REPORT WRITING FOR BUSINESS
ENGLISH 341—SPRING 2010
Section 9
Colin S. Cavell, Ph.D. Course
Room No.: S17-229
Class MW:
Office Hours: By appointment Office No.: S17-263
VOICE: 17438775 (W) 39631156 (H)
This
course offers theoretical and practical experience in business report writing.
It also introduces the steps involved in writing analytical reports. The
emphasis throughout is upon practical tasks and assignments, the most important
of which is the production of a full-length formal research report. (prerequisite
Core Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the series, the
students should:
·
Write
descriptive summaries;
·
Use
conciseness in writing;
·
Include
appropriate content;
·
Classify
and organize information;
·
Interpret
and describe visual illustrations;
·
Use
a formal / impersonal style;
·
Analyse
information and provide recommendations;
·
Structure
and write a full report;
·
Use
language structures appropriate to report writing;
·
Cite
references and write a bibliography; and
·
Edit
and revise their own work.
Grading Policy: 30% for Midterm
Exam; 20% for Project Report; 10% for Interview Reporting class assignment (p.
31); and 40% for the Final Exam
Test Dates: Midterm Exam,
Project
Report, due on
Final Exam,
Lesson
Plan:
·
Project
topics must be approved by the respective teacher.
·
Once
the topic has been approved, it may not be changed unless appoved by the
teacher.
·
All
information must be from primary sources (Interview & Questionnaire) only.
·
No
data from the Internet will be accepted.
·
Projects
copied from elsewhere will be marked as a zero.
·
The
required format must be followed.
·
All
projects are to be typed and bound.
·
No
queries on project marks will be entertained after
Attendance
Policy*: Attendance in class is mandatory. It is the student’s responsibility to sign
the attendance sheet each day of class; failure to sign the attendance
sheet—even if in attendance—will be counted as an absence. If your unexcused absences exceed 25% of the
total number of lectures of the course in this semester [25%=12 classes], you
will be automatically withdrawn from the course and be given a grade of (WF)
which will be counted towards your GPA.
As well, you are expected to follow the syllabus and accordingly be
prepared for each day's class. This
means that you must read the pre-assigned readings before class so that you
will be prepared to discuss in class the subject matter scheduled for that day
and answer questions related to the issues being covered.
* Absence from class may be made up by preparing a two-page, typed (i.e. using maximum 12 point font size and maximum
double-spaced text with one-inch margin on all sides), summary on the missed material scheduled to be covered the
day(s) of your absence. The summary must
be in your own words and must not be copied material from the text(s),
the internet, or any other source(s).
Cell
Phone Policy: TURN OFF all cell phones during
class. Any student whose cell phone
rings, sounds alarm, or makes any noise whatsoever during class must immediately
leave the classroom for that day. This
policy applies to any electronic device students carry with them.
Supplementary
Material: Access to an
Required Text (Available
from the UOB Bookstore):
Goveas,
Syrha and Louise Thomson. 2010. English 341: Report Writing for Business.
Feb. 26: Prophet’s Birthday—Holiday
Feb. 28:
Mar. 1: Introduction to Report Writing & Sample
Reports
Focus:
Structure of Report
Project:
Proposal
Mar. 3: Report Organization & Structure & Summary
Writing
Focus:
Structure of Report
Project:
Proposal
Mar. 4: [Last day for dropping courses]
Mar. 7-Apr. 29: [Withdrawal period with a “W”]
Mar. 8: How to Summarize a Report
Mar. 10: Introduction / Terms of Reference
Project:
Proposal
Mar. 12-14:
Mar. 15: Procedures for Collecting Information
Focus: Tenses
Project:
Introduction
Submission Due:
Proposal Topic
Mar. 17: Sources of Information
Focus: Past
Passive
Project:
Procedures
Mar. 22: Questionnaires
Focus: Making
Questions
Project:
Questionnaire
Submission Due:
Introduction
Mar. 24: Interviews
Project:
Interview
Submission Due:
Procedures
Mar. 29: Writing Up Information
Focus: The
Article
Project:
Research
Mar. 31: From Questionnaires
Focus: Graph
Description
Apr. 5: Writing Up
Information
Focus:
Reported Speech
Project:
Research
Submission Due:
Questionnaire
Apr. 7: From Interviews
Focus:
Reporting Verbs
Submission Due:
Interview
Apr. 12: From Interviews
Focus:
Collecting Data
Project:
Research
Apr. 14: From Interviews
Focus:
Collecting Data
Project:
Research
Apr. 18-22: Mid-semester Break [No classes]
Apr. 26: Conclusion
Focus:
Analysis of Data
Project:
Findings
Apr. 28: Midterm Exam,
May 1: International
Labor Day [
May 2: International
Labor Day [
May 3: Conclusion
Focus:
Analysis of Data
Project:
Findings
May 5: Recommendations
Focus: The
Subjunctive
Project:
Findings
May 10: Writing Full Reports
Focus:
Accuracy of Language
Project:
Conclusion
May 12: Writing Full Reports
Focus:
Accuracy of Language
Project:
Recommendations
May 17: Writing Full Reports
Focus:
Accuracy of Language
Project:
Formatting
May 19: Writing Full Reports
Focus:
Accuracy of Language
Project:
Formatting
May 24: Additional Practice
Focus:
Confusing Words
Project:
Editing
May 26: Additional Practice
Submission Due:
Project Report
May 31: Additional Practice
Focus:
Opposites with Prefixes
June 2: Additional Practice
Focus:
Opposites with Prefixes
June 7: Additional Practice; Last day of classes;
review
Focus:
Accuracy of Language
June 17: Final Exam,
June 24: Last day for
submitting grades