Course Description

Instructor and Course Information

Instructor:  Rachael D. Bailey

Office hours: W/F by appointment

Office: Heavilon 325F

Ph: 765.494.3744

Fax: 765.494.3780

E-Mail: rachael.d.bailey@gmail.com

Overview

English 420 teaches students the rhetorical principles and writing practices
necessary for producing effective business letters, memos, reports, and
collaborative projects in professional contexts. The curriculum is informed by
current research in rhetoric and professional writing and is guided by the needs
and practices of business, industry, and society at large, as well as by the
expectations of Purdue students and programs. All sections of English 420 are
offered in networked computer classrooms or exclusively online to ensure that
students taking the course are prepared for the writing environment of the
21st-century workplace. The course teaches the rhetorical principles that help
students shape their business writing ethically, for multiple audiences, in a
variety of professional situations.

Required Texts

Professional Writing Online 2nd Edition, by Johndan Johnson-Eilola, Patricia
Sullivan, and James Porter. Boston: Allyn & Bacon/Longman, 2004. Available
at University Book Store and Follet's. Be sure to purchase unopened copies of
the guide because used password codes are not transferable. Keep your receipt in
case your password fails to work and see me immediately. Passwords cannot be
shared.

Course Goals

Writing in Context
Analyze professional cultures, social
contexts, and audiences to determine how they shape the various purposes and
forms of workplace writing, such as persuasion, organizational communication,
and public discourse, with an emphasis on

• writing for a range of defined audiences and stakeholders
• negotiating the ethical dimensions of workplace communication

Project Management

• Understand, develop and deploy various strategies for planning, researching,
  drafting, revising, and editing documents both individually and collaboratively.
• Select and use appropriate technologies that effectively and ethically
  address professional situations and audiences.
• Build professional ethos through documentation and accountability.

Document Design
Make rhetorical design decisions about
workplace documents, including

• understanding and adapting to genre conventions and audience expectations
• understanding and implementing design principles of format and layout
• interpreting and arguing with design
• drafting, researching, testing, and revising visual designs and information
  architecture

Teamwork
Learn and apply strategies for successful
teamwork and collaboration, such as

• working online with colleagues
• determining roles and responsibilities
• managing team conflicts constructively
• responding constructively to peers' work
• soliciting and using peer feedback effectively
• achieving team goals

Research
Understand and use various research methods to
produce professional documents, including

• analyzing professional contexts
• locating, evaluating, and using print and online information selectively for
  particular audiences and purposes
• triangulating sources of evidence
• selecting appropriate primary research methods, such as interviews,
  observations, focus groups, and surveys to collect data
• working ethically with research participants

Technology
Use and evaluate the writing technologies
frequently used in the workplace, such as emailing, instant messaging, image
editing, video editing, presentation design and delivery, HTML editing, Web
browsing, content management, and desktop publishing technologies.