Fall 2024 Course Syllabus
Course: ENGL-2311 (Section: 02, CRN: 93236)
Technical and Business Writing 		LSCPA Logo Image
Instructor Information
Instructor Dr. Michelle Judice
Email judicemw@lamarpa.edu
Phone (409) 984-6352
Office Student Success Center - Room: 129
Office Hours M-W-F: 10 - 12 AM, 1:30-3:30 PM 
Additional Contact Information The BEST way to discuss the class or grades is to schedule an appointment; please email judicemw@lamarpa.edu
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 None.
Corequisites/Prerequisites TSIA2 complete in English, Language Arts, and Reading  
Learning Outcomes 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) 
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  • Standard vs Non-Standard English 
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  • Netiquette in the business setting 
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  • Grammar and Punctuation in the business setting 
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  • Business letters, Memos, Office Forms
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  • Reports, short and long 
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  • 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 
  • Discussion posts (300-word minimums) are due Sunday nights 
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  • Week 1: Course introduction/Standard English in the workplace 
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  • Week 2: Discussion 1 and 2
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  • Week 3: Memos and Workplace emails; Netiquette
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  • Week 4: Discussion 3
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  • Week 5: Resumes & Cover Letters
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  • Week 6: Discussion 4
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  • Week 7: Business letters, short and long
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  • Week 8: Business letters 
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  • Week 9: Discussion 5 and 6
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  • Week 10: Discussion 7 and 8
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  • Week 11: Business report
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  • Week 12: Discussion 9 and 10
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  • Week 13: Work on PowerPoint Presentation
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  • Week 14: PowerPoint presentations 
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  • Week 15: Final 
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Final Exam Date December 5, 2024 - 8:00 AM   Through  December 5, 2024 - 9:15 AM
Grading Scale  90 - 100=A 80 - 89=B  70 - 79=C   60 - 69=D  Below 59 = F
Determination of
Final Grade		 Assignments/Projects: 80%  Discussions:20%  

Rules for Ethical Use of AI in College English Class and Avoiding Plagiarism
 

  1. Originality and Attribution: All work submitted must be original and created by the student. When using AI or any other technology, proper attribution must be given to the sources, tools, or models utilized in the creation of the work.
  2. No Automated Content Creation: Students are not allowed to use AI or any automated content generation tools to produce entire essays, papers, or assignments. The use of AI to write complete pieces is considered plagiarism and academic dishonesty.
  3. Prohibited AI Applications: Students may not use AI tools or language models to paraphrase or rewrite existing works, including published articles, essays, or academic papers, without proper citation and permission.
  4. AI as a Supportive Tool: While students are encouraged to leverage AI for research, language checking, grammar correction, and idea generation, AI should only be used as an aid, not as a substitute for the student's own critical thinking and creativity.
  5. Understanding the AI Output: If students use AI-generated content as part of their research or writing process, they must thoroughly understand the material and be able to explain it in their own words.
  6. Cite AI Tools and Models: When referencing or discussing AI models or tools in your assignments, provide proper citations and acknowledge the specific resources used.
  7. Avoid Plagiarism of AI-Generated Content: If AI-generated content is used in an assignment, ensure that it is properly paraphrased, cited, and integrated into the overall context of the work.
  8. Individual Work Requirement: Collaboration and discussion are encouraged, but each student must submit their own original work. Sharing or copying AI-generated content between students is considered plagiarism.
  9. Consult with the Instructor: If you are unsure about the ethical use of AI in a particular assignment, consult with the instructor beforehand to get clarification and guidance.
  10. Educational Purpose Only: The use of AI tools should be solely for the purpose of improving writing skills, learning, and enhancing the educational experience. Exploiting AI for unfair advantages is strictly prohibited.
  11. Regular Plagiarism Rules Apply: The college's standard plagiarism policies and penalties apply to any instances of AI-related plagiarism. Consequences may (most likely WILL) include failing the assignment, course, or facing disciplinary action. Ignorance is NOT a defense.
  12. Continuous Learning: Students are encouraged to stay informed about ethical considerations related to AI usage, plagiarism guidelines, and the college's policies on technology and academic integrity.
 
Remember, the primary goal of using AI in the English class is to enhance learning, creativity, and critical thinking. Ethical use of AI tools will not only protect students from academic misconduct but also contribute to their academic growth and development as responsible scholars.                                                           (UpdatedFall 2023)  
Course Policies
Instructor Policies
  • *** DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR***All student are expected to help create an environment conducive to effective teaching and learning for all participants.  Behavior that disrupts teaching and learning is unacceptable.  
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  • ALL face-to-face or online interactions should be civilized, respectful, and relevant to the topic.  Diverse opinions and engaging argumentation are critical to the higher learning endeavor, but inappropriate behavior that disrespects others or inhibits others from learning will result in removal from the class and/or course.  Serious or habitual offenses may result in a referral to the appropriate departments. 
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  • 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.
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  • 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 :-)
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  • I am on campus EVERY day, Monday - Friday, so if you would like to meet in the computer lab where I meet with all of my other classes that is great; I am quite happy to work with you in there. Just email me when is convenient for you (BEFORE you fall so far behind that you can't catch up)  
Attendance Policy 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
  • ENGL 2311 Technical & Business Writing (single-semester course) 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, e-mail messages, letters, and descriptions of products and services.
  • Practice individual and collaborative processes involved in the creation of ethical and efficient documents.
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:Dr. Steven Zani
Email:zanisj@lamarpa.edu
Phone:(409) 984-6431