Business Communications – Syllabus
Instructor: D. Christopher
Email: dchrist@calstatela.edu
Voicemail: 323-343-2916
Office: ST604
All assigned readings are subject to quizzes the following week of class. The class is structured around two time frames—the TUESDAY session will be lecture/quiz based and the THURSDAY session will be in-class (individual/group)activity based/lecture-based. All in-class assignments will consist of written assignments and group discussions, quizzes, and class discussions (individual and group).
The
following is a tentative guideline for the course activities and assignments
for the quarter:
Week |
Assignment |
Comments |
Textbook Required:Thill, John V., Courtland L. Bovee. Excellence in Business Communication, 5th edition. Prentice Hall, 2002.student website: http://www.prenhall.com/thill The student website complements the textbook and offers many opportunities for improving your writing and research techniques. Week One |
Read
Chapters 1, 2, 3 |
Case Studies, Oral presentation, WA#1, |
Week Two |
Read
Chapters 4, 5, 6 |
Case
Studies, WA#2, research techniques |
Week Three |
Read
Chapters 7, 8, 9 |
Case
Studies, WA# 3, 4 |
Week Four |
Read
Chapters 10, 11, 12, 13 |
Case
Studies, Report Topic and Report Outline due |
Week Five |
Continued
Reading Chapters 10-13 |
Case
Studies, Proposal and Bibliography due |
Week Six |
Midterm
Exam-Chapters 1-6 |
Midterm
Exam, Revise proposal, continue research |
Week Seven |
Read
Chapter 14 |
Case
Study, WA# 5, Progress report due |
Week EightThe employment process will consist of a four-part process: the resume, the letter of application, the follow-up letter, and the application form.The follow-up letter may be one of the following: the acceptance letter, the rejection letter, the thank-you letter, or the inquiry letter. In today's marketplace, the electronic resume is becoming the most popular method of posting resumes on such sites as monster.com, jobbankusa.com, careerpath.com; to name a few. Also, listed are a number of sites mentioned in this week's lecture. These sites which offer valuable references pertaining to personality, resume techniques, and interview tips.
|
Read
Chapter 15 |
Case
Study, Resume, follow-up letters, application format due Week Nine |
Week Nine |
Oral
Presentations |
Groups
selected randomly, *All Reports are due this week. |
Week Ten |
Oral
Presentations |
Groups
selected randomly |
Week Eleven |
Final
Examination-Chapters 7-15 |
All
written materials (reports, etc.) will be given back after the final exam. |
|
|
|
There
will be no makeup allowed for missed in-class assignments and quizzes. The course evaluation will consist of the
following breakdown: written
assignments (30%), examinations/quizzes (30%), oral presentations (10%), and
analytical report (30%).
The
above weekly guidelines are given so that you can manage your time wisely and
efficiently. The analytical report is
quite time-consuming and will take approximately 40 hours to complete the
assigned topic in an efficient and effective manner. The report must be indicative of your own research efforts. The report must be based on the assigned
topics outlined on the website created by Dr. Christopher.
You
may choose to undertake the report project either as an individual or team-work
effort. However, the creation of a team
and its outcome is the responsibility of each member of the group. Please do not take part in a team project
unless you are prepared for the various group efforts displayed by each team
member. Team members must make a
concerted effort to participate equally in the written and oral components of
the report project.
The
grading scale for the quarter is as follows:
A= 90-100, B= 80-89, C= 70-79,
D= 60-69,
F= -60. No one can earn a passing grade
for the quarter unless they submit a final project, oral presentation, and
final examination. These conditions are
set by the core competencies as outlined for the Business Communication course.