BUSINESS &
PROFESSIONAL WRITING
Dr. Heather Bozant Witcher
heather.witcher@slu.edu
Adorjan 222
Wednesdays, 10am-1pm and
by appointment
Alina Wheeler. Designing Brand
Identity, 5th ed. Wiley Press, 2018.
ISBN: 978111898082
Students are encouraged to
utilize the technology and
equipment in the English
Department’s CAI Lab, DPH 216.
Sample Media Kit.
FALL 2018 | ENGL 4000.01 | DPH 208
Course description
English 4000 provides an interactive learning experience
that asks students to communicate clearly and efficiently
with business professionals. In this course, students will be
asked to create and deliver professionally designed and
rhetorically sophisticated projects. In addition to
communicating clearly and efficiently—coordinating
projects and deadlines, working collaboratively, scheduling
meetings, reporting progress—students will learn not only
to communicate the values of their employers, but also to
articulate the value(s) of their own work. This course asks
students to create a range of professional documents that
both contribute to collaborative projects and refine
individual and professional identities.
Course Values
As a course in the English Department, this course and its
definition of professional communication are grounded in
rhetoric, which students will hopefully come to value as a
productive method for negotiating, constructing,
maintaining, and reshaping their professional lives.
Rhetoric, briefly defined, is the use of symbols to produce
an effect (e.g., a verbal command to “Stop,” a red traffic
light, a Journey song imploring us “Don’t Stop Believing,”
or a floor plan that privileges collaboration over isolation).
Though rhetoric has become a negative word within
politics and contemporary media, it has a rich history as
one of the oldest intellectual pursuits in the western
world. With a focus on audience, context, and the
persuasion inherent to all human endeavors, rhetoric
greatly informs the purpose of this course.
Course Work & Deadlines
In “Things Without Honor,” Arthur Stanley Pease writes of
the tradition of encomia devoted to “humbler topics, such
as the lower animals, plants, or inanimate objects” (27).
This kind of composing has since been designated
adoxography, which means writing on a base or trivial
topic. Pease argues, “To seek the causes of so long-
continued and widespread an epidemic of apparent
nonsense is perhaps not without its value” (30). He
connects this epidemic to the traditional work of
delighting and entertaining audiences. He also traces this
practice to the development of natural science in thinkers
like Aristotle. Most importantly, though, Pease argues that
such encomia are intimately connected to the workings of
rhetorical training: “what better training, from the
sophistic standpoint, than this exercise of defending the
indefensible or salvaging the universally rejected” (31).
Requirements: Working within the spirit of adoxography
in the context of rebranding, teams of students will select
a mundane thing (an object or practice) that needs
rebranding. Your selection should be something that your
team thinks needs to be celebrated and circulated more
widely and more intensely. For the first phase of this work,
you’ll assess the mundane thing’s marketing strategy and
propose a strategy to effect change. In the second, final
portion of the class, you will utilize your assessment to
embark on a marketing campaign. This campaign will ask
you to put into practice all forms of business and
professional writing through the creation of a trend
analysis, media kit, and oral presentation.
Course Requirements Due Date
Class Participation 10%
Rebranding Proposal 25% September 25
Marketing Campaign
Trend Analysis 20% October 9
Media Kit 30% Nov. 13 & 15
Presentation 15% Dec. 4 & 6

Course Goals
Upon successful completion of this course,
students will be able to:
• Design multimodal arguments and
persuasive messages for complex situations,
including academic, public, and
professional;
• Produce arguments that situate various
theories of rhetoric, writing, and pedagogy
within their own historical contexts and in
relation to ours;
• Use disciplinary knowledge in rhetorical
history, writing theory, and pedagogy, to
respond to particular situations and
audiences.
Additionally, this section of 4000 is also interested
in Writing in Context; Project Management;
Collaboration; Document Design; and Technology.
Writing in Context: Students will analyze
cultures, social contexts, and audiences to
determine how they shape various purposes and
forms of writing, such as persuasion, organizational
communication, and public discourse, with
emphasis on:
• Writing for a range of defined audiences
and stakeholders;
• Negotiating the ethical dimensions of
rhetorical actions.
Project Management: Students will embark on
a course-long project with deadlines provided by
the instructor, but are also responsible for creating
and structuring their own projects to fit within the
demands of their individual schedules and team
schedules. Students will focus on:
• Understanding, developing, and employing
various strategies for planning, researching,
drafting, revising, and editing documents
both individually and collaboratively;
• Selecting and using appropriate styles that
effectively and ethically address contexts
and audiences;
• Building ethos through voice, evidence,
documentation, and accountability.
Collaboration: Students will learn and apply
strategies for successful teamwork and
collaboration, such as:
• Working in-person and online with
colleagues;
• Determining responsibilities;
• Managing team conflicts;
• Soliciting and using peer feedback
effectively;
• Achieving team goals.
Document Design: Within a branding context,
students will make rhetorical design decisions
about documents, including:
• Understanding and adapting to genre
conventions and audience expectations;
• Understanding and implementing design
principles of format and layout;
• Interpreting and arguing with design;
• Drafting, researching, testing, and revising
visual designs and information architecture.
Technology: Students will use and evaluate
writing technologies frequently employed in the
workplace, such as: emailing, instant messaging,
image editing, video editing, presentation design
and delivery, HTML editing, Web browsing, content
management, and desktop publishing technologies.
This class hopes to cultivate a set of habits vital to
professional communication. The best way to
develop and maintain good habits is lots of
practice. So, at times, the course has a heavy
workload. This workload, however, is calculated to
create the experience of professional
communication and development: projects overlap,
deadlines loom, and expectations are often high (as
are the stakes). Developing the work and writing
habits necessary to successfully complete
assignments on time is itself a desired outcome of
this course.

The original version of this syllabus was
designed by myself, and expanded by
Dr. Nathaniel Rivers at Saint Louis
University.
The current iteration is a collaboration
between myself and Dr. Rivers.
Course Policies
Late Work
Assignments are due when they are due. Late work will
not be accepted and will result in a failed grade unless
there is an emergency, which, of course, requires
documentation. If for some reason you feel you cannot
complete an assignment by the scheduled deadline, please
speak with me well in advance of when the assignment is
due, and we can discuss whether alternative arrangements
can be made.
The work in this course is carefully sequenced and will
grow out of ongoing class work and reading assignments.
Staying on top of these assignments, completing them
diligently, and turning them in on time are crucial for your
success.
Attendance
This is an English Department Policy. Regular attendance is
welcomed, expected, and mandatory. Being in class and
on time*, working constructively with your colleagues, and
taking part in class discussions are all equally important.
You may have two unexcused absences over the course of
the semester. Starting with your third absence, your final
course average will be lowered by 4.5 points. (So, if you
have four unexcused absences, you’ll lose 9 points from
your final average. If your average were an 84, it would
become a 75).
Excused absences (which won’t count against your total)
require documentation and include: religious holidays,
participation in SLU-sponsored activities, civic
responsibilities, and weather-related emergencies. If you
find that you will be absent for an extended period of time
due to illness or family crisis, you should contact the office
of the Dean of Students, who will then contact me. If you
find yourself in one of these situations, I will do my best to
work with you, but an excessive number of absences for
any reason will make it difficult for you to complete the
course.
*Note on Tardiness: If you cannot arrive on time, please consider enrolling in a
different section. For each group of 3 late arrivals, you’ll receive one
unexcused absence.


Course Schedule
This class is designed to meet the students’ needs. For this
reason, the syllabus is subject to change throughout the
semester.

Date Topics Assignment

Aug. 28 Course Intro Read: New York Times, “Rebranding
DBI Case Studies Motherhood”
Aug. 30 No Class—Mass of the Holy Spirit
Key Dates Sept. 4 Read: “Encomium of QWERTY”
(Website)
Rebranding Proposal: Sept. 25 Rebranding
Read: DBI “Process Basics” (103-119)
Trend Analysis: Oct. 9 Sept. 6 Read: DBI “Brand Basics” (1-33)
Media Kit: Nov. 13 & 15 Sept. 11 Read: DBI “Brand Ideals” & “Brand
Presentations: Dec. 4 & 6 Elements” (34-69)
Sept. 13 Rebranding Listen: 99% Invisible, “Title TK”
Listen: Invisibilia, “How to Become
Batman”
Sept. 18 Workshop
Rebranding
Sept. 20 Workshop
Sept. 25 Due: Draft of Rebranding Proposal
Compose: Assessment Memo (due
Rebranding
9/27)
Review Purdue OWL Concise Writing
Sept. 27 Read: DBI “Brand Dynamics” &
“Before and After” (70-101)
Read: Bruno Latour, “From Objects
Trend Analysis
to Things”
Listen: 99% Invisible, “The Trend
Forecast”
Oct. 2 Read: DBI “Conducting Research”
(120-135)
Read: “Things Come Apart”;
“Connecting the Dots from Brand to
Demand”; & “Find Innovation Where
Trend Analysis
You Least Expect It”
Oct. 4 Read: DBI, “Clarifying Strategy” &
“Designing Identity” (136-165)
Listen: 99% Invisible, “Repackaging
the Pill”
Oct. 9 Trend Analysis Workshop on Recording
Due: Trend Analysis Script


Oct. 11 No Class—Use time for recording

Read: DBI “Creating Touchpoints” (166-191)
Compose: Assessment Memo (due 10/16)
Oct. 16 Read: DBI, “Managing Assets” (192-
207)
Review: DBI Case Studies
Oct. 18 Media Kit In-Class Discussion of Assigned Case
Studies
Articulate Media Kit Elements:
Application Design (167)
Key Dates Oct. 23 No Class—Fall Break
Oct. 25 Media Kit Workshop: Revisiting Ideals
Rebranding Proposal: Sept. 25 Oct. 30 Workshop: Details
Media Kit
Trend Analysis: Oct. 9 Nov. 1 Workshop: Details
Media Kit: Nov. 13 & 15 Nov. 6 Media Kit Workshop: Details
Presentations: Dec. 4 & 6 Nov. 8 No Class—Finalize Media Kit Drafts
Nov. 13 Due: Media Kit Drafts
Nov. 15 Consultations Compose: Assessment Memo (due
11/20)
Nov. 20 Media Kit Finalize Media Kit (Hard Copy)
Nov. 22 No Class—Thanksgiving Break
Nov. 27 Wrapping Up Plan Presentation Week
Nov. 29 Rehearsals Rehearse Presentations
Dec. 4 In-Class Presentations
Presentations
Dec. 6 Due: Marketing Campaigns

The Fine Print
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is honest, truthful and responsible
conduct in all academic endeavors. The mission of Saint
Louis University is "the pursuit of truth for the greater
glory of God and for the service of
humanity." Accordingly, all acts of falsehood demean
and compromise the corporate endeavors of teaching,
research, health care, and community service via which
SLU embodies its mission. The University strives to
prepare students for lives of personal and professional
integrity, and therefore regards all breaches
of academic integrity as matters of serious concern.
The governing University-level Academic Integrity Policy
was adopted in Spring 2015, and can be accessed on the
Provost's Office website
at: http://www.slu.edu/academics/graduate/university-
wide_academic_integrity_policy_final_6-26-15.pdf
Additionally, each SLU College, School, and Center has
adopted its own academic integrity policies, available
on their respective websites. All SLU students are
expected to know and abide by these policies, which
detail definitions of violations, processes for reporting
violations, sanctions, and appeals. Please direct
questions about any facet of academic integrity to your
faculty, the chair of the department of
your academic program, or the Dean/Director of the
College, School or Center in which your program is
housed.
Specific College of Arts and Sciences Academic Honesty
Policies and Procedures may be found at:
http://www.slu.edu/arts-and-sciences/student-
resources/academic-honesty.php
Title IX Statement
Saint Louis University and its faculty are committed to
supporting our students and seeking an environment
that is free of bias, discrimination and harassment. If
you have encountered any form of sexual misconduct
(e.g. sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking,
domestic or dating violence), we encourage you to
report this to the University.
If you speak with a faculty member about an incident of
misconduct, that faculty member must notify SLU's Title
IX coordinator, Anna R. Kratky (DuBourg Hall, room
36; anna.kratky@slu.edu; 314-977-3886) and share the
basic fact of your experience with her. The Title IX
coordinator will then be available to assist you in
understanding all of your options and in connecting you
with all possible resources on and off campus.
If you wish to speak with a confidential source, you may
contact the counselors at the University Counseling
Center at 314-977-TALK. View SLU's sexual misconduct
policy: http://www.slu.edu/about/safety/pdfs/sexual-
misconduct-policy-version7.0.pdf
Student Success Center
In recognition that people learn in a variety of ways and
that learning is influenced by multiple factors (e.g., prior
experience, study skills, learning disability), resources to
support student success are available on campus. The
Student Success Center assists students with academic
related services, and is located in the Busch Student
Center (Suite, 331) and the School of Nursing (Suite,
114). Students who think they might benefit from these
resources can find out more about:
• Course-level support (e.g., faculty member,
departmental resources, etc.) by asking your
course instructor.
• University-level support (e.g., tutoring services,
university writing services, disability services,
academic coaching, career services, and/or
facets of curriculum planning) by visiting the
Student Success Center.
Academic Accommodations
Students with a documented disability who wish to
request academic accommodations are encouraged to
contact Disability Services to discuss accommodation
requests and eligibility requirements. Please contact
Disability Services, located within the Student Success
Center, at Disability_services@slu.edu or
314.977.3484 to schedule an appointment.
Confidentiality will be observed in all inquiries. Once
approved, information about academic
accommodations will be shared with course instructors
via email from Disability Services and viewed within
Banner via the instructor's course roster.

English Department Assessment samples of student work will be anonymized before
they are used in assessment exercises. If you prefer that
The Saint Louis University Department of English is
the Department of English does not keep your work on
committed to excellent and innovative educational
file, you need to communicate your decision in writing
practices. In order to maintain quality academic
to your instructor.
offerings and to conform to relevant accreditation
requirements, we regularly assess our courses and Course Content Disclaimer
programs for evidence of student learning outcomes
In this course, students may be required to read text or
achievement. For this purpose, we keep on file
view materials that they may consider offensive. The
representative examples of student work from all
ideas expressed in any given text do not necessarily
courses and programs such as: assignments, papers,
reflect the views of the instructor, the English
exams, multimedia presentations, portfolios, and
Department, or Saint Louis University. Course materials
results from student surveys, focus groups, and
are selected for their historical and/or cultural
reflective exercises. Thus, copies of your work for this
relevance, or as an example of stylistic and/or rhetorical
course—
strategies and techniques. They are meant to be
including exams, presentations, submitted papers or examined in the context of intellectual inquiry of the
other assignments—may be kept on file for institutional sort encountered at the university level.
research, assessment and accreditation purposes. All