BADM 4075W

Business Communications
Instructor:
Office:

Brian Hentz, Ph.D.

Our classroom

Course Materials

Office Hours: By appointment

*Email:

brian.hentz@business.uconn.edu

*Mon.Thurs. during business hours

http://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf (link to SECs A Plain English Handbook)

One (1) manila folder

General Guidelines

This course is designed to teach you techniques for improving your business communication
skills. Specifically, you will learn strategies for improving the clarity, structure, and tone of
your communication across a range of rhetorical situations and workplace genres. You will
receive critiques of your assignments, and you will be required to revise some assignments.

GEOC W Requirements

UConns General Education Oversight Committee (GEOC) defines W courses as those

in which students must be provided explicit writing instruction and faculty feedback to
foster revision. To meet these requirements, all W classesno matter how many credits
must include: (a) students drafting a minimum of 15 pages (some of which are open to revision), (b)
a deliberate process for revisions, and (c) a teaching process that foregrounds rhetorical aspects of
communication. Accordingly, BADM 4075W meets these university guidelines.
BADM 4075W students must complete all writing assignments in order to receive a passing grade
for this course.

Assignments
We will discuss specific requirements for assignments in class. You should maintain a
cumulative file (both hard and e-copies) that includes all your assignments. Prepare for
electronic mishaps by backing up work and saving files after you submit these assignments:
Assignment
Percent
Portfolio #1 (External Messages: Solicitation & Negative News)
20
Portfolio #2 (Internal Messages: Cultural Competence)
20
Short Report & Presentation (Team Component)
20
Final Portfolio
20
Participation
10
Course Reading Log
10
TOTAL
100
For all assignments, you will receive detailed assignment sheets. You will discover that the
assessment criteria for assignments will become more rigorous as the semester progresses;
that is, you will be expected to gain increased proficiency on concepts studied earlier in the
semester and demonstrate this proficiency across all course assignments. Late work will not
be accepted; I reserve the right to handle extenuating situations as I see appropriate.

Notes

Check our HuskyCT course site regularly, as you will find the upcoming weeks materials there.
It is your responsibility to print out these course materials and bring them to class.

Revision
Revision is the heart of the writing process; accordingly, you will have several opportunities
to revisit your own writing in BADM 4075W. For your first 2 portfolios, you will participate in
peer revision workshops that should not only help you refine your own writing, but also
practice giving critical feedback to other writers.
Also, in completing a final portfolio to conclude BADM 4075W, you will have the opportunity
to revise numerous (although not all) assignments in this course. These revisions will allow you
to revisit your writing based upon critical feedback, so you may demonstrate your capacity to
see your writing anew.

Participation

This learning experience is all about you, so I encourage you to stay engaged and ask good
questions throughout BADM 4075W. My assessment of your participation will be based
largely on two aspects: (a) your class attendance and (b) your active engagement in in-class
activities, including peer revision workshops. Im impressed by a students high level of
concern; therefore, should circumstances require you to miss a session of BADM 4075W, I
encourage you to document your absence and speak with me about the situation.
*

Academic Integrity
Misrepresenting someone elses work as ones own is a serious offense in any academic setting,
and it will not be condoned. Cheating of any sort will not be tolerated, and will result in a students
failing the assignment andpotentiallythe course. Likewise, a student who knowingly assists
another student in committing an act of academic misconduct shall be equally accountable for the
violation. For details, refer to http://www.dos.uconn.edu/student_code.html, Appendix A.

Accommodation
UConn complies with the American with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Students requiring accommodations for a documented disability under such provisions should consult
this URL for due process: http://www.csd.uconn.edu/uconn_policies_6.html.

Non-Discrimination
UConn does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual
orientation, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a US Vietnam Era veteran. This class adheres to
those guidelines. Alternative viewpoints are welcome in this classroom. However, statements that are
deemed racist, sexist, homophobic, classist, or otherwise discriminatory toward others in the class or
outside the class will not be tolerated.

Final Reminders . . .
So we may make optimal use of our short time together, thanks in advance for turning off
mobile devices once class begins and limiting use of electronic devices to course work.

BADM 4075W: Scope and Sequence

Fall 2016 (distributed 8/29/2016)
Session

1
(8/29)

(9/5)

2
(9/12)

3
(9/19)

Agenda, Assignments, and Homework

Agenda: Course overview; introduction to rhetorical situation &

reflective practice
Homework for Next Class: Read Session 2 articles on HuskyCT site;
read Reading Log assignment sheet
~~Labor Day (There is no official session this evening.)~~
Agenda: Writing in plain style to enhance clarity and precision;
review of HuskyCT readings
Homework for Next Class: Read Session 3 articles on HuskyCT site;
read Portfolio #1 assignment sheet
Agenda: Writing in plain style to enhance clarity and precision
(continued); review of HuskyCT readings; overview of external
communication genres; discuss expectations and strategies (i.e.,
solicitation messages, responding to negative situations) for Portfolio
#1 assignments; co-create expectations for Session 4 peer workshop

(9/26)

Homework for Next Class: Read Session 4 articles on HuskyCT site;

prepare Portfolio #1 drafts for Session 4 peer workshop
Agenda: Peer Workshop for Portfolio #1; platform speaking
fundamentals; informal, practice presentations; review of HuskyCT
readings; emotional self-regulation to enhance professional
communication; interpersonal communication dynamics

Homework for Next Class: Complete Portfolio #1 for Session 5; read

Session 5 articles on HuskyCT site
Agenda: Collect Portfolio #1; visual rhetoric: improving readability
and accessibility of workplace communication; overview of internal
communication genres; review of HuskyCT readings;
multigenerational communication & cultural competence

(10/3)

(10/10)

6
(10/17)

Homework for Next Class: Read assignment sheet for Portfolio #2;
read Session 6 articles on HuskyCT site
~~There is NO official session scheduled for this week. ~~
Agenda: Strategic sentence structure; troubleshooting structural errors
in sentences; review of HuskyCT readings; cross-cultural
communication; organizational cultures; the rhetorics of sustainability;
discuss expectations and strategies for Portfolio #2 assignments
Homework for Next Class: Prepare Portfolio #2 drafts for Session 7
peer workshop; read Session 7 articles on HuskyCT site

7
(10/24)

8
(10/31)

(11/7)

9
(11/14)

(11/21)

10
(11/28)

11
(12/5)

Agenda: Peer Workshop for Portfolio #2; strategies to improve

professional voice; complete in-class inventory on collaborative
skills and decision-making; review of HuskyCT readings
Homework for Next Class: Complete Portfolio #2 for next class
session (including speech preparation); read assignment sheet for
Short Report & Presentation; read Session 8 articles on HuskyCT site
Agenda: Collect Portfolio #2 and deliver speeches; troubleshooting
common stylistic errors in professional messages; review of HuskyCT
readings; strategies for effective collaboration; discuss expectations
and strategies for Short Report & Presentation assignment; team
formation and initial team meeting
Homework for Next Class: Read Session 9 articles on HuskyCT site;
prepare 1-page memo of understanding (consult team members to
determine who will submit memo for team); preliminary work on
short report (consult with team members to determine tasks)
~~There is NO official session scheduled for this week. ~~
Agenda: Review of HuskyCT readings; storytelling & narrativebased presentations; composing collaborative short reports; team
meetings for Short Report & Presentation assignment;
troubleshooting common usage and editing errors (part I)
Homework for Next Class: Read Session 10 articles on HuskyCT site;
continued work on short report (consult with team members to
determine tasks)
~~Thanksgiving Recess~~
Agenda: Review of HuskyCT readings; troubleshooting common
usage and editing errors (part II); integrating reader-based exhibits into
professional documents; final team meetings for Short Report &
Presentation assignment
Homework for Next Class: Prepare final copy of Short Report and
Presentation for Session 11; read Final Portfolio assignment sheet
Agenda: Collect short reports & deliver team presentations; review
expectations for Final Portfolio; comprehensive course review (to
prepare for Final Portfolio); complete in-class self- and team-based
assessments for Short Report assignment

Homework for Next Class: We will not meet during Final Exam
week. Instead, email me your Final Portfolio (all parts saved in 1
file) by Friday, December 16th at noon.
Note: This scope and sequence is subject to revision at the instructors discretion.

BADM 4075W
Business Communications
STATEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING
I affirm that I have read the syllabus governing this BADM 4075W course and
understand the information and the responsibilities specified.
__________________________________________________ (Print Name)
___________________________________________________ (Signature)
___________________________________________________ (Date)