ENGL 420: Business Writing

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23870761/from/ET/
http://www.slate.com/?id=2060618
http://www.forbes.com/2002/02/27/0227goodwin.html

This week's reading is about copyright, plagiarism, and fair use of others' writing. This is something that should be second nature by now. We all know what plagiarism is and that it is wrong and comes with serious consequences. Even with this in mind, it can still be very tempting at times to copy the work of others and call it our own; however, in my opinion, most times it happens on accident. Forgeting to cite something or doing it improperly are common ways plagiarism occurs. The article talks about how documents, formulas, and other unique things such as slogans and logos are protected.

This is a reading response to the plagiarism and ethics readings. The plagiarism article brought up a lot of good points about the problems with plagiarism especially in colleges. At this point in our lives the vast majority of us should have a general understanding of what it means to plagiarize. Even in junior high we got explanations that if you copy someone’s writing word for word and put it into your own that not only will you risk getting an F, but you’ll also be committing something that’s illegal.

This weeks readings included: Social and Cultural Issues: Copyright, Plagiarism, and Fair Use of Others’ Writing, Gender in the Workplace and Ethics Editing Checklist. Copyright, Plagiarism, and Fair Use of Others' Writing is an important article that provides very useful information when it comes to any form of writing. The following line basically sums up the entire article: "Give credit where credit is due." If the information provided isn't your own then you need to make sure and cite the correct source. The article also gives a list of rules that might help: 1.

We will conduct peer reviews via the site and email. Here is the procedure (read this entire post carefully BEFORE doing anything because any errors can really derail the whole process):

Everyone please introduce yourselves. Post a comment to this blog post in which you:

1. Describe where you are from.
2. Give your course of study and year.
3. Provide your career goals.
4. Tell what you would like to get out of this course.
5. Share at least one thing personal about yourself (a hobby, your favorite sport, a favorite activity, etc.

This website will be an integral part of the course all semester long. Located here are descriptions of the course, the course calendar, prompts and grading rubrics for the major course projects, and a number of helpful handouts and resources. Also, throughout the semester you will post to the site weekly reading responses, comments on others' responses, in-class activities, and project logs.

To log in, go to the "Guidelines, Handouts and Support" link on the "Course Guide" tab at the top of this page. Follow the instructions from there to create your username and password.