This syllabus outlines an English course in business writing that focuses on developing communication skills for the workplace. The course aims to help students effectively apply problem-solving, writing, oral communication, and multimedia literacy skills within intercultural contexts. Students will complete five projects addressing interpersonal communication, visual communication, intercultural communication, crisis communication, and professional identity. The projects involve producing written, audio, and visual deliverables using tools like Microsoft Word, podcasts, slidecasts, and LinkedIn. Students are expected to meet deadlines, submit files in the proper formats, and verify their submissions to avoid penalties.

1. ENGL 313 SYLLABUS Page 1 of 4
Business Writing
Scott Dorsch
sdorsch@uidaho.edu
208 885-6156 |office hours: by
appointment only (via Zoom)
MWF 10am – 5pm
This course will help you build communication competencies identified by the United States
Department of Labor and industry focus groups as the most important to employers. In
addition to problem solving and writing skills, employers list oral communication skills as
among the most important for graduates.
Moreover, the ability to effectively apply these skills within intercultural contexts is highly
valued in today’s global workplace. Finally, business communication is increasingly
produced across a wide variety of multi-media platforms requiring skills in aural, oral,
textual, and visual literacies. The projects in this course are designed to help you meet these
challenges and prepare you to successfully communicate in today's workplace.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After completing this course, you will be able to:
• respond to rhetorical situations that arise within business environments complicated
by ethical, political, social, and cultural concerns,
• learn and apply specific conventions used in US business communities such as tone,
style, and genre and adjust those conventions to meet the needs of culturally diverse
audiences,
• communicate solutions to rhetorical problems through a variety of print and
electronic genres
TEXTBOOK: no textbook is required.
GRADES: Final grades are based on successful completion of the following:
Participation in Brainstorming and Peer Review Forums 225 points
Project 1: Interpersonal Communication 125
Project 2: Visual Communication 150
Project 3: Intercultural Communication 150
Project 4: Crisis Communication 250
Project 5: Professional Identity 100
Total Points Possible 1000 points

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Project Descriptions
PROJECT 1: Interpersonal Communication. In this project, you will respond to a business
case study requiring written communication to three different audiences using both external
and internal workplace genres. Next, you will create an audio-only podcast about
presentation speaking style.
Deliverables:
1. External Positive Newsletter, about 250 words.
2. Internal Negative News Memo Report, about 400 words.
3. Internal Neutral Email, about 150 words.
4. Audio-Only Podcast, 1-3 minutes.
PROJECT 2: Visual Communication. In this project, you will create a Public Service
Announcements for a client and justify design choices in a screencast.
Deliverables:
1. PSA announcement designed as a poster or for a billboard.
2. Screencast Design Justification, about 3 minutes.
PROJECT 3: Intercultural Communication. In this project, you will compose a creative
design brief to plan and create an intercultural slidecast guide for an American business or
organization whose employees will soon be working in another country and culture.
Deliverables:
1. Intercultural Slidecast Guide, about 5 minutes.
PROJECT 4: Crisis Communication. In this project, you will gather and analyze
communication before, during, and after a crisis event using a research dossier in
Evernote. You will then draw upon this research to write a white paper and compose a
screencast that analyzes a spokesperson's apology. This project includes composing and
populating an electronic research dossier.
Deliverables:
1. Research Dossier, digital workspace or document file.
2. White Paper, about 1500 words.
3. Screencast Presentation, about 3 minutes.
PROJECT 5: Professional Identity. In this project, you will write a targeted cover letter and
resume or curriculum vitae and create a LinkedIn profile. Deliverables:
1. Cover Letter, about 350 words.
2. Resume or CV, 1-2 pages.
3. LinkedIn Profile page.

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Course Policies
1. Technology Requirements.
• Computer in good working order.
• Microsoft Word. Students are strongly encouraged to use Microsoft Word because it
is the most commonly used software in the workplace today. Microsoft Office is
provided at no extra cost to all students and as part of the UI Microsoft Licensing
Agreement. You can install it on up to five separate devices. To install, to ITS
Technology Services https://www.uidaho.edu/infrastructure/its/self-help/ms-
office/office-365
• Microphone. Most computers have an integrated microphone that will work fine for
this course. If you need to purchase one, however, here are two inexpensive
microphones that bblearn recommends: Logitech 1 ($14.99) and Logitech 2
($19.99).
• Reliable Backup. You will need a reliable backup to store the latest drafts of your
work other than the hard drive of your computer or an easily lost thumb drive. Here is
one I recommend http://www.dropbox.comFlipped Classroom. I teach my writing
courses as a flipped classroom. In this teaching style, students complete a large
portion of the projects and participation assignments during class.
2. Multimedia Project Deliverables. Four of the projects require both written and
multimedia communication deliverables. Students are not expected to have prior
experience in producing multimedia products and will be invited to create these using
free, cloud-computing tools that will also host the file.
3. Accepted File Formats. The following are the only accepted file formats:
• Print Deliverables: Word or PDF.
• PSA Billboard or Poster Deliverable: jpg, png, or other image file; Word, PPT or PPTX,
PDF file; or the URL where the file is hosted.
• Multimedia Deliverables: URL where the file is hosted.
Digital media files (MP3, MP4, etc.) are not accepted in this course.
4. Deadlines. All work is due by 11:59 PM on the day/date indicated in
the course schedules on bblearn. Assignments may be accepted late if prior
arrangements are made 48 hours in advance of deadline, when an extension may be
granted. Late assignments without an approved extension will lose half a letter grade (or
the equivalent number of points) per day late.
**If, when I start to grade your work, a file will not open or a URL link does not work, I will
notify you by email and you will be given 24 hours to submit work correctly in bblearn,
but a late work point penalty may apply. To avoid this problem, verify your submission
(see policy 5).
5. Verify Submissions to Avoid Point Penalties. When submitting assignments, students are
responsible for verifying that files they uploaded are not corrupted and will open and that

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URLs work. This means you must return to the submissions box and open any files you
uploaded and check that a URL works.
If your work does not submit correctly or if you failed to submit part of it, you will need to
submit all work again in a single attempt because the last submission is the only one I
grade.
6. Compress Files Over 1 MB. Your work may lose points if the file you submit is over 1 MB
because large files slow down my ability to grade work efficiently.
7. University Disability Support Services. Reasonable accommodations will
be made for students with disabilities. Disability Support Services must approve your
request: (208) 885-6307• dss@uidaho.edu
8. Plagiarism. Violation the University of Idaho Student Code of Conduct will
result in a course grade of ‘F'.
9. Contacting Me. Please feel free to email me (sdorsch@uidaho.edu) when you have a
question, would like to set up a one-on-one Zoom meeting, need an extension on an
assignment, or to request a writing conference or feedback on a draft. You may expect a
reply within 24 hours.