Instructor:  Dr. Eric Gardner

English 338-03 meets from 1:00-2:15 Mondays and Wednesdays in 557 French Hall.

My office:  326L French Hall

Office Phone:  (810) 762-3429

E-mail:  [email protected]

Office Hours:  11:00-12:00 Monday through Thursday; other times by appointment.

Department mailbox: I have a mailbox in 326 French Hall, where you may leave
papers or notes for me.  The secretary or office staff will place your paper or note in my mailbox.

Catalog course description:
 

Also listed as COM 338, this course is described in the 2001-2003 University of Michigan--Flint catalog
as “theory and practice of business communications.  Audience; content and tone; collection and
arrangement of data; selection of form, strategy and medium.  Practical applications to management,
including oral, written and audio-visual presentations” (150).

The activities of the course should help you become effective writers and speakers--clear and persuasive
individuals no matter what you do personally or professionally after you’ve survived English 338.
 

Required Texts and Materials:
 

Kennedy, George E., and Tracy T. Montgomery.  Technical and Professional Writing:  Solving Problems
 at Work.  2002.  Prentice Hall.  ISBN #:  0-13-055072-8.

Lunsford, Andrea.  Easy Writer:  A Pocket Guide.  2002.  2nd edition.  Bedford/St. Martin’s.  ISBN #:
 0-312-24348-0.

*Floppy disk(s) and/or Zip disk(s) for the Computer Classroom.

*I might ask you to make photocopies of your writing to share with others in the class.
 

*There will, of course, be some less extensive, in-class activities that we’ll do:  though highly
worthwhile, these will be ungraded tasks.

*I reserve the right to alter these percentages and assignments to better allow for and represent
whatever actually occurs in this class.
 

Because the work you do in the course depends on your interaction with your classmates through
in-class writing, peer review and discussion, regular attendance is expected. Do not be tardy, because
you will miss important information and will also disturb your classmates with your late arrival.  You
are responsible for making up whatever work you miss due to an absence (in-class presentations can be
made up only if time allows).

See also the UM-Flint catalog, which states that “regular attendance at class, laboratory, and other
appointments for which credit is given is expected of all students.  Irregularities in attendance should be
promptly explained by the student to the appropriate instructors.  If an instructor considers the number
of absences excessive, a written report may be sent by the instructor to the student’s faculty advisor”
(39).
 

I frown at work handed in late.  You should be frowning if you hand it in late, too.  Yet there may
sometimes be good reasons to hand work in late, and sometimes I'm glad to see you struggle through
something and complete it, when you might have been thinking of giving up.  So I will accept late work
(at least if it's before the final due date of the quarter), but I withhold commentary on it.  You get a
grade, but no feedback (except in rare cases when I am either so deeply moved or so deeply enraged by
your work that I must respond).

Plagiarism is using someone else’s ideas or words as if they were your own.  You commit plagiarism
when you fail to give the original writer, speaker, singer, scholar, or other source credit for her or his
work.  You must indicate what words or ideas are yours and which come from other people’s work,
either through phrases of attribution (“According to William Shatner, Captain James T. Kirk would
never plagiarize...”), and/or use of quotation marks with proper documentation, or through paraphrase
or summary that clearly identifies the original source and which is more than a virtual copy of the
original work.  Plagiarism is a serious scholarly offense--even considered a crime--so it’s important not
to do it, even unintentionally.

Keep copies of your drafts and your research materials in case there’s a question about the originality of
your work.  If you are in doubt, talk to me about your attribution or citation, or visit a tutor in the
Writing Center, located in room 559 French Hall.
 

Week 1
 

 Monday, 9/2:  Labor Day holiday.

 Wednesday, 9/4:  Class registration.

Week 2--Reading:  Ch. 11 in TPW
 

 Monday, 9/9:  Introduce Class.  Distribute Want Ad for “Professional Problem Solvers.”

 Wednesday, 9/11:  Anniversary of terrorist attacks.  Work and discussion in class on
 resume/cover letter.

Week 3--Reading:  Ch. 11 in TPW
 

 Monday, 9/16:  Resume/cover letter workshop.

 Wednesday, 9/18:  Resume/cover letter due.

Week 4--Reading:  Ch. 11 in TPW
 

 Monday, 9/23:  Job Interviews.

 Wednesday, 9/25:  Job Interviews.

Week 5--Reading:  Ch. 1 in TPW
 

 Monday, 9/30:  Completion of “hiring” process.  Discussion:  What constitutes a problem (or
 issue)?  What problems or issues could be undertaken by Gardner & Associates?

 Wednesday, 10/2:  Continue discussion of problems to be investigated by Gardner &
 Associates.  Try to resolve on problems to be addressed and on work teams by end of class.

Week 6--Reading:  Ch 4 in TPW
 

 Monday, 10/7:  Workshop:  How can the problem be investigated?  Introduce
 bibliography/memo assignment.  Work on bibliography/memo assignment.

 Wednesday, 10/9:  Continue working on bibliography/memo assignment.

Week 7--Reading:  Ch. 6 in TPW
 

 Monday, 10/14:  Continue working on bibliography/memo assignment.

 Wednesday, 10/16:  Bibliography/memo assignment due.   Introduce/Discuss proposal
 writing.  Begin writing proposal.

Week 8--Reading:  Ch. 6 in TPW
 

 Monday, 10/21:  Proposal writing workshop.  Sign up for conferences.

 Wednesday, 10/23:  No class.  Conferences--Times and Places TBA.

Week 9
 

 Monday, 10/28:  No class.  Conferences--Times and Places TBA.

 Wednesday, 10/30:  Proposal due.

Week 10--Reading:  Ch. 7 in TPW
 

 Monday, 11/4:  Introduce Progress Report.

 Wednesday, 11/6:  Continue working on Progress Report.

Week 11--Reading:  Ch. 7 in TPW
 

 Monday, 11/11:  Continue work on Progress Report.

 Wednesday, 11/13:  Continue work on Progress Report.

Week 12--Reading:  Ch. 7 in TPW
 

 Monday, 11/18:  Progress Report due.  Discuss completion report.

 Wednesday, 11/20:  Begin completion report.  Sign up for conferences.

Week 13
 

 Monday, 11/25:  No class.  Conferences.  Times & Places TBA.

 Wednesday, 11/27:  No class.  Conferences.  Times & Places TBA.

Week 14--Reading:  Ch. 7 in TPW
 

 Monday, 12/2:  Workshop on Completion Report and/or Oral Report.

 Wednesday, 12/4:  Workshop on Completion Report and/or Oral Report.

Week 15--Reading:  Ch. 13 in TPW
 

 Monday, 12/9:  Oral Presentations.

 Wednesday, 12/11:  Oral Presentations.

*Note:  Unless you have an emergency and/or have made a special arrangement with me before
December 11,  all work for the course must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 13,
2002.  I cannot guarantee credit for any assignments submitted after December 13.

Eric Gardner--August 28, 2002