WELCOME TO BA 290
Business Communication Section 2/3
Spring 2014
Course Syllabus
Section 2
Section 3
Instructor:
Office Hours:
Monday/Wednesday 2PM – 3:15PM SSW 2650
Monday/Wednesday 3:30PM – 4:45PM SSW 2650
Robert Lawry
(619) 594-3033
E-mail rlawry@mail.sdsu.edu
M/W 4:45 to 5:15
Office SSE 3322
Class Website: http://blackboard.sdsu.edu/
COURSE DESCRIPTION/ LEARNING OUTCOMES: This course is designed to
improve your communication skills so that you can present business information more
effectively. This course consists of lecture, writing, class participation, homework, quizzes,
midterm and final exams.
The course places great emphasis on writing, in and out of class. It is assumed that students
have a basic understanding of English usage: parts of speech, sentence construction,
punctuation, subject-verb and subject-pronoun agreement, etc.
At the end of this course you should be able to:
1.
Adapt the concepts of business communication to written and oral presentations through
careful audience analysis and message planning.
2.
Employ business writing techniques and the language of business communication in
choosing words, writing sentences, and developing paragraphs for good news, bad news, and
persuasive messages that are clear, concise, complete, and accurate.
3.
Incorporate technology effectively in gathering, organizing, writing, and presenting
messages.
4.
Gather, interpret, organize, and attribute both primary and secondary information in
analytical business reports.
5.
Evaluate and produce graphics to communicate messages quickly and accurately.
6.
Discuss effective collaboration in preparing written documents.
7.
Explain the role of communication in intercultural and global settings.
REQUIRED TEXT: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION 2e by Flatley, Rentz and Lentz,
Two good resources if English is NOT your first language:
Geffner, A.(1998). Barron’s ESL guide to American business English. Huckin, T. and Olsen,
L. (1991). Technical writing and professional communication for non-native speakers of
English (2nd ed.)New York, NY:McGraw
MLA WEBLINKS: You will be using MLA format in our report. The following sites are
helpful:
http://www.calstatelaedu/library/guides/3apa.pdf
http://owl.eglish.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
SUPPLIES:
One package of 815-E Scantrons
Two 882-E Scantrons for midterm and final
Flash Drive—keep all of your BA 290 writing assignments (in and out of class)
on this
Access to a computer
ASSIGNMENTS:
Check BlackBoard and email before each class session. It is a good idea to do this early
enough so that you can complete any assignment that may be posted or print any materials that
may be needed for that day’s class.
All reading assignments should be completed PRIOR to the class in which the
chapter/assignment will be covered.
All writing assignments must be KEYBOARDED OR TYPED in acceptable format on 8 ½ by
11 white paper ALL assignments are due on the due date. If you will not be attending class,
date-stamped assignments can be put in my mailbox on the due date for full credit. .
Assignments will be accepted at the next class meeting for ½ credit. After that, they will not
be accepted.
GRADING
This class is based on POINTS not PERCENTAGES
Your grade will be determined by your scores on the assignments, quizzes, tests, group work, a
written report, an oral report, the resume packet, the in-class writings, the midterm and the
final. Your grades will be posted on BlackBoard. It is your job to keep track of your grades.
Points:
200
90
100
50
100
100
100
Grade scale:
4 In-class writings- 50 each
9 Quizzes- 10 each
Written report
Report Presentation
Resume Packet
Midterm
Final
A 666-740 (90%)
B 592-665 (80-89%)
C 518-591 (70-79%)
D 444-517 ( 60-69%)
F below 444
Total 740
In addition to the required work, there may be various assignments during the semester that
will add to the total points. Total points may also vary depending on class cancellations or
other time problems. The points for letter grades would change accordingly. Blackboard will
show total points available and as well as your percentage.
Plusses and Minuses will be determined by me.
REDO—a redo is an in-class writing assignment in which you did not meet the required “C”
writing level, and you are given the paper back to fix (redo). The maximum score you can
earn on a redo is 70%.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
The course schedule gives you an idea of the material covered, assignments, quiz and exam
dates. You are, however, responsible for any changes that are made to the schedule in class, via
email, or announced on BlackBoard.
STUDENTS HELP: I am always available to help you with assignments, review drafts of
your writing (but not on the day a writing assignment is due), go over reading assignments you
do not understand etc. during my office hours.
ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY: You are expected to comply with all university rules
and regulations including those regarding cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic
dishonesty and unethical conduct. Go to
http://its.sdsu.edu/turnitin/pdf/Plagiarism_AcadSen.pdf, for the entire document.
PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism shall be defined as the act of incorporating ideas, words, or
specific substance of another, whether purchased, borrowed, or otherwise obtained, and
submitting same to the University as one’s own work to fulfill academic requirements without
giving credit to the appropriate source. Plagiarism shall include but not be limited to (a)
submitting work, either in part or in whole, completed by another; (b) omitting citations for
ideas, statements, facts, or conclusions that belong to another; (c) omitting quotation marks
when quoting directly from another, whether it be a paragraph, sentence, or part thereof; (d)
close and lengthy paraphrasing of the writings of another; (e) submitting another person’s
artistic works, such as musical compositions, photographs, paintings, drawings, or sculptures;
and (f) submitting as one’s own work papers purchased from research companies.
The library has the online information literacy tutorial, "Plagiarism: The Crime of Intellectual
Kidnapping." This is a self-directed, 30-minute tutorial that teaches you about plagiarism.
Each student must take the tutorial and provide evidence of completion as indicated in the
schedule.
IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS /WRITINGS AND EXAMS: These assignments cannot be
made up without prior arrangement with me. The late policy may be applied. Athletes must see
me at least one week before missing a graded assignment or exam so that an early date can be
set for you to do the assignment.
RESEARCH PAPER
A research paper and oral presentation of the paper are required to pass the class.
The oral presentation must also be presented with PowerPoint.
OTHER
Attendance: I will take attendance. If you are absent, it is YOUR responsibility to find out
what you missed. It is a good idea to have a class “buddy ” that you can call for information. If
you are absent and miss an in-class writing or other class event, you may not be able to make it
up. If a serious illness or situation arises and you will be absent more than two classes, let me
know.
Cell phones and pagers are to be set on silent/vibrate mode when you enter the classroom.
No visitors are allowed in the classroom.
Please remove your hat when you enter the classroom—this means all ladies and gentlemen.
No texting in class. If you text in class, you will be asked to leave.
I will answer all emails as soon as I am able. I will not answer emails on weekends or holidays.
DISABILITY
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class,
it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473 (Calpulli
Center, Suite 3101),. To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should
contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are
not retroactive, and that I cannot provide accommodations based upon disability until I have
received an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services.
Once you have registered with Student Disability Services, please contact me privately to
discuss specific accommodations for which you have received authorization
The only thing certain in this class is uncertainty. This syllabus may be altered during the
semester.
.