Business 203: Business Writing Consulting
Mondays 6-8:05 | FSB 0021 | http://biz203.weebly.com
Kathleen Coffey & Bridget Gelms | FSB 3064 (meetings by appointment)
[email protected] & [email protected]
Welcome to Business 203: Business Writing Consulting! This eight-week sprint course is designed to prepare you to be a paid writing consultant in the Howe Writing Initiative (HWI). Throughout the semester, we will read, analyze, and discuss various genres, contexts, purposes, and audiences you will encounter as a business writing consultant. Additionally, we will engage in mock consultations in order to practice and discuss the art of writing consultations. Together, we will think about ways to help all writers approach constantly shifting professional communication expectations. Further, we will consider and discuss in depth our responsibility to create equitable, empathetic, and helpful learning spaces for all students in FSB.
In addition to reading and writing assignments, beginning the second week of class and continuing through finals week, you will observe and then consult one hour per week in the HWI. Your time in the HWI is part of this course. Because the writers who visit the center will be counting on you and because consulting is so rewarding (both for the consultant and the writer), you will need to plan on attending all sessions for which you sign up in the HWI.
Upon successful completion of this course and upon approval from the HWI Director and upon meeting U.S. requirements for employment, you may work as a paid consultant in the HWI.
Required Materials:
Course Policies
Access/Accommodations: We are committed to maximizing your learning potential through creating a safe and accessible learning environment. If there are any ways we can adapt this course in order to better meet your needs as a learner, or if you have emergency medical information to share with us, please let us know. If you have a documented disability, please share that information with us so we can provide any accommodations that have been best determined by you and the Office of Disability Resources (http://www.units.muohio.edu/oeeo/odr/; 513-529-2541).
Our Community: During our course, remember that our classroom, the HWI, and online spaces should be handled with respect and concern for everyone and their privacy. When communicating (with other classmates/consultants, with student writers, or with your instructors), personal insults or attacks on an individual person’s race, class, gender, sexuality, or disability will not be tolerated. In short, be a good colleague through respect and professionalism. In addition, the communications that occur in the HWI are confidential. Our professional policy is not to discuss in any identifiable way the writers or the writing we see in the HWI. Amongst ourselves, for purposes of consultant development and ongoing program improvement, we will hold such discussions, but not to broader audiences. If we find you have discussed writers and writing in specific ways outside the HWI, you will be asked to step down as a consultant.
Attendance: As a sprint course that only meets once a week from August 24 to November 2, attendance at every meeting is crucial. Absences for school-sanctioned events or religious holidays are excused--please contact us with dates so we can make arrangements. Unexcused absences will result in a half letter grade reduction of your final grade. Tardiness (or leaving early) is not acceptable and will be counted as an absence if it becomes a problem. There will be many times when you are expected to be in the HWI outside of class (observations, co-consultations). Missing or showing up late to these commitments will also result in a significant reduction of your grade. However, we understand that life happens! If you are planning on missing a class meeting, please plan to discuss this with Kathleen or Bridget beforehand.
Late Work: Because so much of the work we will do in this class is collaborative and depends on everyone's timely cooperation, all assignments are due on time. Late work will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made in special circumstances,
Academic Integrity: The assumption is that your work is original and was generated for Business 203 during the Fall semester of 2015. There are many types of plagiarism—some more obvious than others, but there are more subtle forms you may not be aware of. A good rule of thumb to live by: if you're not sure you're violating these rules, talk to Kathleen and/or Bridget about it. To familiarize yourself with the details of Miami’s Academic Integrity policy and examples of /penalties for instances of academic dishonesty, visit http://www.muohio.edu/integrity/undergrads.cfm.
Course Tips
Protecting Your Work: Please make sure to have a plan for backing up all of your work in multiple places in case of computer failure—consider investing in a flash drive or making use of cloud storage systems like Dropbox or GoogleDrive.
Contacting Us: The fastest way to reach us is via email ([email protected] and [email protected]). We usually respond within 24 hours, unless it’s over a weekend in which case it may take a little longer. We're happy to meet with you outside of class to chat about writing, the course, or the HWI. Please let us know what we can do to answer your questions and help you succeed in the course!
Kathleen Coffey & Bridget Gelms | FSB 3064 (meetings by appointment)
[email protected] & [email protected]
Welcome to Business 203: Business Writing Consulting! This eight-week sprint course is designed to prepare you to be a paid writing consultant in the Howe Writing Initiative (HWI). Throughout the semester, we will read, analyze, and discuss various genres, contexts, purposes, and audiences you will encounter as a business writing consultant. Additionally, we will engage in mock consultations in order to practice and discuss the art of writing consultations. Together, we will think about ways to help all writers approach constantly shifting professional communication expectations. Further, we will consider and discuss in depth our responsibility to create equitable, empathetic, and helpful learning spaces for all students in FSB.
In addition to reading and writing assignments, beginning the second week of class and continuing through finals week, you will observe and then consult one hour per week in the HWI. Your time in the HWI is part of this course. Because the writers who visit the center will be counting on you and because consulting is so rewarding (both for the consultant and the writer), you will need to plan on attending all sessions for which you sign up in the HWI.
Upon successful completion of this course and upon approval from the HWI Director and upon meeting U.S. requirements for employment, you may work as a paid consultant in the HWI.
Required Materials:
- Laptop or tablet
- Consistent access to your miamioh.edu email GoogleDrive account
- The Longman Guide to Peer Tutoring, 2nd Edition (provided on loan from HWI)
- A notebook and pen for note taking during class and while observing at the HWI.
Course Policies
Access/Accommodations: We are committed to maximizing your learning potential through creating a safe and accessible learning environment. If there are any ways we can adapt this course in order to better meet your needs as a learner, or if you have emergency medical information to share with us, please let us know. If you have a documented disability, please share that information with us so we can provide any accommodations that have been best determined by you and the Office of Disability Resources (http://www.units.muohio.edu/oeeo/odr/; 513-529-2541).
Our Community: During our course, remember that our classroom, the HWI, and online spaces should be handled with respect and concern for everyone and their privacy. When communicating (with other classmates/consultants, with student writers, or with your instructors), personal insults or attacks on an individual person’s race, class, gender, sexuality, or disability will not be tolerated. In short, be a good colleague through respect and professionalism. In addition, the communications that occur in the HWI are confidential. Our professional policy is not to discuss in any identifiable way the writers or the writing we see in the HWI. Amongst ourselves, for purposes of consultant development and ongoing program improvement, we will hold such discussions, but not to broader audiences. If we find you have discussed writers and writing in specific ways outside the HWI, you will be asked to step down as a consultant.
Attendance: As a sprint course that only meets once a week from August 24 to November 2, attendance at every meeting is crucial. Absences for school-sanctioned events or religious holidays are excused--please contact us with dates so we can make arrangements. Unexcused absences will result in a half letter grade reduction of your final grade. Tardiness (or leaving early) is not acceptable and will be counted as an absence if it becomes a problem. There will be many times when you are expected to be in the HWI outside of class (observations, co-consultations). Missing or showing up late to these commitments will also result in a significant reduction of your grade. However, we understand that life happens! If you are planning on missing a class meeting, please plan to discuss this with Kathleen or Bridget beforehand.
Late Work: Because so much of the work we will do in this class is collaborative and depends on everyone's timely cooperation, all assignments are due on time. Late work will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made in special circumstances,
Academic Integrity: The assumption is that your work is original and was generated for Business 203 during the Fall semester of 2015. There are many types of plagiarism—some more obvious than others, but there are more subtle forms you may not be aware of. A good rule of thumb to live by: if you're not sure you're violating these rules, talk to Kathleen and/or Bridget about it. To familiarize yourself with the details of Miami’s Academic Integrity policy and examples of /penalties for instances of academic dishonesty, visit http://www.muohio.edu/integrity/undergrads.cfm.
Course Tips
Protecting Your Work: Please make sure to have a plan for backing up all of your work in multiple places in case of computer failure—consider investing in a flash drive or making use of cloud storage systems like Dropbox or GoogleDrive.
Contacting Us: The fastest way to reach us is via email ([email protected] and [email protected]). We usually respond within 24 hours, unless it’s over a weekend in which case it may take a little longer. We're happy to meet with you outside of class to chat about writing, the course, or the HWI. Please let us know what we can do to answer your questions and help you succeed in the course!
Grading
* Please note that final grades will not be rounded up, and there are no extra credit opportunities. For more details about each graded component to this course, visit the Assignments page.
* Please note that final grades will not be rounded up, and there are no extra credit opportunities. For more details about each graded component to this course, visit the Assignments page.
Reading Response Journal
Observation/Consultation Reflections Discussion Leading Performance & Professionalism Total: |
35%, 35 points
35%, 35 points 10%, 10 points 20%, 20 points 100%, 100 points |
Grade Scale
A 100-93 A- 92-90 B+ 89-87 B 86-83 B- 82-80 C+ 79-77 |
C 76-73 C- 72-70 D+ 69-67 D 66-63 D- 62-60 F 59 and below |
*By remaining enrolled in this course, you acknowledge that you've read, understand, and agree to adhere to the policies outlined in this syllabus.