BC 290 Professional Written Communication & Critical Analysis
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON
COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT
COURSE SYLLABUS – Spring 2015
Instructor: Bryan Richardson
Instructor Office/Phone: M-02-0207
Instructor’s Office hours: Tues/Thurs.
All other hours by appointment.
Email: bryan.richardson@umb.edu
(Laptop/desktop/tablet support and sales, (P/C Guys) 1508-238-1222, North Easton Ma, 02356
Please feel free to reach out to Professor Richardson with any questions.
Required Text/Material(s): (TO BE ANNOUNCED)
(USEFUL RESOURCE, any edition)
Pearson Business Reference and Writer’s Handbook
Prentice Hall-Publishers ISBN-10: 0-13-514053-6 ISBN-13: 978-0-13514053-6
Course Background:
BC290 satisfies the College of Management’s writing proficiency requirement. This is a writing intensive
course that focuses on the skills students will need to effectively analyze and communicate as managers.
These skills include the ability to: think critically in order to analyze your own thinking and the thinking
of others; write clearly, concisely and appropriately for a variety of purposes, and to a variety of
audiences. Your overall final course performance and your level of writing must be a B- or higher to pass
the course. Your grade for the final standardized essay must also meet a B- or higher. Any student falling
below the standard (B-) required for the course work or the final essay will have to repeat the class.
Learning Objectives:
BC290 provides students the opportunity to build both oral and written skills through a series of activities
that teaches students to formulate arguments, answer questions about audience analysis, attend to
sentence level errors and word choices, and cultivate the dispositions needed to succeed overall in every
aspect of business communication. The overall learning course objectives include;
Developing solid analytical skills in understanding, constructing and evaluating arguments in
the business world.
Developing an ability to communicate effectively with a diverse group of people.
Developing an ability to express ideas, argue your points professionally, and frame issues in a
clear, concise and competent manner.
Presenting work (written and verbal) in a strategic, coherent and comprehensible manner.
Enhancing students’ business writing skills relevant to the business community.
Course Requirements:
Professional Communication Skills-Professional Attitude- As a matter of courtesy, respect and
professionalism, turn off your cell phones and all electronic devices during class time!
ALL communication concerning this course must use standard professional English-both oral and
written. “Text” style messages (i.e, that use “i” instead of I, slang and an unprofessional tone will not be
acknowledged or responded to. Please proofread your emails before you send them. Any unprofessional
emails will count against your final grade.
Participation/Attendance: Please come to class prepared to engage in discussions of the relevant
materials. Class attendance is vital: all students may be absent one week (one class if we meet once a
week; two if we meet twice a week) without clearing the absences with me; please let me know of any
further absences in advance; students with more than 2 weeks’ absences may fail the class.
Submission of Work:
ALL FINAL ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS,
PRINTED-I WILL NOT ACCEPT YOUR WORK BY EMAIL,UNLESS NOTIFIED.
Any late submissions will be penalized 10% off the final grade including those who print their
assignments during class time.
Late Papers: Not accepted without prior approval of the Instructor and there will be a grade deduction.
Failure to speak with me BEFORE the assignment due date will result in a zero for that assignment.
Writing Format:
All written work submitted during the semester should be typed, single spaced (double spaced if advised),
Times New Roman 12 point font, 1 to 1 ¼ inch margins, pages numbered, free from spelling and
grammatical errors, and stapled in the upper left-hand corner (no report covers, please). If you feel you
need help with your writing, you may get assistance from other campus resources, such as the tutors in
M5-240. Remember that most computer programs have spell-checking options that will help you find
many, but not all, spelling and typographical errors. Keep a copy of all written assignments for your
records.
Email: You can reach me most easily via email. I will also email you with important updates (such as
class cancelations) via your WISER account.
This is the account whose address is
first.last001@umb.edu. You should check your email shortly before class every time we meet. You can
go into your WISER account and forward your WISER email to your preferred account (yahoo, hotmail,
etc.). It is important that you learn to send completely professional emails. When emailing me, use
professional language and tone.
Use a salutation (e.g., “Dear Prof. Richardson,”).
Use a closing (e.g., “Yours, Marsha”).
Pay attention to the subject line – include the course number in all emails.
Keep the message as short as possible.
Proof read everything to make sure your emails are in coherent English-no texting.
Academic Honesty:
Plagiarism includes copying someone else's words and claiming them as your own, paraphrasing someone
else's words and/or ideas and claiming them as your own, or collaborating excessively with another
person or persons and claiming the work as solely your own. If you are unclear about what constitutes
plagiarism, please come see me and I will be happy to explain things to you. Plagiarism on any
assignment in this class will at minimum result in an "F" for the assignment. I reserve the right to pursue
further disciplinary action if appropriate (e.g., any student caught cheating on an exam will receive an "F"
for the course). I strongly recommended students maintain a record of the preparation of their
assignments. Please refer to the University Student Handbook for further clarification on this.
Grading Format:
Grades are earned over the course of the semester, and include evaluation of your overall in-class
contribution over the course of the semester, your group work participation, your individual homework
assignments, and a final standard essay. To pass the course the following is required:
A final Essay, similar to the CMWA exam: This will be a major determinant of your ability
to pass the course.
You must complete all assignments including the final essay. No assignment is optional and
only in extreme cases will late assignments be accepted.
Students whose work or class assessments falls below the required standard may at my
discretion, be required to revise their assignments until a satisfactory grade is achieved. All
original papers must accompany the revision. Only two paper revisions may be permitted.
There will be no extra credit assignments or make up for midterm exams and the Persuasive
Essay. Note: Students will not receive a second chance on the midterm or finals.
All class activities and writing assignments build on each other and are preparation for your
final exam. Absence from class will have an impact on your class contribution.
Class participation is a core part of your grade. Therefore regular attendance to class is highly
recommended. Excessive lateness and absences may result in failure of the course even
where you have a valid reason for missing class.
All business-writing assignments must be typed/word processed, using Times New Roman
font and 12-point font size. I do not accept hand written assignments.
Grading/Evaluation Standards
Specific criteria for each writing project will be provided as we go, however the following criteria for
evaluating writing will be reflected in your grade for individual written assignments: Your assignments
are evaluated on the basis of: (1) content, (2) clarity of expression, (3) extent of research, (4) analysis of
material, (5) professional appearance and (6) quality of writing. All written assignments should be typed,
single-spaced. Assignments are due at the beginning of the class period unless specified differently. Your
final grade for this course will be based on the following:
Class Conduct, Class Attendance and Class Contribution:
Course Midterm: (TBA) Movie Review
Article Reviews; (Possible) Oral Presentation,
Writing Portfolios: Email, Memo, Business Letter:
Persuasive Cases, Report Proposal, Article Analysis
10%
10%
10%
15%
15%
Final Persuasive Essay:
100-94 = A
93.99-90 =A89.99-87 =B+
86.99-84 = B
83.99-80 = B
79.99-77 = C+
40%
76.99-74 = C
73.99-70 = C69.99-67 = D+
66.99-64 = D
63.99-60 = D59.99 or < F
Tests: (TBA)
There are usually two in class tests over the course of the semester. No prior notice will be given before
the tests. The tests will be based on grammar questions, and will count towards your final grade.
Rewrites:
Rewrites are permitted solely at the discretion of the professor. Irrespective of your personal or
professional difficulties, each student is allowed only TWO rewrites over the course of the semester
for up to 15 EXTRA PTS. Per paper. Submissions of assignments on its due dates are highly
encouraged and late papers will be dropped a grade for every day it is late. If papers are late for over a
week, they will receive a failing grade. Use the course syllabus and website to keep up with due
dates for each assignment.
Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability and feel you will need accommodations in order to
complete course requirements, please contact the Ross Center for Disability Services (M-1-401) at (617)
287-7430. For more information see: http://www.rosscenter.umb.edu/
Class Schedule & Assignments (TBA) (Subject to Revision If
Necessary)
All students will be informed of changes to assignments or
lecture material via email or during class lecture.
Date
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8 No Cell Zone
Assignment
Week 9
Reports/Proposals
Topics/Assignments
Introduction to Class and Course; Developing a class
contract.
Overview of syllabus, and course materials
Setting Class Expectations; Writing Resources
Who are you? 5-10 min from seat exercise.
Grammar, Mechanics and Usage
Sections 1-5 (1-55) Pearson’s Business Reference
Article analysis due.
The Writing Process
Sections 6-7 (56-65) Pearson’s Business Reference
Who am I? Paragraph due.
Email, Memos & Letters
Section 8 (66-77) Pearson’s Business Reference
Who am I? 4 Paragraphs due.
Persuasive writing lect.-Persuasive business criminal
assignment.
Persuasive Article Due:
Reports Proposals and Documenting Sources
Section 9 (78-84) Pearson’s Business Reference
Article due.
MIDTERM EXAM-PAPER TBA Movie review
Resumes/Cover letters
Thinking about Research, Evaluating Source Materials,
Introduction to MLA/APA Formats
Article analysis due.
Thinking about Research, Evaluating Source Materials,
Introduction to MLA/APA Formats (cont.)
Week 10
Research…Introduce
projects
Types of Reasoning, Fallacies
Week 11
Persuasive Messages, Public Speaking
Working in Groups
*Article Summary/Analysis Due
Persuasive Speaking-Group Work
Business Presentations
Writing for Multimedia
Sections 88-89 Pearson
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
*Oral Presentations Due
Case Study Analysis
Practice Essays
Final Exam/ Final Essay
Date:
Essay (40%) will be a 3 hour session in the computer lab; your essay will be very
similar to the CMWA you’ve already taken, except that the material you analyze will be
different, and you will have 3 hours instead of 2 to complete it.
Important Dates
GREEN LAB, HEALY LIBRARY
2-10
2-12
2-24
2-26
3-10
3-12
3-24
3-26
4-7
4-9
4-21
4-23
5-5
5-7