COM 270 – Business Communication

Drexel University – Summer 2007

Section 5: T-Th 9:30 – 10:50 a.m.

Curtis 255-A

 

Instructor: Teresa Cirillo, MA, APR                                                    

E-mail: tgc1016@dca.net (preferred)

Office hours: by appointment

 

Course Description:  Writing is a key skill for effectiveness in the workplace. It reflects your professionalism and contributes to your success. This course will help you develop and hone your writing skills to meet a variety of business needs. You’ll learn how to write clearly and with purpose for targeted audiences. Correct grammar, punctuation and style will be emphasized.

 

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to

Ø      write clear, accurate and grammatically correct business communications;

Ø      produce documents for varied business purposes such as memos, letters, resumes, proposals, reports and instructions;

Ø      adjust writing tone and content based on the business interest of the target audience;

Ø      research and understand effective business communication for a specific field of interest.

 

Required Text: Successful Writing at Work, concise edition, Philip Kolin. (Houghton Mifflin)

 

Companion website: http://college.hmco.com/english/kolin/successful_writing_concise/1e/students/index.html

 

BbVista site: learning.drexel.edu

Students will also be responsible for material presented in handouts, audio-visual presentations, or websites used as reference for class assignments.

 

Course requirements:

Ø      class attendance, participation;

Ø      checking e-mail and BbVista course site regularly;

Ø      reading assigned text chapters prior to class, and completing in-class assignments and quizzes on text and supplemental material;

Ø      submitting professional-looking, well-written out-of-class assignments by

Ø      beginning of class on date due. (Late assignments will lose one letter grade.);

Ø      working collaboratively.

 

Grading weights:

Ø      15%     class attendance, participation

Ø      15%     quizzes

Ø      10%     business letter/memo

Ø      20%     proposal/survey

Ø      5%       instructions

Ø      10%     job package

Ø      15%     report

Ø      10%     oral presentation

 

 

 

Criteria for Grading Papers: All writing must reflect thought, clarity, and correctness in grammar, punctuation and style. (Please use the many writing resources available both in print and on the internet. Drexel’s Writing Center can also be of assistance. )  All papers must be submitted typewritten and free of typos. You are required to submit hard copies in class on date due, but I may also require that you e-mail me copies of your work so that I can make revisions on your electronic copies. Papers submitted after the date due will lose one letter grade. Papers submitted a week or more late will not be accepted.  To receive an “A” on any assignment, you must demonstrate the following:

Ø      Clear writing objective and understanding of target audience;

Ø      Carefully thought-out ideas;

Ø      Correct grammar, punctuation and spelling (Consult resources discussed; proofread.);

Ø      Clear, effective style: sentences free of wordy or awkward construction; clear transition between ideas and paragraphs.

 

Attendance Policy: After two unexcused absences or continual excessive lateness in arriving to class, your final grade will be dropped one letter grade. Please make an effort to attend class and arrive on time. If you need to miss class or be late, please advise me by e-mail prior to the day of class. You will not be able to make up a quiz or class assignment for an unexcused absence.

 

E-mail, Bb Vista: Please check your e-mail accounts regularly as I will use this as a primary method of communicating with you.  Also, please visit our the BbVista course site, as I will include required supplemental material and web links there.

 

Academic Honesty: Cheating or plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any attempt to represent someone else's work as your own, including quoting or paraphrasing other sources without citing these sources, will be considered plagiarism--a form of academic misconduct. For more clarification on plagiarism, see Drexel's Student Handbook.

 

Cheating involves illegitimate activity during quizzes and class assignments, as well as submitting assignments previously submitted in other classes.  You may not submit work completed for other classes for which credit was previously received or credit is currently pending.

 

 

 

 

Course Schedule (subject to change):

 

 

Week                          Topic                                                   Assignment

 

June 26, 28                    Course introduction                                view Power Writing video

                                    Power Writing                                      (use video link on Bb Vista)

 

July 2, 5                        Audience, message, purpose                  Read text chapters 1 & 2

                                                                                                editing exercises           

           

July 10, 12                     The writing process;                              Editing and revising   Quiz #1

 

July 17, 19                     Memos/letters                                       Read text chapters 3 &4; Quiz #2 

                                                                                   

July 24, 26                     Job-search letters, resumes                    Letter assignment due; read text chapter 5

 

July 31, Aug. 2              Designing Documents/Websites             Job-package assignment due;

                                                                                                read text chapter 6; website critiques

 

Aug. 7, 9                       Writing Instructions                               Quiz #3; read chapter 7;

                                    Survey writing                                       Instructions assignment        

 

Aug. 14, 16                   Proposals                                              read text chapter 8 & 9

                                                                                                Draft proposal/survey                                    

Aug. 21, 23                   Report writing                                       Final proposals due;

                                    Effective Presentations                          read text chapter 10; report assignment

 

Aug. 28, 30                   Class presentations                                Final reports due;

                                                                                                oral presentations;

                                                                                                course evaluations        

                       

 

(The instructor reserves the right to change this course schedule as needed.)