Georgia
Highlands College Spring 2010, Kemper
Basic Course Information
ENGL
2151-20607/BUSA 2105-20608 (Communicating
in the Business Environment)
9:30-10:45 a.m. TR (3 credit hours)
Withdrawal
Deadline – March 4 (last day to withdraw with a “W”)
This is a course emphasizing both interpersonal
and organizational communications, including written and oral exercises
appropriate to business, technical and professional practice.
Prerequisite
English 1101 with a "C" or higher
Textbook
Successful Writing at
Work, by Philip C. Kolin,
concise 2nd edition
Changes in
Course Plan/Instructor absences
The instructor reserves the right to alter dates, material
covered, or format of any exam after notifying the students in advance.
Any anticipated absence by the instructor (to attend
professional meetings, etc.) will be announced no later than the class period
just prior to the expected absence, and students will be told what will take
place during class time while the instructor is absent. In the event of an
unexpected absence by the instructor (due to illness, etc.) an effort will be
made to notify students or to find someone else to meet the class. (There are
no provisions for substitute teachers at colleges.)
Disability Support
Any student who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a
disability may discuss this with the instructor or contact Student Support
Services (706-295-6336). This should be done as early in the semester as possible.
GHC has resources available for students with certain disabilities.
Accommodations (such as providing materials in alternative formats, assuring
physical access to classrooms, or being sensitive to interaction difficulties
that may be posed by communication and/or learning disabilities) may be made
through Student Support Services on all campuses.
Electronic Devices
All electronic devices (cell phones, etc.) will
be turned off and stored out of sight during class. It is not appropriate to
leave class to take a phone call.
Course
Description
This course is designed to introduce students to
the principles of business, professional, and technical communication. The
course includes experience in writing business letters, memoranda, short
reports, and a long report based in part on library research, as well as
practice in work-related oral presentations.
While the essay form taught in English 1101 and
1102 is helpful in preparing students for the Regents' Test and in teaching
logical organization and correct grammar and sentence structure, essay writing
is seldom called for outside the classroom. BUSA 2105/ENGL 2151 will show the
student how to apply the essay writing and oral communication skills gained in
English 1101 (and 1102 if taken) to job-related communication.
Since the course is being designed to apply to
students of various majors and with various career goals, students will be able
to select subjects relevant to their fields for the written assignments. They
will also use the style suitable to their subject area. Students may be asked
to keep a file of formats, articles, etc. related to their field. When
appropriate they may be asked to read and summarize journal articles in their
field or to interview a person currently employed in their field about the
types of communication he or she uses on the job.
Course
Outcomes
·
Students
will develop job-related writing skills by drafting and revising, with feedback
from the instructor, business letters and memos, short reports, and a longer
report based on research. They will be encouraged to pay attention to the
design and appearance of the written work as well as its content and to include
graphics as appropriate. The final version will be keyboarded on a computer and
should be free of distracting errors in punctuation, grammar, or spelling. (The
researched report and possibly other class assignments support the college’s
QEP of Information Competency.)
·
Students
will develop oral communication skills in formal and informal presentations as
well as in group interaction. During at least one presentation they will be
encouraged to "dress for success" and required to use appropriate
visual aids.
Procedures and Policies
Course
Grade
The grading scale is as follows:
The grading scale will be as follows: A 90-100; B 80-89, C 70-79, D 60-69, F below 60.
The course grade will be calculated according to
the following formula.
60% Major
written assignments--A student may earn a "C" (75 points), a
"B" (85 points), or an "A" (95 points) for this part of the
course grade. No "D" will be offered in this part of the grade since
the "C" level represents the minimum of achievement for successful
work-related writing. Each grade level
represents the completion of a specific number of acceptable writing
assignments. All requirements at
each grade level must be completed before the student is given that grade for
the major written assignments section of the course. Students who do
exceptional work in their level or who do finish some assignments of a higher
level may be given up to five bonus points in this part of the course at the discretion
of the instructor. Failure to complete
the "C" level requirements will result in an "F" (0-55
points, based on the amount and quality of work turned in) for this segment of
the course. Five points will be deducted
from the major written assignments grade each time a student fails to show
progress in his or her writing assignments during a scheduled conference or
workshop.
20% Quizzes--Approximately
five short quizzes will be given throughout the semester. They will cover the
assigned reading material and other information brought out in the class.
20% Daily grade exercises and writing
assignments, oral presentations, and the professional file
____
100%
Class
Policies
By Humanities Division policy if any student accumulates 5 unexcused absences in a class that meets two days a week, he or she may not return to class without appealing to the division chair. This appeal must be made within five days after the fifth absence. Three “lates” count as one unexcused absence.
Absences may be excused by the instructor if you notify the instructor prior to the absence or within two days after the missed class. You will also need to hand the instructor a written request for an excused absence the day you return to class. The written request must have your name, the current date, the course name and section number, the date of the class missed, a brief statement of the reason for the absence, and your signature. If you have a medical excuse, attach it to the written request. Please note that any absence—excused or not—may interfere with your ability to succeed in the class.
(Please
note that college policy requires that the Financial Aid Office be notified of
excessive absences by students receiving certain types of financial
assistance.)
2. Conferences: Students will have
conferences with the instructor at regular intervals to review their progress
on the major writing assignments. Most of these will be in class, but some
out-of-class conferences may be required.
3. Due dates for major writing assignments: A list of suggested due dates for first
drafts of "C" level writing assignments will be provided to help
students stay on schedule. The types of
writing (letters, reports, etc.) should normally be done in the order they are
assigned in class, though students working for an "A" or a
"B" in the major written assignments part of the course may choose to
work ahead. Those who are attempting the extra "A" or "B"
level work are expected to stay caught up in their "C" level written
assignments. There will be cut-off dates near the end of the semester by which
work must be completed.
4. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is using someone else's ideas or
words as if they were the writer's own. Plagiarism in on-the-job writing is a
serious offense. It may lead to the loss of a job and in some cases to legal
action against the plagiarist and the firm he or she represents. A charge of
plagiarism may also permanently tarnish a person's professional image. In this
course each student is expected to do his or her own writing and to document
ideas or words borrowed from research sources. Words copied directly from a
source must be in quotation marks and documented. Summaries and paraphrases,
while not direct quotations, must also be documented. In addition, a paper
which resembles that of another student in ideas, organization, or phrasing
will not be accepted. If a student turns in a plagiarized assignment, it will
receive 0 credit, and the student may be given a grade of “F” for the class. The
student may also be subject to disciplinary action by the college.
The Georgia Highlands College “Academic Integrity
Code” and polices on student conduct are located in the GHC “Student Guide and
Planner” and in the student handbook at www.highlands.edu/campuslife/handbook
. There you will find a detailed definition of plagiarism and other types of
academic dishonesty and a description of the procedures and sanctions relating
to violation of the Code.
The formal researched report and
possibly some other assignments may be submitted to Turnitin.com. Turnitin.com
is an Internet service subscribed to by GHC in order to encourage originality
and careful documentation of all research used in student writing. Documents
submitted to Turnitin.com are compared to numerous active and archived Internet
sites, other publications, and Turnitin.com’s database of submitted student
papers. Since Turnitin.com does compare submitted student papers, you should be
careful to not let students in other classes use your work since you could be
implicated in a plagiarism or excessive collaboration situation, both of which
are prohibited by the college’s Academic Integrity Code. You should not use
work submitted in this class in another course without the approval of the
instructor of the other course.
5. Student's record keeping: The student is responsible for keeping all
handouts, all special assignments, and all written work, including first drafts
and all revisions. The papers should be kept in order so they can be quickly
and easily produced during conferences and whenever else the instructor
requires them. If a student cannot show his or her papers on request, the
student may be asked to redo them. A notebook with several file pockets is good
to use to keep papers in order. At the
end of the semester, the student should be able to produce all written assignments
upon request.
6. Corresponding class assignments: Students may coordinate written assignments
for this course with those of another class they are taking this semester if
both instructors are notified and give their approval and if all planning and
writing requirements for English 2151/BUSA 2105 are met.
GHC
Student Learning Outcomes for ENGL 2151/BUSA 2105
Business: (1) Students will demonstrate effective
communication skills.
Communication: (1) Students will demonstrate their ability to
express ideas logically and clearly in standard written English. (2) Students
will demonstrate their knowledge of and application abilities regarding
effective human discourse for individual, interpersonal, and group settings.
(5) Students will be able to recognize and identify the components of effective
and ineffective public speaking verbal and nonverbal behaviors.
Computing
Technology: (1) Students will
demonstrate ability to prepare course assignments in a variety of courses using
computer technology.
Special
Note
To students receiving financial aid: Federal
regulations state that if a student does not attend classes and receives
failing grades, then the grades were not earned and financial aid needs to be
reduced accordingly. Any student
receiving a 0.00 GPA will be required to prove that the 0.00 GPA was earned by
attending classes or completing requirements
for each class. Students who have passed at least one class for the
semester will not be affected by this regulation. If a student has properly
withdrawn from all classes, the student’s financial aid should be adjusted from
the time he/she signed the withdrawal form.