F ALL 2013 S EMESTER

Course Title: Instructor: Office Hrs: CRN:

Business Orientation I Ann-Marie Waterman, MA Thursdays 1:00 3:00PM

81511 Concentration: MGMT Course-Section No.: E-Mail:

a_waterman@howard.edu
Rm. No.: 010-02

571

Tel.:

202-806-1507
11:10AM 12:30AM

Class Hrs:

BUSINESS CORE COURSE

Yes

COURSE REQUIRED FOR THE MAJOR(S) IN

COURSE REQUIRED FOR THE MINOR IN BUSINESS

Yes No

No

All majors

COURSE MATERIALS Required Readings

Text:

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time ISBN 1576754227, Brian Tracy, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2007-01-01 Howard University Handbook is required reading

Handouts:
Suggested Readings

As distributed Wall Street Journal and other business periodicals

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Business core course designed to familiarize the students with the University and its requirements and to introduce them to the business discipline. The course will emphasize ethics, personal finance, teamwork, presentation skills, entrepreneurship and professional development through instruction by a cadre of business professionals, advisors, team leaders, administrators and others.
CORE COMPETENCIES EMPHASIZED

Students will broaden their awareness and understanding of the global aspects of business through dialogue and interaction with a wide range of professionals from different business career fields and organizations. These activities will also help students develop greater knowledge and a better understanding of the dynamic environment we face. Students will develop and enhance their communications skills through course activities that will require them to make group and individual presentations that could be conducted either in or outside of the classroom setting. Sessions on Making Your Mark Academically and Making an Effective Presentation as well as written homework assignments will directly address this SB core competency. Ethics in the school and work environment will be discussed by the course instructor and guests. Special programs and lectures by business leaders will emphasize entrepreneurship. Knowledge and understanding of working in teams is fundamental to this course. It is organized around a team concept. All course students are assigned to a team with which they must work, study, complete projects and make presentations. The course instructor will emphasize the team approach throughout the semester. Panelists and guest speakers will discuss the impact and importance of diversity in the workplace. Analytical expertise and skill are critical to student success and are emphasized by the instructor in lectures during the course.

COURSE LEARNING GOALS/TEACHING METHODOLOGY/INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS

After successful completion of this course, a student should know the structure of the university; the requirements for graduation; be able to access the rules and regulations that apply to all students; know clearly the penalties for cheating and plagiarism; know how to calculate grade point averages; understand the concepts of ethics, personal finance, communication skills, business etiquette and entrepreneurship. The bulk of Course materials will be presented in the form of lectures, panel discussions, guest speakers and team activities. Students should expect to be situated in group role-play and class participation activities often and are expected to demonstrate their mastery of the subject matter under discussion. Attendance and being dressed in appropriate business attire are critical to success in this course. Additionally, in-class and homework assignments are reviewed and factored into final grades.
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

To familiarize students with the University and to provide the students with an effective introduction to the world of business.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND GUIDELINES

Attendance, Tardiness, and Decorum: All students are expected to attend classes. Regular and prompt attendance for class sessions and team meetings is mandatory. Strict records of attendance and dress code violations are maintained. Students must fill out attendance cards for each class session, workshop or seminar they attend in conjunction with this course. Students are also required to wear conservative business attire to all class sessions and other course associated activities unless otherwise specified. Twenty-five percent of the grade in this course is based on attendance and dress. Team activities will account for another 20 percent of the grade in this course. All students will be assigned to a team and will meet at least once per week with the team at class time as designated on the schedule. Casual dress is appropriate for weekly team meetings. Students are also required to attend a minimum of five Center for Professional Development (CPD) activities. The instructor will either select the activities or provide a list of approved activities. These activities will consist of workshops (study skills, interview skills, and business etiquette), speaker presentations or company visit sessions. Students may also be required to attend up to two weekend or evening seminars during the semester. The 21st Century Advantage Program Director will designate such sessions when appropriate. Attendance at the University Convocation ceremony as a class is also expected. If absent from class, it will be the students responsibility to find out from team leaders or classmates which topics were discussed and what additional assignments may have been made. A student is expected to e-mail or otherwise contact his or her team leader and the 21st Century Advantage Program staff if she/he will be absent from class and to notify the instructor in advance if she/he plans to leave class early. Students are also expected to arrive to class promptly. The instructor and the lead 21st Century Advantage Program staff member also have the authority to refuse to admit students into the classroom once instruction has started and to refuse to allow students to re-enter the classroom if they leave before the end of the session. All cell phones, pagers, beepers, iPods, and any other electronic communication devices must be switched to the off or vibrate position during class. Students are required to act in a professional, respectable, and courteous fashion at all times in each and every interaction with other students and with members of the faculty. Unprofessional and disrespectful conduct includes, but is not limited to, text messaging or talking on cell phones, talking among and
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between students outside of the context of the classroom discussion, throwing pens, pencils, or any other items, and the wearing of headgear by males or earphones by any student. Students engaging in the kinds of activities listed above may be asked to leave the class session. Additionally, after providing the student a written notice, the instructor has the authority to deduct 5 points from a students overall grade for continued unprofessional conduct or, in more extreme cases (as determined by the instructor), to expel the student from the class. Students who use a laptop computer during the class are expected to refrain from surfing the Internet or engaging in any other distracting activities during class time. NOTE: No food or drinks are allowed in the Auditorium Readings and Assignments: The majority of class readings will be from the course materials electronically provided to the students. Students are expected to complete and turn in all assigned work on the due date. All assignments are due to the instructor at the beginning of the scheduled class and any assignments not turned on the assigned date will not be accepted without prior permission or medical excuse. Students are responsible for all information covered by the assigned reading, regardless of whether the information was actively addressed during class discussion. The final written assignment and class discussion will occur on the last day. However, a cumulative quiz will be given that may draw upon any and all areas covered by the instructor, guest lecturers, assigned readings or supplemental materials.
OFFICE HOURS

The professor will be available to meet during office hours to discuss any academic issues that may arise regarding the subject matter of the course or concerns that students may have. Please note that office hours will not serve as an alternative class meeting, and it is the students responsibility to find out from classmates information that was missed. Furthermore, any discussions between the professor and student that occur outside class will not count toward the students grade.
GRADING POLICY

Evaluation will be based entirely upon performance on two quizzes, written assignments; team performance and personal performance within the team; attendance at five CPD sessions (some of which will be conducted during class time); as well as class attendance and decorum. The quizzes will be based on the text, class lectures, and any handout materials.
Percent of Grade

Class Attendance, Dress, Decorum Team and Project Participation Scholarship Essay Resume/Cover Letter Library Assignment Reading Reflection Paper Attendance at 5 CPD sessions Quiz #1 Quiz #2 TOTAL

25% 20% 5% 5% 5% 10% 10% 10% 10% 100%

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The numerical percentage result obtained will be converted to an equivalent final letter grade for the course in accordance with the following scale: 90 10 80 89.9 70 79.9 60 69.9 0 59.9
EXAMINATION FORMAT

A B C D F

Quizzes 1 and 2 will be a combination of short answer, fill-in, multiple-choice and matching.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES REGARDING ASSESSMENTS OF STUDENT LEARNING

Unless otherwise stated by the professor, all assessments of students, including, but not limited to, examinations, tests, quizzes, and all other in-class or take-home assignments are closed book and, therefore, to be taken without the aid of any other person or materials. Each student must place all items and materials, except those designated by the professor, at the front, back, or side of the classroom before the start of each assessment activity. Any and all devices that can transmit, receive, record, retrieve, or play back information (such as tablets, cell phones, etc.) are prohibited and may not be used. Any student who uses the aforementioned for any reason will (1) not be allowed to continue the examination, (2) will not receive credit for any portion of the examination, and (3) will be subject to review by the Schools Judiciary Committee for academic misconduct. Students are required to sit in every other seat whenever possible and are not permitted to share calculators or any other equipment, to wear headphones, or to take apart (disassemble) the examination. Once the examination has begun, any student who leaves the examination room for any reason will not be allowed to re-enter and continue the examination. Each student may be required to present a valid University ID in order to sit for an examination. No absence will be permitted from any scheduled examination without prior written notification to and authorization from the professor and for reasons of health, death in the family, or other emergency. Each unexcused absence from an examination or presentation or any other assignment in which the student is graded will result in a grade of zero for that portion of the course. Students who are more than 15 minutes late may not be allowed to sit for any examination. Furthermore, a student who is late for any examination, presentation, or quiz will not be provided additional time to complete the assignment. Make-up Test Policy: Tests must be taken at the assigned time. The professor retains complete discretion regarding the policy pertaining to examinations missed by students. In other words, students are not entitled to make up a missed examination. In this class, no make-ups will be given absent unusual circumstances (as determined by the instructor) and only then with advance notice to and permission from the instructor. Each and every student must present satisfactory (as determined by the professor) written documentation of the reason for requesting a make-up opportunity. Research Paper Requirements: Unless otherwise designated by the professor, any outside work submitted by the student, including but not limited to case studies, research papers, and writing assignments, must be the original and sole creation of the student, including, where appropriate, footnotes or endnotes and a bibliography. Please review the definition of plagiarism contained in the Academic Code of Student Conduct. All written assignments will be graded for content, organization, and grammar.
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WRITING MATTERS

Writing is an essential tool for thinking and communicating in virtually every profession. Therefore, in this course, you are expected to produce writing that is not only thoughtful and accurate, but also organized, clear, and consistent with the rules of Standard English. If your writing does not meet these standards, the professor may deduct points. For assistance with your writing, go to the student section for the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) website (http://www.cetla.howard.edu/wac/students.aspx).
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

In every aspect of this course, each student is required to maintain the standards of integrity set forth in the Academic Code of Student Conduct (see the Howard University Student Handbook). A student accused of an infraction will respond to charges in a hearing before the School of Business Judiciary Committee. The School of Business has a zero-tolerance policy on student academic misconduct. After review by the Judiciary Committee, a student found guilty of academic misconduct is subject to suspension from the University.
THE GRIEVANCE PROCESS

Students should refer to the Student Academic Grievance Procedures for the informal and formal processes pertaining to student academic grievances.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Howard University is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodations to persons with documented disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, Section 405 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and in accordance with other pertinent federal, state, and local disability and anti-discrimination laws. Students must self-identify in writing with the Office of the Dean of Special Student Services before any accommodations can be made. The Office will then provide a document to the student regarding his/her disability status. The student, in turn, will present this document to the faculty member, who will provide those reasonable accommodations as deemed necessary by the Office of Special Student Services.
LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW

The last day to withdraw from this class is Thursday, November 7, 2013.
INCOMPLETE GRADES

Although the student has the sole responsibility for making a formal written request to the instructor for an incomplete grade, the decision to assign an incomplete grade rests solely with the instructor. As a general rule, incomplete grades will not be assigned except in unusual circumstances and only to students who have attended and completed most of the course up to the last day to withdraw from classes but who, as a result of circumstances beyond their control (e.g., illness or family emergency), are unable to complete the remainder of the course. If the student has failed to complete the major portion of the course by the drop date, he/she is advised to withdraw from the course. If the instructor agrees to comply with the students request, he/she must establish specific make-up conditions that must be recorded on the Incomplete Grade Processing Form (IGPF). Any grade of incomplete must be completed by the following semester in accordance with University policy. NOTE: Only the portion of the course that was missed by the student is eligible to be completed. That is, incomplete grades are not given in order for a student to retake or re-do portions of the course that had already been completed in order to improve his/her grade. This syllabus is subject to change with written notification.

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STUDENT ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND ACCEPTANCE I have received and read the attached course syllabus and agree to abide by all of the requirements stipulated therein. @

Students Name (print neatly)

ID No.

E-Mail Address

Major

(Indicate classification)

Freshman

Sophomore

Junior

Senior

Students Signature

Date

Team Number

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