Week 1

By Monday, June 11, at midnight

• If you have not done so already, read Welcome to English 420Y, Business Writing (Distance Learning).
• Complete:
  • Getting Started 1: Registering on the Site
  • Getting Started 2: Logging in for the First Time
  • Getting Started 3: Editing Your Account for the First Time
• Review carefully the Course Description, paying particular attention to all requirements. It is important that you become very familiar with the course policies so you can understand what is expected of you in this class. It might be best if you read through the course description twice; ignorance of the course policies will not be an excuse for failure to complete an assignment properly. Please do not fall behind on the first day. This course will proceed at a quick pace, so don't wait a few days to get going!
• Read Learning to Navigate the Site. Then explore the class website. Make sure that you login; some class website features are not available to guests. It'll be easier as we move forward if you take the time now to explore. Get familiar with where things are located, which links take you further into the class website and which take you outside to other resources.
• Read through the rest of this page so that you know when assignments are due the rest of the week.

By Tuesday, June 12, at midnight

• Now that you have had a chance to read the course description and explore the class website, email your instructor with a note letting him or her know that you have finished registering for the course. Your email should include a subject line, a greeting, a short message, and your real (full) name. It is important that you complete this task so that you know how to get in touch with your instructor.
• Review How to Post Your Individual Weblog and then How to Post Comments and Replies
• Read Instructor Blog #1: Welcome to Professional Writing. Post a comment in response that elaborates or reacts to the ideas presented.
• Respond to the "Let's introduce ourselves" prompt on the home page. Add a new comment in which you:
  • describe where you are from
  • give your course of study and year
  • talk about your career goals
  • tell what you would like to get out of this course
  • share at least one thing personal about yourself (a hobby, your favorite sport, a favorite activity, etc.
• Reminder: As you work on assignments for this course, always read ahead a few days to give yourself time to ask questions about future assignments.

By Wednesday, June 13 at midnight

• You should have received the course textbook by today: The Thomson Handbook (Comprehensive Edition), by David Blakesley and Jeffrey L. Hoogeveen. Boston: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2008. This book is available at local bookstores and may also be purchased online (e.g., through Amazon, here). You can buy the hardcover or paperback versions.

Reading

• Familiarize yourself with the content and structure of The Thomson Handbook. Scan the frontmatter (including the the table of contents) and the backmatter (the "Glossary of Web Terms" and the "Glossary of Usage") so that you know what the book contains.
• "Writing for Business and the Workplace" (TH, 217-238)

Reading Response

• Post a reading response. Respond to this prompt: based upon what you have read in the The Thomson Handbook and your own experiences, what do you expect the substance of this course to be? What do you expect to get out of it? How are you going to use this opportunity to augment your own skills? In your response, point to specific material in The Thomson Handbook. Since this is your first Reading response, you'll want to follow the tutorial for using the class site software, How to Post to Your Individual Weblog. Use the tag "Reading response Week 1" in the category field.

By Thursday, June 14, at midnight

Employment Project

• Read the Employment Project description. You can ask questions about the project by emailing your instructor. Try to answer your own question before emailing it too hastily.
• Read Instructor Blog #2 on Getting a Job. Post a comment in response.
• Step 1: Skills Inventory, Job Description and Rationale. Start this step by completing the Job Search Activity 12-1 (p. 221) in The Thomson Handbook. In a blog post, respond to each of the questions with a few sentences, or a list. Don't forget to post it under the "Skills inventory" category.
• Begin searching for a job for the Employment Project. Consult the following sites:
• http://www.careerbuilder.com/
• http://www.collegegrad.com/
• http://www.job-hunt.org/
• http://www.truecareers.com/
• http://www.monster.com/
• Purdue Center for Career Opportunities
• yahoo jobs
• yahoo career fields

By Friday, June 15, at midnight.

• Finish Step 1 of the Employment Project by doing the Job ad analysis and posting it to your blog. Reference the sample job ad and sample response in The Thomson Handbook (p. 223-24). Remember to copy and paste an actual job ad (or provide the link) that you will be applying for in your project. Don't forget to post under the "Job ad analysis" category.
• Continue posting comments and replies using Principles for Comments and Replies. You need to contribute five (5) comments to classmates' posts each week, so check the tag for Reading response Week 1 frequently and participate in the conversations. For reference on how to do this, review How to Post Comments and Replies. Your posts should adhere to the guidelines found in chapter 28 of The Thomson Handbook (beginning on page 621). Pay particular attention to the Project Checklist for Networking in Online Forums on page 627.
• Check out Week 2. No later than today, you should read through the course calendar for the following week. Make sure that you understand all of the assignments. If you have any questions, contact the instructor.

Week 2

By Monday, June 18, at midnight

• Read the Instructor Blog on Resumes. Post a comment in response.
• Read this fantastic Career Journal article by an HR coordinator.
• Read "A Glimpse and a Hook" and scan the corresponding comments.
• Read the Purdue Owl's information on resumes.
• Begin working on Employment Project Step 2: Resume Draft, due Wednesday.

By Tuesday, June 19, at midnight

Reading

• "Reading and Writing Email Purposefully" (TH, Chapter 27, 603-20)
• "Boss's Angry Email Sends Shares Plunging"
• "A Stinging Office Memo Boomerangs" (.pdf file)

Reading Response

• Post a reading response by Tuesday at midnight. Remember to set "Reading response Week 2" as the category tag. Pick one or more of the readings from Monday or Tuesday to discuss. Suggested Prompts: You might describe one instance when you sent an email message that worked wonders or that proved to be a huge mistake. What happened? Why? Which of the "Ten Habits of Successful Emailers" seemed to be missing? How does emailing differ from text messaging or instant messaging, and why do you think email is used more frequently in business and industry for project management? What surprised you about how HR personnel treat resumes? What can you do to ensure that yours gets adequate attention?

By Wednesday, June 20, at midnight

• Employment project Step 2: Resume Rough Draft Due. Post your resume draft as an attachment to a blog posted in the "Resume peer editing" category.
• Respond to two student resumes with helpful peer editing feedback. See Peer Review of Resumes for advice.
• Send an attachment of your resume with your name and contact info removed (replaced with fake information) to the instructor as an attachment.

By Thursday, June 21, at midnight

• Read the Instructor Blog on Cover Letters. Post a comment in response.
• Read about the rhetorical concept of kairos ("the right or opportune time to speak or write") in Kairos and the Cover Letter, which includes some exaggerated approaches that you should avoid in your cover letters.
• Begin writing Employment Project, Step 3: Cover Letter, due Monday, June 25th.

By Friday, June 22, at midnight

• Complete the Resume Extravaganza Assignment! Remember to post your response with the "Resume extravaganza" tag.
• Continue posting comments and replies using Principles for Comments and Replies (you need to contribute five [5] each week). We are now dealing with Reading response Week 2.
• Check out Week 3. No later than today, you should read through the course calendar for the following week. Make sure that you understand all of the assignments. If you have any questions, email the instructor.

Week 3

By Monday, June 25, at midnight

• Employment Project Step 3: Cover letter due. Post your cover letter to a blog in the "Cover letter peer editing" category.
• Respond with peer feedback to two other student letters. Reference the Peer Review of Cover Letters Handout.
• Begin working on Employment Project Step 4: Project Assessment Document.
• Begin revising resume and cover letter for Employment Project Final Draft.

By Tuesday, June 26, at midnight

• There's a lot of reading that needs to be done by Friday of this week, so make sure to schedule carefully to get it all done.
• Read the description of Project 2: Corporate Communication Project. Email your instructor with any questions.
• Read the news story about Jet Blue's crisis in February. Also visit JetBlue's Customer Bill of Rights page. Be sure to watch the video from President David Neeleman. Read Be the Guy with the Megaphone. Read 10 Steps to Recovery for "Jet Black and Blue."
• Find one other interesting article about the JetBlue situation and post it to the blog under the "Corporate project research" category. Include a short summary of the article and its usefulness for the project.

By Wednesday, June 27, at midnight

• Read Thomson Handbook Ch 38 on Effective Word Use.
• Read Frank Luntz's Words That Work (Chapter 1: "The Ten Rules of Effective Langauge," attached at bottom of page). Luntz studies the effects of words on audiences of advertising and political campaigns. It is tempting to accuse Luntz of teaching people how to spin the truth, and many have, but as you read, consider the perspective that Luntz is informing people about how to shape their message effectively in a world where language is always framing perspectives.
• Read Ethics in Public Relations: A Guide to the Best Practice (Selections, attached at bottom of page).
• Read Case Studies in Business Ethics (Selections, attached at bottom of page).
• Read Managing Communications in a Crisis (Chapter 3: "Stakeholders and Audiences," attached at bottom of page)

By Thursday, June 28, at midnight

• Employment Project Final Draft Due. Post projects in the "Employment final project" category. Your final submission will include the following items, in a single PDF file, in this order:
  1. Job ad that you have replied to (Step 1)
  2. Discussion of job ad (Step 1)
  3. Job Application Letter
  4. Resume
  5. Project Assessment Document.

  Attach this file to a blog post with the subject "Employment Project Final" and include brief submission notes explaining the nature of the attachment. The file should be in PDF format, and the file name should follow this naming convention: lastname-EmploymentProject.pdf. Read these directions for converting your documents to PDF format if you have any questions about the process.

By Friday, June 29, at midnight

Reading Response

• It's time to put together all the readings for this week. As you begin to reflect on your writing for next week, consider the JetBlue crisis in light of the Luntz reading, the ethics readings, and your own research that you posted earlier in the week. Do you think JetBlue handled the crisis in an effective way? In an ethical way? How can you connect the Luntz reading, the ethics readings, and your own research with JetBlue's handling of this situation? How do you plan on responding to this situation in your own documents next week? How will the readings inform that response? Use the tag "Reading response Week 3" in the category field.
• Continue posting comments and replies (you need to contribute five [5] each week). We are now dealing with Reading response Week 3.

Week 4

By Monday, July 2, at midnight

• Read sample press releases before writing your press release. Press releases are available here:
  • FDA Press Release
  • Marler Clark Press Release
  • Diamond Pet Food
  • MPAA Press Release
  Also read:
  • 10 Essential Tips for Press Releases
• Corporate Communication Project Step 1: Press Release Due. Post your press release draft to the "Press release draft" Category.
• Respond with peer feedback to two other student press releases.

By Tuesday, July 3, at midnight

• This project focuses heavily on concise writing. Read Thomson Handbook Chapter 36 on Concise Sentences. Also read the Purdue Owl's page on Conciseness. Keep these principles in mind as you write, and edit your letters heavily with conciseness in mind.

By Wednesday, July 4, at midnight

• University Holiday. Enjoy your fourth!

By Thursday, July 5, at midnight

• Read Thomson Handbook Chapter 1 on Writing and Rhetoric in Context.
• Watch this Youtube video to get an impression of the JetBlue customer reaction.
• Find one other JetBlue customer online written or video response (for reading response).

Reading Response

• Consider the chapter on writing and rhetoric in the context of your writing for JetBlue. Then consider the audience materials you have collected. Who is the audience that you are addressing? What feelings, expectations, predictions, and desires do they hold? (Reference specifics from the audience documents you watched and located.) How do you plan on addressing them? How will the context shape that response?

By Friday, July 6, at midnight

• Corporate Communication Project Step 2: Letter Due. Post your business letter draft to the "Letter draft" category.
• Respond to two other student letters with feedback.
• Begin revising Corporate Communication Project, Due Wednesday, July 11.

Week 5

By Monday, July 9, at midnight

• Read the project description for the Service Learning Project.
• Read the client and document descriptions for the service learning project corresponding to your instructor:
  • Weber's Service Learning Project
  • Tirrell's Service Learning Project
• Email instructor with any questions.
• Read Instructor Blog #5 on Working in Groups. Post a comment in response.

By Tuesday, July 10, at midnight

• Read the article "Feuds in Student Groups"
• Receive group assignments for the service learning project. Communicate with group members via email or the wiki page set up on the course site.
  • Weber's Service Learning project groups.
  • Tirrell's Service Learning project groups

By Wednesday, July 11, at midnight

• Corporate Communication Project Due. Put all three documents into one pdf titled "LastnameCorporate." Post the project to a blog in the "Corporate project final project" category.

By Thursday, July 12, at midnight

• Read Thomson Handbook Chapter 25 on Desktop Publishing and Graphic Design.
• Find one professional brochure or visual document that you like online. (Type brochure.pdf into Google if you're having trouble finding anything.)

Reading Response

• Considering the principles of design given in chapter 25, what works about the design of the brochure you found? Reference specific principles from Chapter 25 to analyze the design of your brochure. Explain how this document will influence your own design on the service learning project.
• Read and comment on your group member responses.

By Friday, July 13, at midnight

• Service Learning Project Step 1 Due. Post your Gantt chart to one blog called "Gantt Chart" in the "Service Learning Gantt chart" category. Reference the sample Gantt charts attached below as your group completes Step 1. They are student samples updated July 11.
• Post individual work blog giving a detailed summary of your contribution to the team. Post work blogs in the "Work blogs" category.
• Don't forget to send an activity report to the instructor on Sunday. Activity reports are due every Sunday until the end of the semester.

Week 6

By Monday, July 16, at midnight

• Read Thomson Handbook Chapters 24 and 37. Take these principles into account as you are producing your documents, because Thursday's reading response asks you to comment on them in relation to your draft. Also remember the principles of concision and design as you work.

By Tuesday, July 17, at midnight

• Work on draft with group members.

By Wednesday, July 18, at midnight

• Service Learning Project Step 4: Draft Due. Post the project draft to a blog in the "Service learning Draft 1" category.
Remember that the draft must be posted in a format that everyone can access. You can export to .pdf or an image format such as .jpg. There is also a 5mb file upload limit on the site, which is more than enough, but it is something to keep in mind.

By Thursday, July 19, at midnight

• Read Thomson Handbook Chapter 24 and 37 by today.

Reading Response

• Consider your draft of the project. In a reading response, explain how the principles of variety, conciseness, audience, and design are shaping your draft. Reference specifics in your document in your reading response.
• Read and comment on your group member responses.

By Friday, July 20, at midnight

• Continue revision of drafts with your group, accounting for instructor feedback on your work.
• Don't forget to do the work blogs and activity reports for this week.

Week 7

By Monday, July 23, at midnight

• Finish Draft 2 of group project.

By Tuesday, July 24, at midnight

• Service Learning Project Step 4: Draft Due. Post the project draft 2 to a blog in the "Service learning Draft 2" category. Please give your draft post the heading "Instructor Group #" - such as "Tirrell Group 3."
• Remember, this draft will also be reviewed by the client to provide feedback to the students.

By Wednesday, July 25, at midnight

• Service Learning Project Step 5: Peer Editing. Peer edit the project of one group in the other section of 420. Your instructor will partner your group with a group in the other section. Each group member should post 200 word review comments to that project by midnight.
• To avoid conflicts of interest between groups doing the same project, the groups will peer edit across classes. Each group in Weber's class will peer edit one of Tirrell's groups, and vice versa. The peer editing exchange is as follows:
• Tirrell Group 1 - Weber Group 1.
• Tirrell Group 2 - Weber Group 2.
• Tirrell Group 3 - Weber Group 3.
• Tirrell Group 4 - Weber Group 4.
• Tirrell Group 5 - Weber Group 5.

By Thursday, July 26, at midnight

Reading Response

• Use your current brochure drafts and take The 5 Minute Brochure Design Trash Test
• Read and comment on your group members' responses. You only need to do 3 comments this week (those on the responses of your fellow group members).

By Friday, July 27, at midnight

• Continue revision of drafts with your group, accounting for instructor, peer, and client feedback on your work.

Week 8

By Monday, July 30, at midnight

• Review client feedback.

By Tuesday, July 31, at midnight

• Continue work on Service Learning Project Step 6: Final Draft due Wednesday, August 1.

By Wednesday, August 1, at midnight

• Service Learning Project Step 6: Final Draft. Post final drafts as pdf attachments titled "Group#Final" to a blog in the "Service learning Final draft" category.

By Thursday, August 2, at midnight

• Work on Service Learning Project Step 7: Project Assessment (the form is attached at the bottom of this page).

By Friday, August 3, at midnight

• Complete Service Learning Project: Step 7: Project Assessment. Email Project Assessment to your instructor as a pdf attachment titled "LastNameProjectAssessment."
• Individual work blogs for week 8 are due today. Activity reports are due on Sunday, but you may wish to turn them in early.