ENGL 3025 Syllabus Page | 1 INTER AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO SAN GERMN CAMPUS DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES &

LITERATURE SYLLABUS I. GENERAL INFORMATION Course Title: Writing of Professional Documents Course Code / CRN: ENGL 3025 / 54088 Credits: 3 Academic Term: January May 2012 (2012-30) Instructor: Kenneth DiLorenzo Baker Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:00 in Phraner 309 Telephone: 787-214-0740 (cell) Email: dilorenzo_k@yahoo.com My preferred mode of communication is email. I check it frequently and will respond quickly. I am providing you with my cell phone number and you may feel free to text me at any time. Phone calls in case of emergency only, please. If I do not answer, leave a message; that is, do not call repeatedly without leaving a message! II. COURSE DESCRIPTION

Theory and practice of professional writing techniques. Emphasis on the type of written communication mostly used in different work scenarios. Writing of reports, proposals and correspondence. Use of the computer in writing professional documents. Review of the grammatical structure of English in context. (General Catalog 2011-2013, p. 369) III. OBJECTIVES

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to: 1. Write a business letter using appropriate grammar and vocabulary. 2. Produce a professional rsum and cover letter. 3. Create an accurate summary in a 20:1 ratio. 4. Publish a professional newsletter. 5. Develop clear instructions for executing a process. 6. Take accurate meeting minutes. 7. Write a proposal. 8. Apply for a summer internship. 9. Use advanced Microsoft Word features, including table of contents, mail merge, and redlining. 10. Demonstrate an appreciation of the value of English for professional communications.

ENGL 3025 Syllabus Page | 2 IV. THEMATIC CONTENT A. Effective workplace writing 1. 2. 3. 4. B. C. D. Audience analysis Structure Tone Vocabulary

The business letter and its elements The rsum, cover letter, and job applications Advanced Word features 1. 2. 3. Redlining Merge mail Table of contents generator

E.

Summarizing 1. 2. From print Taking meeting minutes

F. G.

Writing directions and instructions Reports and proposals

V.

Activities 1. 2. 3. 4. Lecture Assigned reading Class discussion Classroom writing exercises

ENGL 3025 Syllabus Page | 3 5. 6. 7. Writing partner activities Computer demonstrations Hands-on computer work

VI.

EVALUATION:

Your grade will be calculated based on the following writing activities. The tentative due dates appear in parentheses after each activity. Writing activity Business letter (2/8) Rsum and cover letter (2/15) Merge-mail (2/22) Redlining (2/29) Summer internship application (3/14) Meeting minutes (3/21) Summary (3/28) Newsletter (4/11) Instructions (4/18) Proposal (5/9) VII. SPECIAL NOTES Points 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 1000 Percent of final grade 10% 10% GRADE SCALE: 10% A = 90-100 10% B = 80-89 10% C = 70-79 10% D = 60-69 10% F = 59 & below 10% 10% 10% 100%

A. Supporting Services or Special Needs: In compliance with the ADA and Circular Letter G-145-92, Inter American University of Puerto Rico will provide reasonable accommodation for disabled students so they can participate in academic activities in equal conditions to other students. Students should (a) inform their professors during the first week of classes of their special needs and of the reasonable accommodations needed; (b) visit the Oficina de Coordination de Servicios a Estudiantes con Impedimentos (OCSEI) as soon as possible. All requests will be treated with complete confidentiality. B. Honesty, Fraud, and Plagiarism (General Student Regulations, Chapter V): Dishonesty, fraud, plagiarism, and any other inappropriate behavior in relation to academic work constitute major infractions sanctioned by the General Student Regulations. Major infractions may result in suspension from the University for a definite period of time greater than one year or even permanent expulsion.

ENGL 3025 Syllabus Page | 4 C. Additional policies 1. Attendance at all scheduled sessions is mandatory. I expect you (a) to arrive to class on time, (b) not to leave early, (c) to remain seated throughout the class period (meaning, no trips to the waste basket or to answer your phone; doing work for other classes and texting are grounds for dismissal from the class for the evening) and (d) to participate fully. 2. Being absent is not a valid excuse for being unprepared for the next class. Any student who misses class is responsible for finding out from a classmate what the next assignment is. 3. Assignments must be done according to the instructions and submitted on time. Points will be deducted from late assignments.

VIII.

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

I have placed the course textbook on reserve in the library: Prentice Hall. (2002). Writing for the real world: A writer's companion. Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. In addition you should have access to: A Spanish-English dictionary A thesaurus A style manual appropriate to your discipline. IX. BIBLIOGRAPHY Paper Resources Appleman, J. E. (2008). 10 steps to successful business writing. Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press. Berger, L. (2012). All work, no pay: Finding an internship, building your rsum, making connections, and gaining job experience. New York: Random House. Bly, R. W. & Kelly, R. A. (2009). The encyclopedia of business letters, faxes, and emails. Pompton Plains, NJ: Career Press. Dochterman Benson, D. (2011). The art of taking minutes. Seattle, WA: Amazon Encore. Fisher Chan, J. (2008). E-mail: A write it well guide. Wilmington, DE: Write It Well.

ENGL 3025 Syllabus Page | 5

Kissner, E. (2006). Summarizing, paraphrasing, and retelling: Skills for better reading, writing, and test taking. London: Heinemann. Sabin, W. A. (2010). The Gregg reference manual: A manual of style, grammar, usage, and formatting (11th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Saxena, S. (2011). MS Office 2007 in a nutshell. New Delhi, India: Vikas. Schultze, Q. J. & Kim, B. J. (2012). Rsum 101: A student and recent-grad guide to crafting rsums and cover letters that land jobs. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. Truss, L. (2004). Eats, shoots, and leaves: The zero-tolerance approach to punctuation. New York: Gotham. Electronic Resources American Management Association: http://www.amanet.org Center for Business Planning: http://www.businessplans.org/ Monster board career advice: http://career-advice.monster.com/ NGO proposal writing source: http://www.fundsforngos.org Official Roberts Rules of Order website: http://www.robertsrules.com/ Purdue OWL http://www.owl.english.purdue.edu Society of American Business Editors and Writers http://sabew.org/ Susan Irelands Rsum Site http://susanireland.com/resume/examples/ Rsum templates from Word http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT010362222.aspx The Washington Center http://www.twc.edu