SP 17 | 017 TR 3:104:30 Olson Hall 21 | 019 TR 4:40 - 6:00 PM SHLDS 90B

Lecturer Benjamin | cjbenjamin@ucdavis.edu |Email Me In Canvas

Office: Basement of Shields Library RM 87
Office Hours: T 1:00 - 2:30PM, R 12:00 - 2:00PM & by appt.

What is this class? Writing in the Pro- Am I ready for this

fessions: Business Writing (4) Lecture/
class?
discussion3 hours; extensive writing. Prerequi-
site: course 1 or English 3 or the equivalent and Satisfactory completion of
upper division standing. Business writing pre- the Subject A requirement
and a passing grade in one
pares students to communicate effectively in and for organizations, including
of the following: UWP 1,
businesses (corporations), government agencies, and non-profit organiza- ENL 3 or its equivalent.
tions. This course is particularly suitable for students entering careers that If youre enrolled in the
require substantial communication, such as management, public relations, College of Letters and Sci-
and grant writing. ence or in the College of
Engineering you must
What are the goals of the course Like what am I going to learn/ have completed a mini-
do here? mum of 84 units before
enrolling in UWP 101.
Understand differences between academic and professional writing
Still not sure? Consult your
Examine various writing situations professionals face and analyzing con-
academic advisor
texts, purposes, and audiences to determine appropriate writing choices
Gain familiarity with genres of business writing, such as emails, instant
messages, memos, letters, proposals, and reports
Employing writing as a process, from researching a problem to organizing But, Im already a
and drafting a document to reviewing, revising, and editing that docu-
ment
good writer, why is
Developing an effective professional tone and style this class required?
Employing rhetorical strategies for effective visual and document design Writing is a skill and an art
Addressing ethical, cultural, international, and political issues related to that can always be improved.
writing Furthermore, humans are
Learning strategies for effective collaboration on large writing projects writing more now than ever.
Clear, concise, coherent and
Which Materials persuasive writing is one of
Tebeaux, Elizabeth,
the key skills needed in to-
and Sam Dragga. The
Do I Need? days information economy.
Essentials of Technical This course will help you be-
Communication 3rd come an experienced and
Edition. Oxford Univer- marketable writer, so gear up
sity Press, 2014. to practice and refine your
writing skills.
Amazon link.
What are the assignments? Think of this class
as a consultancy business and yourself as a consultant. This
semester well explore popular business writing genres in-
cluding job application materials, proposals, progress re-
ports, technical reports, visual design, & oral reports. Youll
work on one large community engagement project with a
group. If groups arent for you, then its recommended you
take another section of 104A.

What are the Job Docs Ill Write? You will be responsi-
ble for finding a job ad advertising a position you will be
qualified for once you complete your degree at UC Davis.
Based on the ad, youll draft and write a Resume, Cover
Letter, and Thank You Letter. Youll be responsible thinking
about these documents rhetorically and to use good docu-
ment design skills.

What is the Community Engagement Project? Which documents will my group and I
The Minnesota Department of Health states: Community
engagement is a type of public participation that involves
be responsible for drafting and sub-
people in problem-solving or decision-making processes. mitting during the Community Engage-
The key ideas from this quote are people from the public ment Project?
(a collective group of people with common goals) con-
vene together to investigate an ongoing community prob- Community Project Brainstorm
lem in order to influence decision-making. Therefore, the
community engagement project, designed specifically for Project Proposal
this course, asks you, as a student, to become an active
participant in your community by consulting on a real Secondary Research Progress Report
world, tangible, community problem, and to communi-
Primary Research Progress Report
cate that problem and possible solutions to a real audi-
ence. You will use the tools, skills, and concepts learned Visual Design Deliverable
in the course to effectively persuade an audience that the
problem you identified is significant and that action Technical Report
should be taken to solve that problem.

The project consists of a variety of writing assignments

that we will complete step-by-step in order to ensure that
you can be successful as a student and a community mem-
ber for making societal change. Throughout this project
youll complete these following assignments: Community
Project Brainstorm, Project Proposal, Secondary Research
Progress Report, Primary Research progress report, Visual
Design Deliverable, and Technical Report.

What about the final? The final is a take home exam

and will test your skills/knowledge about professional and
business writing incorporating theories, skills, techniques
we studied through the semester.
How will my work be assessed?
A B C D F
You submit work that Your work meets all of Your work meets the Your work requires sig- Your work does not re-
excels at responding to the requirements of the basic requirements of nificant revision. Often, spond to the needs of
the assignment require- assignment at a high the assignment. The D assignments lack clear the assignment. May be
ments. You demon- level. Though your as- assignment may have organization, require off-topic or incomplete.
strate originality and signment still needs some organizational further development of
sophistication. Your revision, it presents lapses, but is logical content, and/or have
papers are stylistically complete, appropriate overall. The style is mechanical and stylistic
accomplished, carefully content, is well- straightforward with a errors that impede the
edited and free of organized and demon- few lapses, but may be readers understanding
grammatical and me- strates a clear attention repetitive or unremark-
chanical errors. to stylistic issues. able.

Grade Distribution
A+ 100-98 4.00
A 97-94 4.00
A- 93-90 3.70
B+ 89-87 3.30
B 86-84 3.00
B- 83-80 2.70
C+ 79-77 2.30
C 76-74 2.00
C- 73-70 1.70
D+ 69-67 1.30 What criteria are used to grade my papers? Your work in
the class is assessed according to the University Writing Program
D 66-64 1.00
Grading Standards. A copy of the full assessment document can
D- 63-60 0.70 be found here.
F 59 and be- 0.00 How can I be sure I earn a passing grade? Writing is a pro-
low cess. You will be required to prepare multiple drafts before a final
will be due. Take your peers and lecturers critiques seriously,
produce multiple drafts, and dont wait until the last minute.
Drafts & reflections will be worth 25%. Submit all work & go to class!!! HINT: A students routinely come to
office hours. Note: You must earn a C or higher to satisfy the Upper-Division Writing Requirement. The re-
quirement also requires that you write 6000-words for the course.
If I dont submit a major writing assignment, can I still pass the course? No. All writing assign-
ments must be submitted in order to pass this course. Be sure that you submit everything on or before the
due date.
I turned in my daft, am I finished? All writing in this course must be revised. Final drafts should include
a reflection about the changes you made from your initial draft to your final draft. The lecturer will also be
checking the revision history in Google Docs. You should work in 1 single Google Doc during the entire assign-
ment.
What are the course policies I will be expected to follow?
Classroom Conduct?
Conduct yourself courteously and professionally.
Treat others with respect and practice good listening skills.
When its your turn to talk, be sure your comments positively contrib-
ute to the classroom experience.
Respond to questions when asked by Lecturer Benjamin.
Be attentive and focused on the work in class.

What about plagiarism?

Your integrity is on the line.
Academic honesty requires that you submit your own and original
writing for this course.
Cite all sources you use in in-text citations and include a bibliography.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated: any suspected dishonesty will be
reported to Student Judicial Affairs.
For more information about plagiarism, please see this chart: http://
thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2014/09/16/did-i-plagiarize-the-
types-and-severity-of-plagiarism-violations/

Can I turn in late work?

All work is due at the beginning of class on the date listed in Canvas.
You must submit your own work on Canvas before the beginning of class.
Invalid excuses for late work include: writer's block, busy computer labs, uncooper-
ative printers, last-minute technology failures, responsibilities to extra-curricular organ-
izations and activities, a bothersome work schedule, etc.
For all assignments worth more than 5% of the overall grade, late work will be pe-
nalized one half of a grade per calendar day (not class period) late.
Minor assignments (in-class work, workshop memos, reflections, etc.) will not be accepted late.
You must come to class prepared. Failure to prepare for class will result in an unexcused absence.
Late work ends up at the bottom of the grading pile, so if you submit something late, you will likely re-
ceive a graded version well after your peers do.

Can I keep my cell phone on and check it during class?

Your phone must be silenced and put away during the entire class period.
If your phone rings, or you are using your phone, you will be asked to leave the class for the day.
If you routinely break the no-phone policy, you will be asked to check in your phone with the lecturer
before attending any further classes.

Is attendance mandatory?
Yes! This course is centered around you your learning and success depends upon your active participa-
tion in the course. Group work and workshopping assignments are essential to your success in this
course.
Repeatedly missed classes will likely have a negative affect on your grade.
Are there other resources available to me?
Where can I get additional help during the course?
Come to office hours.
Exchange your information with a peer and ask them questions about course content outside of class.
Visit the Student Academic Success Center. The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) is a large, multi-
program Student Affairs department providing essential services, programs, and information for UC Davis
students. Programs include: Academic support services in tutoring, retention, study skills, mathematics,
science, writing/ESL , Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), Guardian Scholars Program (GSP), Mathe-
matics Diagnostic Testing Project, Reentry and
Transfer Student Services, Veterans Affairs
(VA), TRiO Scholars Program, MURALS, Inter-
national Student Resources, and Pre-
Professional and Pre-Graduate Advising. In
addition, it employs over 200 students as peer
advisers, student assistants, tutors, and read-
ers. For more information visit http://
success.ucdavis.edu/index.html
Aslo visit the writing support at Dutton Hall.
Here is their website: http://
success.ucdavis.edu/academic/writing.html

If I have a disability, where can I receive addi-

tional support?
This course is meant to be inclusive of individuals of
all abilities.
Please let the lecturer know how he can be inclu-
sive to your particular abilities.
For additional information on disability services
please visit https://sdc.ucdavis.edu/