FAU Course Catalog Description
Professional Writing, ENC 3213 (3 credits), Writing Across the Curriculum (Gordon Rule)
Prerequisite: ENC 1102 or substitute with a grade of “C” or better.
Description: Prepares the student to write professionally for audiences within and outside a corporation or nonprofit enterprise. Proofreading skills stressed.
English majors: This course can be used to meet the Category III: Writing requirement or can be used in partial fulfillment of the nine credit hours required at the 3000-4000 level.
Required Materials
You are not required to purchase materials for this course. While there is no single, physical (or electronic) textbook, your readings will be provided to you on the course website, through email, Blackboard, FAU Owl Apps (Google apps and services linked to your FAU email account), and/or available to FAU students via the FAU Online Library’s online holdings. In addition, you will need paper and pen for in class writings and activities that may be collected, and a means of taking and saving class notes (paper and pen or laptop, e-reader, etc.)
Unless otherwise indicated, you are required to bring readings to class with you on the day they are due, either in print or in electronic form. This includes pdf, doc, and/or html readings. Not having required readings will adversely affect your participation grade. After repeated instances, unprepared students may be marked absent for the class period.
Course Objectives & Learning Outcomes
Writing as a professional entails learning the forms of writing—or genres—that professionals in your field commonly write. In this class, you will be introduced to the various types of and techniques for producing professional writing, including business correspondence, proposals, reports, presentations, and other texts often found in business and professional communities. But more than this, being a professional means being able to read and write effectively in any professional situation. For that reason, this class will focus on the practice of reading and writing rhetorically—taking a rhetorical approach.
In professional situations, communicators must focus on purpose, audience, and style—foci that are different that typical academic writing that students may be familiar with. In addition to practicing professional communication in situations similar to those found in the professions, students will also analyze and write about business issues, which will demand thoughtful analysis of content areas, organizational patterns, point of view, and of document layout and design.
In general, this class will:
- expose writers to a range of professional and business writing genres and contexts, including the proper practices for writing and working within them.
- contexts for writing include the delivery of negative, informative, positive, and persuasive messages
- genres include memos, letters, reports, resumes, emails, and oral presentations
- expose writers to the project operating cycle of professional and business writers in industry, including the planning, research, composition, revision, and editing of professional documents
- encourage thoughtful document design and design of visuals to facilitate comprehension, readability, and usability
- encourage the development of good professional ethos and ethics in all communication situations
- prepare professional communicators to enter the job market through preparation and practice of various types of employment related communication, including resumes, letters, and employment interviews.
- encourage critical and reflective reading, writing, and thinking practices.
- facilitate both collaborative and individual experiences with research and writing.
- provide an introduction to the tools and technologies of contemporary professional and business writing.
Coursework & Weights
| Course Work & Weights* | |
| Business Correspondence Project | 25% |
| Document Design & Criticism | 25% |
| Job Search Portfolio | 25% |
| “Everything Else” (Exercises & Assignments) | 15% |
| Participation & Professionalism | 10% |
Just as in the professional world, this course will require you to complete a variety of assignments. Some assignments will be individual, some will be collaborative, some will be “formal,” and some will be informal. Unless otherwise indicated, all assignments should be typed, appropriately formatted (with APA bibliographies or works cited pages, if needed), and on time.
Descriptions of major assignments and assignment categories are described below, each comprising the indicated percentage of your final semester grade. Detailed directions, guidelines, and grading criteria will be provided in class and/or listed on the course website.
You will receive substantive feedback on your writing through peer review, class discussions of professional and student-authored texts, and through written and verbal comments from the instructor. You will have the opportunity (and often, you will be required) to revise your written work.
Business Correspondence Project
Correspondence such as emails, letters, and memos are the foundation of business communication and, for most professionals, make up the majority of the documents produced throughout a career. In class, we will analyze several emails, letters, and memos and discuss the various formats and organization strategies you can use to compose effective correspondence. You will compose a positive, negative, and persuasive piece of correspondence in response to professional scenarios that will be provided to you.
News Summary
CLOSE
News Summary
You will turn in a short summary “report” about an item in the news (article or essay) that of interest to our class on topics such as professional communication or design, specific concepts or strategies we discuss in class (such as delivering bad news, targeting an audience, etc.), communication trends or happenings in the professional world (or in your major/career field). As an alternative, you may report on a real world example of particularly effective or ineffective use of the elements of good professional communication. Articles must be dated no sooner than Jan 1, 2016.
Your written submission should include a link to the original text (or scan, if needed), should summarize the entire piece, highlighting the most important parts/points, and points that might be particularly interesting to your audience (an undergraduate mixed-major class), and clearly show how the article relates to course concepts and the goals of effective professional writing. You will also be required to give a very brief, very informal presentation to the class. More information, guidelines, and examples will be provided on the course website.
Document Design & Criticism
After understanding the principles of document design, professional writers can use design to set tone and mood, influence understanding, highlight important points, and increase the overall usability and professionalism of a document. During this project cycle, you will learn principles of visual communication as well as strategies for effective professional document design. You will use your knowledge and skills to critique design and to develop materials for professional clients.
White Paper Report
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White Paper Report
Job Search Portfolio
This project asks you to compose several documents related to finding a job. You will need to find a real job listing which you will use as the basis for your project. Ideally, this job listing is one that you could legitimately apply for in the near future. All of the documents you write will be geared toward getting this job. Once the project is done, you will have documents you can reuse or use as templates to generate professional job correspondence in the future. Before turning in your project, you will receive feedback from the instructor and you will be required to engage in substantial revision of your documents.
Everything Else: Activities, Assignments, Exercises, Quizzes, Etc.
Writing Activities, Assignments, & Activities: You will be expected to complete a number of written responses to case study or similar activities. These may be in class or take home, group or individual, and graded or ungraded. These activities will take one of two forms: 1) some will entail a short professional writing problem taken from actual events or common professional practice, to which students must propose a solution or otherwise respond, and 2) some will be an activity involving skills often used in professional communication situations.
Quizzes, Tests, & Exams: Students will be tested on reading materials, information from lectures and class discussions, and required additional reading material. Test dates will be listed on the course schedule on the class website. Quizzes may be announced or unannounced (pop), administered at the discretion of the instructor, and will be given at the beginning of class time. Quizzes cannot be made up.
Participation & Professionalism (…and Preparedness, Engagement, and Enthusiasm!)
This category includes your
- preparedness (of assigned readings, assignments, etc.);
- engagement in class classroom and online discussions;
- consistent attendance, attention, and punctuality (to class meetings, with informal writing, and in submission of assignments)
- good faith, productive involvement in formal and informal group work; and your commitment to inquiry, engagement, and intellectual development
- professional approach, attitude, and actions (to the class, toward your classmates, and to me);
- enthusiasm! (…if not, then the absence of visible apathy, annoyance, and/or aversion).
Grade Scale
| B+: 89.999-87 | C+: 79.999-77 | D+: 69.999-67 | F: 59.999 & below |
Your semester grades will not be rounded. This means that an 89.999 is a B+. Because this is a WAC course, you need a C or better (not C-) to fulfill WAC course requirements.
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| A: 100-93 | B: 86.999-83 | C: 76.999-73 | D: 66.000-63 | ||
| A-: 92.999-90 | B-: 82.999-80 | C-: 72.999-70 | D-: 62.999-60 |
Institutional Policies
University Attendance Policy Statement
Students are expected to attend all of their scheduled University classes and to satisfy all academic objectives as outlined by the instructor. The effect of absences upon grades is determined by the instructor, and the University reserves the right to deal at any time with individual cases of non-attendance.
Students are responsible for arranging to make up work missed because of legitimate class absence, such as illness, family emergencies, military obligation, court-imposed legal obligations or participation in University-approved activities. Examples of University-approved reasons for absences include participating on an athletic or scholastic team, musical and theatrical performances and debate activities. It is the student’s responsibility to give the instructor notice prior to any anticipated absences and within a reasonable amount of time after an unanticipated absence, ordinarily by the next scheduled class meeting. Instructors must allow each student who is absent for a University-approved reason the opportunity to make up work missed without any reduction in the student’s final course grade as a direct result of such absence.
University Disability Policy Statement
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), students who require special accommodation due to a disability to properly execute coursework must register with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) and follow all SAS procedures. SAS has offices across three of FAU’s campuses – Boca Raton (SU 133; 561-297-3880), Davie (LA 131; 954-236-1222) and Jupiter (SR 111F; 561-799-8585) – however disability services are available for students on all campuses.
University Code of Academic Integrity Policy Statement
Students at Florida Atlantic University are expected to maintain the highest ethical standards. Academic dishonesty is considered a serious breach of these ethical standards, because it interferes with the university mission to provide a high quality education in which no student enjoys an unfair advantage over any other. Academic dishonesty is also destructive of the university community, which is grounded in a system of mutual trust and places high value on personal integrity and individual responsibility. Harsh penalties are associated with academic dishonesty. For more information, see University Regulation 4.001: Code of Academic Integrity.
University WAC Policy Statement
This writing intensive course serves as one of two “Gordon Rule” classes at the 2000-4000 level that must be taken after completing ENC 1101 and 1102 or their equivalents. You must achieve a grade of “C” (not C-minus) or better to receive credit. Furthermore, this class meets the University-wide Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) criteria, which expect you to improve your writing over the course of the term. The University’s WAC program promotes the teaching of writing across all levels and all disciplines. WAC asserts that writing-to-learn activities have proven effective in developing critical thinking skills, learning discipline-specific content, and understanding and building competence in the modes of inquiry and writing for various disciplines and professions.
If this class is selected to participate in the university-wide WAC assessment program, you will be required to access the online assessment server, complete the consent form and survey, and submit electronically a first and final draft of a near-end-of-term paper.
Programmatic Policy Statements
Writing Program Absence Policy Statement
More than two weeks’ worth of unexcused absences may result in an F unless you successfully apply for a grade of W.
Our collective experience as teachers of writing suggests that students who miss more than two weeks’ worth of class are unable to produce passing work and ultimately fail the class. That fact reflects both the rigorous pace of this course and the fact that what students learn in this class, they learn in the classroom through group work, discussion, and writing activities (work that cannot be made up).
Writing Program Plagiarism Policy Statement
Students must abide by the University policy on plagiarism. Students who plagiarize work will fail this course and have a notation of academic irregularity placed on their transcripts.
The Undergraduate Catalog describes academic irregularities, which, on the first occurrence, can result in a grade of “F” for the course and a notation on a student’s record, and, on the second occurrence, can result in expulsion from the University. Among these is plagiarism.
Plagiarism is a form of theft. It means presenting the work of someone else as though it were your own, that is, without properly acknowledging the source. Sources include published material and the unpublished work of other students. If you do not acknowledge the source, you show an intention to deceive.
Plagiarism is an extremely serious matter. If your instructor suspects that you have plagiarized all or part of any of your work, she or he has the right to submit that work to SafeAssign or Turnitin, our plagiarism detection services.
Course/Professor Policies
Attendance, Absences, & Tardiness[2]
In this class, there are no “excused” or “unexcused” absences. Instead—like in the professional world—you have personal days. Because we meet twice a week, you may take up to four personal days during the semester without penalty (two weeks’ worth of class meetings). You may use personal days for any reason—illnesses, appointments, work, interviews, etc.
One absence after your four personal days will result in a 10% deduction from your semester grade. Two absences after your four personal days will result in a 20% deduction from your semester grade. Three absences after your four personal days will result in failure of the course, as per English department policy: “absences in excess of two weeks’ worth of class risks failure.”
While you should inform the instructor of planned absences (see the second bullet below), please do not ask about planned (or unplanned) absences. “I’m going to my cousin’s wedding in Idaho, and my flight leaves Thursday night. Can I miss class?” Of course you can, but it will use up one of your personal days. “I wasn’t in class yesterday because my dad forgot about my schedule and took the car—I had no way to get here. Is that okay?” Of course it’s okay—stuff happens—but it still counts as one of your four personal days.
- Do not inform the professor of “unprofessional” details (such as specific symptoms of illness, travel for or attendance at events unrelated to academics, personal obligations or situations, etc.) — it’s none of my business and I don’t want to know.
- Inform the instructor of planned absences for University-approved reasons such as religious observance, athletic participation, etc.
- Figure out what you missed—this is your responsibility. Check the course website. Email one of your classmates to get notes and/or additional instructions about assignments. After checking the schedule, looking over the coursework, and contacting a classmate, if you still have questions, please contact me.
- Come to class on the next class day prepared with assignments or readings due. In other words, it’s your responsibility to catch up on readings and assignments due and be prepared for class on the day you return.
- Do not ask if you can make up a (smaller) assignment that you missed, turn it in late, do a different assignment, or do extra credit.
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of class. Please arrive on time and stay the entire class period. If tardiness or leaving early are frequent or excessive, you may be marked absent for the class period.
Assignments, quizzes, and in-class work completed/turned in on the day of an absence cannot be made up. If you know in advance that you will miss class, please make arrangements with the instructor to turn your work in ahead of time. In the case of extended illness or other inability to attend class or fulfill your required coursework, you may apply for an Exceptional Circumstance Withdrawal (ECW) through the Associate Vice President & Dean of Student Affairs Office—the deadline for fall 2016 ECW applications is November 22. See University Regulation 4.013 for the complete university policy on Withdrawals for Exceptional Circumstances.
Assignments (Formatting & Submission)
In general, work should be formatted academically and should adhere to the conventions of its genre. When required, please include appropriate, correct MLA/APA/AP citations and documentation. Instructions for assignment submission will be discussed in class and posted on the website in advance of the due date.
Technology: Email, Website Assignment Information, and Student Responsibilities
Academic Dishonesty
Don’t do it.
If you are ever unsure about whether or not the work you are doing is plagiarism or might be considered academic dishonesty, you are strongly encouraged to discuss it with your instructor. If you come to the instructor with questions regarding these matters, you will not be penalized. However, if you are “caught” plagiarizing after you have turned an assignment or draft in, there will be no discussion and no excuses—you will be penalized.
Be advised, your instructor may submit any of your coursework to SafeAssign and/or Turnitin.com plagiarism detection services. In the case of images/illustrations (or texts composed in applications other than word processors, like desktop publishing apps), the instructor may require you to submit your source files.
Professionalism
You will have homework—readings, assignments, or both—due almost every class session. Readings must be completed before class time. You must read carefully and thoughtfully. I expect you to come to class with an understanding of the reading material. This will necessitate you looking at examples, considering questions posed in the text, and generally, engaging with the material. If there’s something you don’t understand or aren’t familiar with, you’re expected to look it up. If you still don’t understand, please bring your questions to class.
You must carry yourself professionally at all times; be prepared for class, work with others, communicate professionally, and be attentive in the classroom. This means that you must take notes, ask questions as appropriate, respond to questions, participate in group activities, etc.
Your cell phone must be turned off and placed in your pocket, purse, or bag. You may not do any of the following during class time: send or read text messages, check personal email or Facebook, work on material unrelated to class, chat, browse the web, or listen to mp3 players (no earbuds, etc.). Students who are engaged in non-class related activities, students who are unprepared for class, and students who fall asleep may be given an absence for that class period.
Course Schedule | ENC 3213 | Fall 2016 | W/F 9:30am–10:50am
The course schedule will be available on the course website at https://techrhet.com/3213. The schedule will be updated and revised frequently, so check it often. Additionally, (and when applicable) information on the website supersedes information the print document.