I. THE PROFESSOR
Jeffrey A. Fadiman is professor of Global Marketing and Trans-cultural communication at College of Business, San Jose State University. A former Fulbright Scholar, he has worked in anthropology, oral history, and international business in East, West and Southern Africa, South East Asia and Western Europe. He speaks Swahili and Swazi-Zulu as well as German and French and is currently learning Spanish and Indonesian. He has 35 academic publications (books, monographs, journal articles), three of which have been selected by Choice, thus earning him a Scholarly Recognition Award while teaching at Eastern Michigan University. One publication has appeared in Harvard Business Review, and contributed to his receiving an SJSU award for "Meritorious Performance and Professional Promise" in 1986, and again in 1987. In 1989, he was awarded "Outstanding Professor", MBA program, San Jose State University.
II. THE COURSE
A. Writing Persuasively: Successful writing depends 50% on believing you can change and 50% on having even one "real" reason to do so. Thus, your first task is to redirect your in-class goal, from "writing well" (which may seem hard) to "writing persuasively", which is both pleasant and possible. In real-world business, career success depends on your ability as subordinates to persuade superiors that your commercial opinions are valid. In America, students can often do this verbally but not on paper. Unable to "write well", they resign themselves to writing badly, or (more often) abandon writing altogether. (Many students stop writing about the same time they stop other forms of exercise--on leaving college!!) "Writing persuasively" is an intellectually exciting alternative, which can assist you to master both the forms and traditions of America Business English, while simultaneously providing at least one realistic reason to do so.
B. Writing Professionally: One realistic reason to write persuasively to find employment. This course teaches both business writing and job hunting. Your job, within it, is to market yourselves to employers --persuasively and on paper. It will be taught from the perspective of a new SJSU graduate seeking a post in business. Each written assignment will illustrate one aspect of job-hunting, as well as the specific writing skills required to persuasively and professionally present your case.
III: THE TOPICS
Lecture will be drawn from among the following topics, as time, the availability of guest speakers, and student preferences permit:
l. Silicon Valley's hidden illiterate: The great American writing crisis
2. Write to persuade: The T-WAC lecture
3. Can anyone really change? The error log lecture
4. Say it shorter: The work-fat lecture
5. Say it simpler: The slang, cliché and jargon lecture
6. Topic Sentences are Signposts: The internal structure (of a paragraph) lecture
7. How to (finally!) use the comma: The great internal punctuation lecture
8. Eroding writerís block: The mind-brain lecture
9. Eroding writerís block: The how-to-cluster lecture
10. Say it in formal English: The proper format lecture
11. Jogging through the job-hunt jungle: The famous job-search lecture
12. Please hire me: The job-hunt letter
13. I'm qualified: The resume construction lecture
14. Why are job-interviews like school plays? The interview training lecture/job interview day (when "experts" interview you)
15. You're (not?) hired: Writing Good and Bad news/The business memo
16. First job: provide me with data: The commercial report
17. Next job: Persuade me on paper: The sales/marketing project as final exam
IV: THE BOOKS
A. Required
l. Fadiman, Jeff: Jogging Through The Job Switch Jungle: A Non-Conformerís Trail Guide (no purchase necessary)
2. Allen, J.: How To Turn An Interview Into A Job
3. Bolles, R.: What Color Is Your Parachute: A Practical Manual for Job Hunters/Career Changes
4. Ebbit, W.: Index To English
5. Shaw, H.: Punctuate It Right
6. Lewis, N.: Correct Spelling Made Easy
B. Recommended
l. Gladis, S.: Survival Writing: Staying Alive On Paper
2. Malloy, John: Dress For Success and The Woman's Dress For Success Book
V: THE GRADES
You will receive up to 10 grades. Nine will be based on written assignments, one on your work in class. Grades will range from A+ (12) to F (zero). You may compute your grade at any time in the semester by dividing the numerical total by the number of assignments completed.
All papers will be graded on the following criteria:
Accuracy: Degree to which student responds to assignments in accurate ("errorless") English
Brevity: Degree to which student communicate responses in brief, businesslike style.
Clarity: Degree to which student is able to communicate the written message in clear simple terms.
Directness: Degree to which student responds directly to each assignment.
Direct Response: Provides precisely the data requested.
Indirect Response: Deals with the general topic, rather than "directly" with the specific question that has been asked. Thus provides data that relates to question while not directly responding to it.
Format: Degree to which student proves able to allow the specific business format required for each assignment.
One grade will be based on your work "in-class" (In-Class Grade). This reflects the fact that this is, in part, a do-it-yourself writing workshop. A professor can teach you conventional, correct and effective ways of written expression. Only you can decide whether to adopt them. This in turn, will be reflected by the amount of work you decide to put into the course. The in-class grade, therefore, will reflect the following criteria.
a. class attendance
b. class participation
c. essay analysis (office hours)
d. writing lab (if requested)
e. personal improvement (mechanical errors, etc.)
f. personal effort (student log, etc.)
VI. THE GROUND RULES
l. TIMING: Each class begins precisely on time, please be prepared.
2. IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS/IN-CLASS ABSENCES: Most writing assignments occur in class, under moderate time pressure, thereby simulating condition of limited time (project deadlines, etc.) that often occur in modern business. These adjustments will be graded competitively. It is impossible however, to produce these same competitive conditions outside of class to accommodate students wishing to make-up in-class missed providing absentees with a competitive writing edge. Students will not, therefore, be permitted to reproduce (make up) in-class writing assignments outside of class.
Exceptions: Absences documented by written evidence of medical treatment (illness) or a supervisor decision (business absence) or similar.
3. OUT OF CLASS ASSIGNMENTS: Each written assignment is due at the beginning of class, on whatever date has previously been assigned. Late papers will be penalized one third of a grade for each period (to be specified) of delay. The later the paper, the lower the grade. e.g.: end of the class period when paper was due (-1/3) end of day when paper was due (-1/3) each day thereafter (-1/3). Delays due to illness must be "documented" by written evidence of medical treatment.
Delays due to business must be "documented" by written statement from your supervisor. Documentation must be turned in with (attached to) "late" assignment to avoid penalty.
4. "REREADS" (GRADE CHANGES):
a. Students may request the instructor "reread" any written assignment where the grade is believed incorrect.
b. Each request must be made in writing within seven days after receiving the grade.
c. Each written request must "make a case", providing reasons to support the students argument for a higher grade.
d. Instructor will then reread the assignment from the students' perspective and re-evaluate the grade.
NOTE: No grade/papers etc. may be discussed in the moments immediately after concluding class.
5. "REDO'S": On occasion, the instructor may request that an assignment be "redone" [in whole or part] in such fashion as to correct specific errors and allow the student additional opportunity to practice correct forms. These are not extra-- credit assignments and may be considered part of the normal course work.