SYLLABUS
ENGL394—Business Writing
FALL 2015
Section 0602, 0701, 0802
Instructor: Ellen Blumner
E-mail:
eblumner@umd.edu.
Please use this email address to contact me, rather than Canvas email.
Office hours: Tawes 1208
Monday and Wednesday
1:00-2:00 pm; by appointment
Phone: PWP officer number: 301-405-3762
Teaching Assistants: Scott Rosenbaum; Audrey Kono
akono@umd.edu; srosenba@terpmail.umd.edu
Description of Course:
The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with formats and structures of business
communication and provide practice in writing clear and concise professional documents
(reports, memos, letters, resumes, and emails). In doing so, the course will focus on working
collaboratively in a group. Much emphasis will be placed on writing for a specific audience and
purpose.
This is primarily a workshop class. As such, formal lectures are short and infrequent.
Instead, experiential exercises based on readings in the textbook and on Canvas make up
the basis of our classroom time. Online assignments are structured so that you practice the
material that has been presented. Frequent reviews of your work by your peers are built
into the course. Individual meetings with me and the teaching assistants, as well as
comments on your papers, provide feedback on your work. My primary role is to facilitate
your learning. How much you learn and how well you perform is up to YOU.
Course Objectives:
As a result of this course, students will:
 Become familiar with the various types of professional documents (letters, memos
resumes, reports, emails) and produce well-written samples of these documents.
 Construct effective paragraphs and easily accessible sentences.
 Use clarity and brevity for effective writing.
 Gain a better understanding of the overall writing process from draft to revision.
 Construct valid and persuasive arguments appropriate to the audience and purpose of the
document.
 Gather research information in libraries, on the Internet, and through other print or media
sources.
 Incorporate feedback from instructor, teaching assistants, and peers.
 Collaborate with peers in group work (peer review, class exercises, consulting project,
correspondence project, and oral presentations).
Course Policies:
Attendance and Lateness: Coming into class late is disruptive and unprofessional and should be
avoided except in cases of true emergency. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each
class. Changes will be made to assignments at the beginning of class. In the rare event that you
must enter class late, please make sure to get information from a classmate about any directions
that have been given or changes that have been discussed.
Regular attendance in class is essential. Excessive absences, even if they are excused, may
lower the Professionalism portion of your grade. We will be doing a lot of experiential work in
class that cannot be recovered, and your presence in class will be important to the other class
members. In extreme cases, excessive absenteeism may result in your receiving a failing grade
in the course.
Please contact me by email (eblumner@umd.edu )if you know you are going to miss a class. If
you miss a class, please contact another student to find out what happened in class. When
you contact someone for information about class work, that student has the responsibility to
return your call or email. You likewise have this responsibility if the need arises for anyone else
in the class. If this process is not working, please inform me of the problem.
For every medically necessary absence from class, please notify me before the class that you will
not be there. If you are absent more than once due to illness, I require documentation signed by a
health care professional.
Please inform me of any intended absences for religious observance well in advance.
Since all assignments in this class are to be submitted electronically, I expect all due dates to be
honored. In the case of prolonged absence due to sickness, please contact me by email to
negotiate a new due date.
Below is the link to the University’s policy regarding absence:
http://www.umd.edu/catalog/index.cfm/show/content.section/c/27/ss/1584/s/1540
Assignments, changes, and due dates will always be noted on the Canvas space, but if you want
additional information about what is required for a specific class, please use the procedure
outlined above.
Late papers: All assignments and due dates are listed on the Canvas site. Assignments are due at
11:59 pm on the due date. Assignments handed in after that time will be accepted, but the grade
will be reduced by 10% for each day the assignment is late. An assignment submitted at 12:01
am is a day late. Please do not wait until 11:58 pm to begin submitting assignments, as Canvas
may have problems and may cause your assignment to be late.
If an assignment is not submitted one week (7 days) after its due date, the grade for that
assignment will be 0.
Please note: Because this class uses Canvas for submission of assignments, some assignments
will be due on non-class dates. It is important to check your email frequently, even on weekends.
Also note: In order to receive a passing grade in the course, students must submit all
assignments, even ungraded assignments.
SNOW/HURRICANE/EARTQUAKE/INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY: The assignments
for this class will continue even if the University closes for inclement weather. Due dates
will remain firm, and we will continue to interact with each other via email and on the
Canvas site. In the event of loss of power due to inclement weather, we will negotiate a new
due date.
Plagiarism: Any student guilty of plagiarism will be dealt with severely. Dismissal from the
course with a grade of F is the minimum penalty for plagiarism. A student can be dismissed
from the University for charges of plagiarism. Abuses of the honor system will be referred to the
Honor Council. Of course, borrowing information from published sources is appropriate, but
you must identify the source and document it sufficiently. Internet information needs citing as
well.
Policy for students with special needs: If you have a special need, you must present within the
first two weeks of class documentation supporting your request for accommodations due to that
need. On a case-by-case basis, we will discuss and write a plan as to how your accommodation
will be implemented in class procedures.
Classroom conduct policy: Everyone in the classroom is to be treated with respect and courtesy,
as befitting professional colleagues. Some specific behaviors include the following:
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coming to class prepared to engage in meaningful discussion, with graded and nongraded assignments completed, including assigned reading
coming to class on a regular basis; emailing professor in advance when unable to attend
class
paying attention in class
participating in in-class exercises, whether graded or not
not holding side conversations
exhibiting respectful behavior to each other, the TA’s, and the professor
not emailing, text messaging, reading newspapers, surfing the Web, etc.
not eating or drinking anything but water in the lab
not using the computer for doing class work other than the work of ENGL394.
Doing otherwise will result in a substantial decline in the Professionalism portion of your
grade. Please note these guidelines throughout the semester to avoid questions about your
Professionalism grade at the end of the semester.
Cell phone and laptop policy: All phones must be turned off upon entering the classroom or as
class is about to start. Usually, we will be using lab computers for our work in the class; there
will be some times when personal laptops can be used instead.
Work make-up policy: Group exercises, quizzes, and most in-class writing assignments missed
due to absence cannot be made up.
If you are experiencing difficulties in keeping up with the academic demands of this course,
contact the Learning Assistance Service, 2202 Shoemaker Building, 301-314-7693. Their
educational counselors can help with time management, reading, math learning skills, notetaking and exam preparation skills. All their services are free to UM students.
Required texts:
Business Communication Essentials, A Skills-Based Approach Courtland Bovee and John
Thill, seventh edition
ISBN number: 978-0-13-389678-7.
The required textbook is also available in an online edition.
Older editions of the book may be used, but students are responsible for coordinating assigned
chapters and exercises.
Assignments and course requirements:
All PWP classes require a minimum of six graded assignments comprising a minimum of 25
pages of original writing (at least 6250 words).
The main assignments for the class are as follows. You will note that most of the written
assignments support one of the three main projects in this class: Strategic Career Plan;
Consulting Project; and Correspondence Packet.
Diagnostic Memo
Reflective memos (three)
1%
5%
Individual
Individual
Strategic Career Plan/ Short Report—Peer
Review
15%
Individual
Consulting Project
Individual Topic Proposal Memo
Proposal memo/ client (audience) analysis
Annotated bibliography/Research
Recommendation report and deliverables
Oral presentation
Peer review #1 of final project
Peer review #2 of final project
5%
5%
5%
20%
5%
1%
1%
Individual
Group
Individual
Group
Group
Individual
Individual
Letter Packet
15%
Group
Discussion board participation
Professionalism (quizzes: 1; attendance: 1;
in-class activities and writing: 2; general
professional businesslike behavior: 4)
9%
8%
Individual
Individual
Final Writing Assignment—Persuasive
Memo
5%
Individual
Other Rules:
 Papers must be original; they cannot be recycled from another class.
Discussion Board:
Each week, several threads will be posted on the Discussion Board in Canvas. Each one should
be answered substantively (150 words) by Wednesday night (11:59 pm) of each week. By
Sunday night of that same week (11:59 pm), you must respond to one or two of your
classmates’ posts per thread. Each thread will indicate how many posts are required.
Although your response postings need not be lengthy, they should be more than “I agree” and
should show some further understanding of the topic being discussed.
This is a very important part of our work together. Discussion board participation extends class
participation and is a forum to practice your writing on the topics we are discussing each week.
Discussion board grades will be posted three times during the semester. Each week, your
responses will be tabulated on a spreadsheet maintained by the TA for your class.
Grading Standards:
Four broad evaluative criteria determine the grade students receive on their papers. The criteria
include the following:
1. Purpose and Audience—the degree to which the writer conveys the paper’s purpose; the
degree to which the writer uses appropriate tone, style, and content for a clearly intended
audience;
2. Content—the use of effective evidence to support the main points of the paper.
3. Format—the overall structure of the paper, including the appropriate format for the
specific assignment.
4. Mechanics/Readability—skills such as style, mechanics, sentence and paragraph
coherence; the degree of ease with which the reader can understand the document.
Every paper handed in will be evaluated on the above four criteria.
The following grading structure is based on these four criteria:
The A Paper
 This paper very clearly fulfills its purpose and accommodates itself well to the intended
audience.
 This paper uses persuasive, detailed evidence. The reasoning is thoughtful and exhibits
insight. Citations are used appropriately and frequently when factual information is
presented.
 The paper flows well. Paragraphs are well developed and logically follow those
preceding them. The conclusion makes sense. Headings are used appropriately
throughout the document. The paper is formatted in an appropriate manner.
 The writing is clear and structurally sound. It contains few or no mechanical errors. The
reader can easily understand and follow the writer’s points.
The B Paper
 The assignment has been followed and fulfilled, but in a somewhat predictable way. A
sense of clear audience and purpose may be lacking throughout the paper.
 The reasoning is thoughtful but not complex. The paper may not contain enough details
to support its main point. Factual material may be cited sometimes but not all the time.
 The introduction and conclusion are clear. Although some of the paragraphs are well
developed, some may need more work. The format is basically sound, but may contain
some errors or omissions. The paper contains some headings, but not enough to help the
reader navigate through the document.
 The sentence structure is basically correct. Serious sentence errors are minimal, though
some may exist. The reader can fairly easily comprehend the writing but may have to
struggle at some points in the document.
The C Paper
 The assignment has been minimally followed, but purpose and/or audience may be
unclear.
 The supporting evidence is weak; the paper may lack some important factual information.
Citations may be lacking or used inappropriately.
 Some organizational pattern may be present, but it may not be clear. Business format may
be lacking, including use of appropriate headings throughout.
 Sentence structure may be adequate at times, but it could be improved with effective use
of subordination, sentence variety, and modifiers. Some comma splices and fragments
may be present. The paper contains errors in spelling, mechanics, and/or grammar.
Sentences and paragraphs may be long and convoluted. The reader has to struggle to get
meaning from this paper.
The D Paper
 The paper’s sense of purpose and audience is limited or non-existent.
 Necessary evidence may be missing or out of order. Citations are not used or are used
inappropriately.
 The organization is difficult to identify. The introduction and conclusion may be unclear
or missing. Paragraphs may not be well developed; transitions may be missing. Correct
business format is not apparent. Headings are missing throughout the document.
 Numerous errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation may occur. Sentences and
paragraphs are long and cumbersome. The reader cannot grasp the meaning of this paper
easily or at all.
The F Paper
 This paper is not on assignment.
 This paper contains little or no evidence or plagiarized evidence.
 This paper exhibits little or no logical organization. Business formatting, including
headings, is non-existent.
 This paper contains many errors in grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation. The reader
cannot comprehend its meaning at all.
Grade Breakdown—Plus and Minus grading
A
B
C
D
Minus (e.g. A-)
90 to 93.9
80 to 83.9
70 to 73.9
60 to 63.9
94 to 96.9
84 to 86.9
74 to 76.9
64 to 66.9
Plus (e.g. A+)
97 and above
87 to 89.9
77 to 79.9
67 to 69.9
Schedule of Assignments:
Because each class differs in its needs and because unexpected events may occur, I reserve the
right to change the due dates of the assignments. If any changes occur, they will be
announced in class, by email, and in the Modules section of Canvas.
Reading assigned for a specific date is due on the assigned day. For instance, by January 26,
you should have read Chapters 1 and 3 in your textbook.
WEEK OF:
August 31
Introductions
Class Policies
Chapters 1 (page 3-10; page 16-22), 3
Discussion Board
Diagnostic Memo due—September 2
Reflective Memo 1 due—September 3
September 7
The Writing Process /Readability
Emails/Memos, Letters
Chapters 4, 5, 10
Begin discussing Strategic Career Plan, Short Reports
September 14
Strategic Career Plan, Short Reports
Chapters 13, 14
September 21
Peer Review of Strategic Career Plan (Monday)
Strategic Career Plan due—September 23
September 28
Begin discussing collaboration; working in groups
Begin discussing Consulting Project and Individual Topic Proposal
Chapter 2
October 5
Individual Topic Proposal due—October 7
Elevator speeches—form groups
October 12
Contracts/ Emails to clients
Audience Analysis
Begin discussing Group Topic Proposal; SWOT
Conferences
October 19
Group Topic Proposal due
Discuss research
Library session
October 26
Second Reflective Memo due: October 26
Annotated bibliography—due October 28
Chapter 11
November 2
Oral presentations—Monday and Wednesday
Chapter 12
November 9
First Peer Review—Consulting Project
Minimum of Intro/ Consultant
Qualifications/Background/Analysis (SWOT)/Research
Results; Recommendations
Conferences
November 16
Second Peer Review—Consulting Project—Monday
Project should be complete by this time except for letter of
transmittal and executive summary
Conferences
Consulting Project due—November 18
360 Evaluations due November 19
November 23
Correspondence Packet
Chapters 7, 8, 9
November 30
Correspondence Packet—due Dec. 2
Reflective Memo 3—due Dec. 4
Revised reports to clients—Nov. 30
Final survey to Prof. B—Dec. 4
December 7
Final Writing Assignment—in class December 7
Chapter 9