SPRING 2012 COMM 3031 PROFESSIONAL WRITING Wednesday 6p.m.-8:50p.m.

Hale 304 Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men. - Plato Instructor: Professor Dana C. Hackley, M.S. Office Hours: By Appointment or via Skype Telephone: 412-303-4110 (cell) E-mail: dhackley@gmail.com Section C1

Course description and goal: This course is designed to introduce students to a set of advanced intellectual and rhetorical skills. The goal is to prepare students to handle applied situations in the field of professional writing. The projects required in this course form a sequenced set of conventions that will enable students to work through practical situations that occur in the workplace. These projects are designed to assist students in developing analytical and persuasive skills which employers see as both necessary and challenging. Objectives: The objective of this course is to:

Provide a rhetorical foundation. Provide practice in writing a variety of genre related to professional writing. Provide experience in close reading of documents/texts. Provide the opportunity to apply effective principles of document design.

University Policies: Please take the time to review these policies as they will be enforced during the course of this class. Statement on Academic Integrity Students with Disabilities Course Policies: These policies will be discussed in the first class meeting and enforced throughout the course of the semester. Attendance Students are required to attend all classes, arrive on time and be prepared for class. Because this class is structured in such a way as to emphasize teaching practical application, attendance is mandatory. In the event of an emergency or an absence, please notify the instructor in advance so that they can prepare effectively for you and the other students in attendance. A student missing class must contact a classmate to obtain any notes or assignments. Missing more than four classes will result in a penalty of one letter grade. Missing or Late Work In the professional workforce deadlines are of utmost importance. If you continually miss your deadline, you will no longer have a job. With that in mind, your assignments are due on deadline. If you are having a problem meeting your deadline, contact me early in the process; otherwise, there will be no exceptions for missing deadline. If you miss deadline, your grade will be automatically reduced one letter grade. Plagiarism Plagiarism is taken very seriously both in the real world and in this course. The first instance will warrant an F for the assignment, the second instance an F for the course. Both instances will be reported to the schools Integrity Review Board.

SPRING 2012
Required Textbooks: Davis, Kenneth (2010). The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course in Business Writing and Communication. New York: McGraw-Hill. Barr, Chris et al. (2010). The Yahoo Style Guide. New York: St. Martins Griffin. Optional Supplemental Reading:

Resources: http://www.write.com/ Assessment Because this is a writing class, students will be judged on their writing and knowledge of style, format, and grammar as well as how they improve and progress as the semester passes. Each assignment will be graded on a point basis; the actual scale is listed below. A rubric for the group project will be handed out in class. Attached to this syllabus is a rubric for the other three assignments. Assignments: There are 3 deliverables during the course of the semester not including the ongoing online discussion. -Cover Letter/Resume -Training/Instructional Module -Group Project Cover Letter/Resume Training/Instructional Module In-Class Assignments/Discussion Thread/ Class Participation Group Project 50 points 50 points 100 points 300 points

Blackboard Discussion Thread: A discussion thread has been set up for the course. Students will be expected to post regularly in response to weekly prompts. The prompts should be seen as conceptual starting places, not rigid guidelines to follow. You should also comment on each others posts. Posts and comments will count toward participation grades. Don't get seduced into the idea that this doesn't count. Group Project: The class will be divided into two groups. Each group will be required to create a written proposal/pitch and present it to the class. Each member will also fill out a peer evaluation and self-evaluation in regards to the group project.

SPRING 2012
TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE: Please remember to read all assigned chapters of the required books before the first class each week. Bring at the minimum your AP Stylebook, grammar book to all class sessions. Week 1: January 11, 2012 Review Syllabus Read Chapter 1 of Elements of Business Writing Week 2: January 18, 2012 Composition Bootcamp Read Chapter 2 of Elements of Business Writing Week 3: January 25, 2012 In-Class Assignment 1 Writing a Cover Letter & Resume Read Chapter 3 of Elements of Business Writing Week 4: February 1, 2012 Knowing Your Audience Citing Sources and Copyright Read Chapter 2 of Yahoo Style Guide Week 5: February 8, 2012 Writing Clearly and Concisely Cover Letter & Resume due In-Class Assignment 2 Chapter 10 and 11 of Yahoo Style Guide Week 6: February 15, 2012 Writing a Memo Basic Design Principles Week 7: February 22, 2012 Producing a Newsletter In-Class Assignment 3 Read Chapter 8 Yahoo Style Guide Week 8: February 29, 2012 Prepping for an Interview The Thank You Week 9:SPRING BREAK NO CLASS Week 10: March 14, 2012

SPRING 2012
Training/Instructional Module Online Portfolio/Resume Read Chapter 17 Yahoo Style Guide Week 11: March 21, 2012 User-Centered Writing Explained In-Class Assignment 4 Week 12: March 28, 2012 Emails & Social Media Training/Instructional Module due Grant Writing Basics Week 13: April 4, 2012 Writing for Video/Multimedia Basics Writing for the Web Basic HTML Read Chapter 1 Yahoo Style Guide Week 14: April 11, 2012 Ethics & Legal Issues in Writing In-Class Assignment 5 Read Chapter 18 Yahoo Style Guide Week 15: April 18, 2012 Group Presentations Finals Week: April 23-27 NO EXAM Final Grades Due: April 30, 2012