Fall 2023 Course Syllabus Course: ENGL-2311 (Section: 71, CRN: 92479) Technical and Business Writing

Instructor Information
Instructor	Jeremy Belyeu
Email	belyeujc@lamarpa.edu
Phone	(409) 984-6436
Office	Student Success Center - Room: 130
Office Hours	I live and teach remotely; therefore, I do not keep office hours. The BEST way to discuss the class or grades is to schedule an appointment; please email belyeujc@lamarpa.edu.
Additional Contact Information
Course Information
Description	Intensive study of and practice in professional settings. Focus on the types of documents necessary to make decisions and take action on the job, such as proposals, reports, instructions, policies and procedures, email messages, letters, and descriptions of products and services. Practice individual and collaborative processes involved in the creation of ethical and efficient documents
Required Textbooks	Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer. NO textbook is required. All necessary videos and handouts will be in a weekly Blackboard folder. Students MUST have access to and be able to use a computer with Word on it. (Documents must be created and saved) All assignments MUST be submitted through Blackboard.
Additional Materials/Resources	Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite (especially Microsoft Word) is a key to success in this and every English course at LSCPA. Microsoft access is provided as part of your student fees and apps are available for use through MyLamarPA. Students should develop the habit of using a flash drive to conveniently save drafts we will be working on in class. You should also familiarize yourself with the OneDrive app, the cloud service included as part of the Office suite. It's a handy place to save and organize copies of your files.
Corequisites/Prerequisites	English 1301
Learning Outcomes	Upon successful completion of this course, students will: Recognize, analyze, and accommodate diverse audiences. Produce documents appropriate to audience, purpose, and genre. Analyze the ethical responsibilities involved in technical communication. Locate, evaluate, and incorporate pertinent information. Develop verbal, visual, and multimedia materials as necessary, in individual and/or collaborative projects, as appropriate. Edit for appropriate style, including attention to word choice, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling. Design and test documents for easy reading and navigation.
Core Objectives	Communication Skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and visual communication.  Critical Thinking Skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry, analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions.  Social Responsibility: Students will demonstrate intercultural competency and civic knowledge by engaging effectively in local, regional, national and/or global communities.  Personal Responsibility: Students will demonstrate the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making.
Lecture Topics Outline	Differences between Academic and Technical writing (audience and purpose)  Standard vs Non-Standard English  Netiquette in the business setting  Grammar and Punctuation in the business setting  Business letters, Memos, Office Forms Reports, short and long  PowerPoints
Major Assignments Schedule	Each folder in Blackboard will contain a video, reading assignment, and writing assignment.  There will be a Watch This --- Read This --- Write This link Discussions are due Sunday nights Week 1: Standard English in the workplace Discussion 1 Week 2: Discussion 2 Week 3: Memos and Workplace emails; Netiquette Week 4: Discussion 3 Week 5: Resume & Cover Letter Week 6: Discussion 4 Week 7: Business letters, short and long Week 8: Discussion 5 Week 9: Discussion 6 Week 10: Discussion 7 Week 11: Business report Week 12: Discussion 8 Week 13: Discussion 9 Week 14: Work on PowerPoint Presentation Week 15: Final: PowerPoint presentation and Discussion 10 Week 16: Final
Final Exam Date	December 11, 2023 - 12:01 AM   Through  December 11, 2023 - 11:59 PM
Grading Scale
Determination of Final Grade	Assignments/Projects: 60%  Discussions: 20%  Final Exam: 20%
Course Policies
Instructor Policies	Assignments are due Sundays at midnight. If an assignment is submitted after the due date and time, there is a 10-point grade reduction for that day. If it is two days late, a 20-point grade reduction, three days late, a 30-point grade reduction, and so on. I MUST enforce this because it is not fair to those who DO what they have to do and get it all done (i.e. work late, make sacrifices, etc.) PLEASE do not hesitate to contact me if you need help, more explanation for an assignment, or are having difficulty. I truly am here to help you successfully make it through this class but I am not a mind-reader. You need to let me know what is going on so I can help you. Please make every effort to attend announced Teams virtual meetings, orientations, discussion forum contributions, etc. An online course relies on clear and constant communication for success. I don't anticipate the need for many, if any, virtual meetings, but I reserve the right to require one if I feel it would benefit the class as a whole. Hopefully, we will be able to make due with weekly discussion forum posts, healthy email correspondence,  and periodic video messages from me. For those who require more direct instruction, unique arrangements can be made.
Attendance Policy	See above. Make yourself available for feedback and instruction when the opportunity arises. Students ARE expected to attend class, whether that is in-person or on-line. Blackboard shows when students log in and what time assignments are submitted.  The best course of action is to NOT fall behind in the assignments, which will usually be due Sunday nights.
Additional Information	Don't cheat. Don't plagiarize. Don't use spinbot technology to hide text stolen from online sources. If I catch you cheating once, you will receive a "0" on the assignment, and I reserve the right to go into the gradebook and retroactively penalize you for cheating that I may have missed. A second instance of plagiarism will result in dismissal from the course with a grade of F.  While this policy may seem harsh, it is the only effective way to dissuade some students from cheating. A few attempt it every semester--and I've gotten very good at spotting it, so don't test me.
Institutional Policies
MyLSCPA	Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MyLSCPA.
Academic Honesty	Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.
ADA Considerations	The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the the Office for Disability Services Coordinator, Room 231, in the Madison Monroe Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.
COVID 19 Information	The Lamar State College Port Arthur (LSCPA) Student Code of Conduct COVID 19 Policy requires students who have been diagnosed with COVID 19 to report their condition directly to their local health department. Students should also contact their course faculty to report their quarantine status. In addition, this policy requires all students to wear face coverings when directly exposed to COVID 19 in compliance with the criteria included in the policy. For more information please refer to the COVID 19 link on the LSCPA website.
Facility Policies	No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.
HB 2504	This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.
Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect	As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual.
Title IX and Sexual Misconduct	LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website.
Clery Act Crime Reporting	For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website.
Grievance / Complaint / Concern	If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.
Department Information	General Education and Developmental Studies Chair: Steven Zani Email: zanisj@lamarpa.edu Phone: (409) 984-6431