Literacy & Rhetoric Goals: Students will
- Define workplace literacy in terms of issues, genres, and style
- Recognize and define different issues related to workplace literacy
- Demonstrate ability to think in terms of problem-solution strategies
- Recognize and employ conventions of business genres (memo, letter, report)
- Recognize and employ conventions of business style (you-view, positive phrasing, clarity, conciseness)
- Define and employ a corporate ethos
- Address audience as business associates
- Demonstrate ability to work in collaborate groups
- Recognize legal and ethical concerns of business writing
Writing Goals: Students will...
- Employ short writings (letters, memos) for invention & revision of their ideas
- Write an informal report that defines a problem and offers a solution
- Address audience effectively, invoking the four functions of business writing: to inform, to persuade, to generate good will, and to save readers time
- Given purpose and audience, effectively organize the information via appropriate sections & headings
- Given purpose and audience of the report, select & present information in terms of reader benefits and needs
- Write effective introductions with purpose statements and problem statements
- Write effective conclusions and recommendations
- Project a confident, business-like ethos , including awareness of ethical and legal issues
- Effectively employ strategies of business style
- Use appropriate citation practices when needed
Speaking Goals: Students will ...
- Employ oral presentations (OPs) for invention/revision of their final written projects
- Adapt final written project into a 5-minute summary for a listening audience
Suggested Readings:
- David Eaton, Cross-Cultural Training and the Bottom Line
- Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickel-and-Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
- Katherine Macklem, Doing the Rag Trade Right
- Jennifer Merritt, with Susan Scherreik, Congratulations, Graduate – You're Unemployed
- Christopher Palmieri, Living on the Edge at American Apparel
- Eric Schlosser, from Global Realization
- Deborah Tannen, Men and Women Talking on the Job
- Rob Walker, Conscience Undercover
- Lena Warmack, Business Schools Place Emphasis on Ethics, Personal Values
Suggested Writings:
Short Writing 1: Memo to professor define a problem for which you would like to recommend a solution (focus on off-campus issues: work, volunteer organizations, etc.) [1p, typed, ss]
Short Writing 2: Progress Report Memo to professor on final report [1p, typed, ss]
Short Writing 3: Letter to professor on planned revisions for Unit 5 [1, typed, ss]
Paper 4: Proposal (Informal Report) Letter to selected audience [2pp, typed, ss]
Suggested Oral Presentations:
Presentation 1: Read SW #1 to small group (write it for a listening audience)
Presentation 2: Present SW #2 to small group (write for reading audience)
Presentation 3: Present briefing of final paper to class (5 people, 5 minutes each)
Unit Grade: 20% of final course grade
The unit grade will be awarded to the final essay; however , short writings must be completed on due dates AND turned in with Portfolio Three; likewise, oral reports must be performed. Otherwise students may lose 1/4 percentage point for each SW or oral report not completed on time or not included in the unit portfolio (cf. Course Policy Statement) |
