive behavior
will be asked to leave the classroom and will receive an absence for the day.
Resources. On-campus resources are available to help students succeed.
Norris Health Center: A wide range of services are available to support all aspects of student
health and wellness, including mental health concerns, stress management, counseling,
pharmacy and laboratory facilities, sports medicine, and services concerning alcohol and
other drugs. (uwm.edu/norris/)
Student Accessibility Center (SAC). If you have a chronic physical or mental health condition
or disability that may affect your ability to meet course requirements, you may wish to meet
with a SAC counselor (Mitchell Hall 116, ph. 229-3800). If you have a completed VISA
agreement from the SAC, please meet with me (office hours or by appointment) during the
first week of class. (uwm.edu/sac/SACltr)
The Writing Center. One-on-one tutoring is available for all students at two locations: Curtin
Hall 127 and the Library East Wing. (writingcenter.uwm.edu, ph. 229-4339).
Schedule adjustments. The assignment calendar is subject to change. Notice will be given
by email and announced in class if adjustments to the schedule are made.
Technology. Students are expected to comply with the following technology policies:
D2L. This course will use the Desire 2 Learn (D2L) course management system. Students
will use D2L to submit written assignments, feedback will be returned through the site, and
some class materials, or links to them, will be posted on the site.
Technology in class. Out of courtesy to your instructor and classmates, please silence all cell
phones, instant messaging, social media, and other communication devices during class, as
these technologies are a distraction. If you must have a cell phone on for emergencies,
please do not accept calls or respond to text messages unless they are true emergencies.
These are normally expected courtesies in the professional community and abuse of this
policy will result in loss of professionalism points.
Email. Information regarding this course will be sent using UWM email. All students are
responsible for checking their UWM email or forwarding the account to stay up to date.
ENGLISH 205, SECTION 009 & 011 • FALL 2016 • KIMBERLY BAKER
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University policy. Please see the link for additional details concerning enrollment policies
or download the “Policy Addendum” document from the course D2L site.
(https://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/faculty/1895R3_Uniform_abus_Policy.pdf)
GRADING
Assignments and points:
Grading scale:
Informational Memo
Advice from TED Talks
Group Presentation
Project Proposal Memo
Progress Report Memo
Recommendation Report Project
Professionalism & Participation
100
100
50
25
25
300
200
Possible points
800
93 +
90-93
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
50 and below
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Grading Standards (courtesy of Gerald Alred) The following criteria will apply to grades since the
work in this class is intended to simulate the workplace; I will serve as your manager:
A = Manager would be very impressed and remember the work when promotions are discussed. I would
write an unqualified, enthusiastic recommendation letter.
B = Manager would be satisfied with the work but not impressed. I would write a generally positive but
somewhat qualified recommendation.
C = Manager would be disappointed and ask you to revise or rewrite sections before allowing clients to see
the work. I might urge you to have someone else write a recommendation.
D = Manager would be troubled by the poor quality of work. You would not want to mention my name as a
possible reference.
F = Manager would start looking for someone to replace you. Please do not tell anyone you were my
student!
Rubrics are provided on D2L for each of the assignments. These sets of guidelines help explain the
attributes of effective, useful, and well-produced documents that clearly meet the assignment goals
as well as ways in which documents may fall short of those goals.
Policies in this syllabus are subject to change. Students will be notified of amendments to the syllabus in writing.
ENGLISH 205, SECTION 009 & 011 • FALL 2016 • KIMBERLY BAKER
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