Syllabus

English 3880 - Section 601

Writing for Business and Industry
Summer II 2019

Meeting Times and Location

This course is digitally housed in ECU’s Blackboard Platform. You will be completing this
course via the internet and will choose when to access the course. You will be given due dates for
assignments and will be expected to complete all assignments digitally, through Blackboard, and
on time.

For your convenience, I will provide face-to-face (main campus) and digital office hours via
which ever platform best works for you. Let me know in advance what platform you will be
using for meeting me during digital office hours (don’t expect me to download and learn a new
platform during our meetings).

All digital meetings should be scheduled a minimum of 3 hours in advance, but face-to-face
meetings are open forums. For all email contact, you must make sure to use the email listed
below. I will NOT respond to emails sent to any other address.

Contact Information and Office Hours

Instructor: Mrs. Abigail L. Morris
Email: morrisa13@students.ecu.edu
Office: Bate 2005
Office Hours: face-to-face or digital on Mondays 2pm - 5pm
digital only on Wednesdays 3pm - 5pm

Required Materials
Internet access
File back-up method
Microsoft Office

Catalog Course Description

English 3880: Composition with writing practice for students in business and industry.

----About this Course----

This writing intensive course aims to provide you with the necessary practice and tools that will
help you craft more rhetorically effective, ethically responsible, and culturally appropriate texts.

To achieve this goal, you will be expected to produce a variety of work that may not always seem
particularly relevant in your discipline or to your specific future employment goals, but it is
important for you to remember that all of the work you do will improve the quality of your
professional communication skills.

Note: This syllabus and course schedule are subject to change, so please make careful note of any updates given in
class regarding assignments and due dates.
 English 3880 Summer 2019 Syllabus pg

This course will help you learn to analyze and evaluate a variety of professional communication
tasks and products. It will also help you improve your current skills and knowledge in using
technology to create rhetorically effective visual and informational designs and documents.

The most essential goals for this course include:

 Significantly improving your ability to write effective professional prose

 Designing visual, digital, and multimodal elements and documents for professional
communication
 Preparing usable, accessible documents for multiple audiences, including intercultural
audiences
 Demonstrating critical thinking skills, strategies, and conceptual knowledge for
addressing a variety of communication problems and tasks
 Communicating effectively, ethically, responsibly, and professionally in a variety of
professional genres for multiple purposes and audiences.

Expectations
 You should expect to spend a considerable amount of time reading, researching, writing,
revising, and participating in our learning community. Summer sessions condense a 15-
week course into 5 weeks—expect the pace and workload to be intense.
 You should contact the instructor if you are struggling with the material or instructions.
As in most professional contexts, you must act as your own advocate and take
responsibility for your learning—I cannot tell if you are struggling unless you tell me.
This is what office hours are for. Make sure that you read all materials/instructions
thoroughly and carefully and then contact me well ahead of due dates with any
difficulties.
(see intro to course video for more info)

----Class Policies and Procedures----

Late Work
I do not accept ANY late work unless specific, documented emergencies prevent you from
completing something on time.

Email
I will not respond to email over the weekend or ever discuss grades through email. All email
correspondence must be through ECU student email accounts, and, while I will make reasonable
efforts to promptly respond to emails submitted after 8pm or before 1pm, I make no promises.
And again, for all email contact, you must make sure to use the email listed in this syllabus. I
will NOT respond to emails sent to any other address.
 
 English 3880 Summer 2019 Syllabus pg

----Course Assignments----

In the Projects Folder you will find four detailed, multi-assignment project portfolios. Read
the outlines of all 4 portfolio options carefully, and then choose 1 project portfolio to complete
for credit. You are required to post the title of the portfolio you have chosen in the correct
discussion board forum by 11:59pm on June 21st. Any project portfolio option that has been
selected by fewer than three students will be dropped as options, so try to have a backup choice.

You may complete the individual assignments of each Project Portfolio in the order you choose
(the numerical order is highly recommended), but all assignments for the portfolio you selected
must be fully submitted for assessment and grading by 11:59pm on July 21st (see video and/or
schedule for more info).

Beyond the portfolios and their info packets, you will have general readings to complete as the
semester progresses.

You will receive three major grades for this course. Distribution is as follows…

Project Portfolio 1 = 75%

Citizenship = 20%
University Writing Portfolio Submission = 5%

There is a difference between grading and assessing. During assessment, your work is
reviewed, analyzed, and some form of official report or feedback is offered. Grading, however, is
the static value of your work based on assessment.

(see intro to course video for more info)

----Assessment----

Each Portfolio Project will have multiple assignment to be completed for equal portions of the
portfolio grade. Each portfolio assignment you earn passing credit for builds toward the letter
grade for that Project Portfolio and will be assessed using a standardized rubric. You can view
the rubric through the assignment link for that assignment (see rubrics video). Each assignment
will have multiple tasks involved in creating a complete product.

Portfolios

All assignments for each portfolio are Pass / Revise / Fail

Manager would be satisfied, if not impressed, and would remember

Pass
the work when considering promotions and raises.
 English 3880 Summer 2019 Syllabus pg

Revis Manager would be disappointed and require you to revise or rewrite

e sections before allowing clients and others to see the work.

Manager would be troubled by the poor quality of the work.

Fail
Probation would be likely, and dismissal possible.
 English 3880 Summer 2019 Syllabus pg

Why Pass / Revise / Fail? (see assessment and grading video for more info)

In the world of work grades are rare. You may be graded on a performance review, but not when
assigned a project to complete for your job. Instead, the finished product you submit to your boss
will meet the criteria for one of the three categories above. Producing materials for investors or
loan officers would be viewed through the same criteria. From a management perspective,
mediocre work can be improved, but work that is less than mediocre would suggest that the
employee invested minimal time or effort, or that the employee lacks ability and the necessary
qualifications for the job.

So, each of the assignments in your Project Portfolios will be assessed using the Pass / Revise /
Fail system, and the “grades” for individual assignments will be posted to gradebook as
Pass, Revise, or Fail.

If you receive a Revise as the “grade” for an assignment, then this should be considered a request
for revision. You do not have to revise work given a Revise “grade,” but it will automatically be
counted as a Fail when the final grade for the portfolio is calculated if it has not been sufficiently
revised (see video for details).

You will not be allowed to revise any assignment given a Fail “grade,” so put appropriate time,
effort, and ability into each task in each assignment from the beginning.

The Logic

It may seem overly complicated, but this system allows students more of an opportunity to
choose the grades they get in this course. If you only want or need a C in this course, then you
only need to do the work necessary for that grade. So, if earning a Pass on 2 assignments in a
portfolio of 4 assignments gets you that C, then only complete 2 assignments and don’t worry
about the rest. We all have different goals, expectations, and priorities in our lives, and that’s
okay. You are the captain of your ship and the master of your destiny, do what you need to do to
get where you want to be in life as the person you want people to remember.
 English 3880 Summer 2019 Syllabus pg

Revisions (see revisions video for more info)

All requested REVISIONS must be submitted by 11:59pm on July 23rd, which is 48 hours after
the entire portfolio was due. I do not recommend waiting until the last minute to submit a
portfolio’s individual assignments. You may submit an assignment for assessment as soon as you
are satisfied with it. The longer you wait to submit it, the less time you will have to revise it if it
merits revision.

Citizenship

Citizenship for this course has a two-part assessment process. The first part is based on my
review of your participation in workshops. The second part is based on other students’
perceptions of your performance in workshops. Each part is worth half of your total citizenship
grade. (see grading section for more info)

Workshops

There will be a significant amount of workshopping of assignments expected for this course. The
more you workshop parts of assignments, the closer those assignments will be to earning a Pass.

All assignment workshopping will take place within the Discussion Board section of Blackboard,
and each assignment workshopping forum will close 24 hours before that project portfolio is due
for assessment and grading. There will be workshops available for each assignment in each
portfolio, and you should feel free to upload your working documents in the appropriate
forum/thread to get feedback from others.

You can ask specific or general questions about your work, and even specify how you would like
to receive feedback. If you want brutal honesty and a fully marked up document, let people
know. If you prefer a lighter touch and want folks to focus on what you are doing well rather that
what you might improve, then let people know that too.

You can even just show up (digitally) to brainstorm with others working on the same portfolios. I
will also jump in and out of the forums, helping answer questions and offering guidance and
feedback as time and opportunity allow. I may also add videos and other content that may help
you out with things I notice multiple students may need to work on.

When workshopping, please remember to always be civil. You can disagree with folks and be
honest about things like quality of work without being rude or meanspirited. We are also all only
human, and we will make mistakes. You do not have to use the feedback you are given, but if
more than one person is offering the same advice, you may want to think twice before
disregarding it.

Do not expect to drop work off for feedback and then just wander away. You must actively
participate in workshops, which means you must provide the same services and benefits for
others that you are hoping they will provide for you.
 English 3880 Summer 2019 Syllabus pg

If you start in a workshop and realize along the way that you’d like to meet up with classmates in
person to work on assignments, or through other digital means (Facetime, Skype, Backchannel,
etc.), then feel free to do so.

----Grading----

Final Portfolio Grades

The resulting Pass, Revise, and Fail “grades” in gradebook will translate into a Letter Grade
for the completed final version of the Project Portfolio based on criteria listed on each Project
Portfolio overview and that portfolio’s assignment guides.

The final grades for Project Portfolios will be posted to gradebook by 5pm on July 28th.

For those curious, Letter Grades translate numerically as:

A = 99; B+ = 89; C+ = 79; D+ = 69; F = 0

Citizenship Part 1

This class should function effectively as a community of learners. Throughout the semester, you
will be expected to join assignment workshops. Half of your citizenship grade (10% of course
grade) will be based on my assessment of your contributions to your classmates during
workshops. Show up, help out, and be open to critique.

Citizenship Part 2

During workshops, you are expected to actively participate in ways that demonstrate
transformative leadership abilities as they are expressed below. This part of your citizenship
grade will be based on two letters of recommendation that you must obtain from your peers in
this course.

Letters of recommendation are important in both the academic and business worlds.

Each letter should discuss demonstrations of your transformative leadership during

workshops within the context of teamwork, teambuilding, and being an effective contributor in
the workplace. Quality communication skills and ability to work well with others are two prized
traits in business and will get you much further in life than ambition and hard work alone. These
skills will make you an asset rather than a potential liability.

Letters of recommendation should be ¾ to one page long, single-spaced, and addressed to me,
Mrs. Abigail Morris. All letters are due by July 22nd.
 English 3880 Summer 2019 Syllabus pg

As articulated by the text Leadership Reconsidered, transformative leadership abilities include

the following:

 Collaboration – ability to work in group setting “effective groups empower individuals”

 Shared purpose – ability to work with others to identify and/or pursue a common goal
 Disagreement with respect – ability to recognize and appreciate individual differences
and employ civility in interaction
 Division of labor- ability to work with others, divide labor, accept responsibility and be
productive
 Learning environment – ability to embrace community that is respective and supportive
of self and others
 Self-knowledge – aware of own beliefs, strengths, and weaknesses
 Authenticity/integrity – key to building trust
 Commitment – passion, intensity, and persistence
 Empathy – understanding of others and the requisite ability to listen
 Competency – knowledge, skills, and technical expertise required for successful
completion of the goal 

General Grading Policy

You must earn the grades you want in this course, and it is important for you to remember that
course grades start at zero since you cannot lose points you have not yet earned.

I will always do my absolute best to return work quickly, and you will always be welcome to see
me during office hours for detailed explanations of assignments or my assessments of your work.

----University Policies and Procedures----

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity as described in the ECU Student Handbook is a fundamental value of higher
education and East Carolina University; therefore, I will not tolerate acts of cheating, plagiarism,
falsification or attempts to cheat, plagiarize, or falsify. If I become aware of academic integrity
violations, I will follow the procedures outlines in the University’s academic integrity policy.
Penalties for violating the Academic Integrity policy include grade penalties up to and including
an F for the course. If you have any questions about my policy or what might constitute a
violation in the class, please contact me. Review the Academic Integrity policies and procedures
online at http://www.ecu.edu/cs-studentaffairs/osrr/students/conduct_process.cfm.
 
Penalties for plagiarism are severe—if I become aware of any intentional attempt to plagiarize
(e.g. knowingly submitting someone else’s work as your own, downloading a paper from the
Internet, etc.), you will be given an “F” for the course and a report will be filed with the Office of
Student Rights and Responsibilities, the office that maintains reports from all university faculty
and staff regarding academic integrity violations. If you are caught cheating or plagiarizing a
 English 3880 Summer 2019 Syllabus pg

second time, in this course or in any other course while you are at ECU, you can be suspended or
even expelled from the University. Be sure to see me if you have any questions about plagiarism
before you turn in an assignment.
 
Accommodation of Special Needs

East Carolina University seeks to fully comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Students requesting accommodation based on a covered disability must go to the Department for
Disability Services, located in Slay 138, to verify the disability before any accommodations can
occur. Their telephone number is 252.737.1016, and their email is dssdept@ecu.edu. I am more
than willing to help make this class accessible to all students.

Weather/Campus Emergencies

In case of adverse weather, or other campus emergency, critical information will be posted on the
campus web site and announced on the campus hotline: 252.328.0062. This should be irrelevant
for an online course like this one.

Writing Intensive (WI)

English 3880 is a writing intensive course in the Writing Across the Curriculum Program at East
Carolina University. This course will focus on the development of writing skills. Upon
completion of the course students will
1. Use writing to investigate complex, relevant topics and address significant questions
through engagement with and effective use of credible sources.
2. Produce writing that reflects an awareness of context, purpose, and audience, particularly
with the written genres (including genres that integrate writing with visuals, audio, or
other multimodal assignments) of their major disciplines and/or career fields.
3. Demonstrate that they understand writing as a process that can be made more effective
through drafting and revision.
4. Proofread and edit their own writing, avoiding grammatical and mechanical errors.
5. Assess and explain the major choices that they make in their writing.
This course contributes to the twelve-hour WI requirement for students at ECU. Additional
information is available at the following site: http://www.ecu.edu/writing/wac/.

University Writing Portfolio

At the end of the semester, you will submit one major writing project to your University Writing
Portfolio, along with a description of the assignment for that project and brief responses to four
questions about your writing. These materials will be uploaded through the “student portfolio”
link in Pirate Port (https://pirateport.ecu.edu/portal/). Instructions for creating your University
Writing Portfolio and uploading your materials are available online (www.ecu.edu/QEP) and in
person at the University Writing Center (www.ecu.edu/writing/uwc), located in Joyner Library.

University Writing Center

The University Writing Center (UWC), located in Joyner Library 1015, provides free writing
assistance, which I encourage you to use during any stage of the writing process. Appointments
 English 3880 Summer 2019 Syllabus pg

are available face-to-face or online in synchronous (real time chats) and asynchronous (email
messages) formats; make sure to select the correct type of appointment. You can make an
appointment at https://ecu.mywconline.com or call 252-328-2820. Appointments begin on the
hour and last about 45 minutes. Be prepared to ask and answer questions about your writing. It is
helpful to provide a copy of your assignment and any work you’ve done so far.