English 302 BB3 & BB4 (Advanced Composition: Business)
English 302 is an Advanced Composition course. Although we will make use
of technical formats (such as proposals and professional journal articles),
the focus will be on conducting secondary research, organizing the results
of the research, and presenting your interpretations of your findings to
appropriate audiences.
English 302 focuses on the research process. In this course, you will not be
gathering new data first hand; rather you will be conducting secondary research
by reading and analyzing the writings of others, forming your own opinions and
recommendations (a working thesis or hypothesis), then gathering more information
via research to support or modify that opinion into a final thesis.
The act of interpretation is key: hypotheses, theories, opinions, and theses
are all based on facts but are not facts themselves. Facts are raw data. In the
course of constructing a thesis, you must discriminate relevant from irrelevant
data; you must analyze, select, and conscientiously try to avoid bias. Bias,
however, is unavoidable in practice. The very act of gathering information and
presenting it requires you to make decisions as to the importance of certain
details. As we shall see in the summary-writing assignment, even a "simple" task
such as summarizing a difficult passage introduces bias.
In business, and in most professional writing, such biases are alleviated by
the process known as peer-review, during which your associates, supervisors,
editors, and others evaluate and offer suggestions on nearly complete drafts.
Initial hypotheses and opinions often require extensive modification during the
course of research and review. One reason initial hypotheses so often fail is
due in part to initial biases. Some data will be ignored as irrelevant because
the researcher assumed it was unimportant. This "irrelevant" data often
complicates the working hypothesis, and a better hypothesis will be required
to explain as much relevant information as possible. This is the process of revision.
We will also make use of the peer-review process, and you will revise your theses
as you find more information. Information which contradicts your thesis cannot
be ignored if it is relevant (and contradiction doesn't automatically imply irrelevance).
Rather, the thesis will need to explain the apparent contradictions.
Texts: Poundstone. How Would You Move Mount Fuji?
Alred, Brusaw, Oliu. The Business Writer's Handbook, 7th edition
| In-class Exercises: (5%) | |
| Customer Letter (10%) | Research Proposal (5%) |
| Summary (10%) | Annotated Bibliography (15%) |
| Research Assignment (5%) | Peer Review (10%) |
| Instructional Essay (15%) | Research Essay (25%) |
Grades
Grades on the essays will be based primarily on the quality of the writing. I value clear, focused writing with plenty of examples. The audience for the essays will be the class itself, and I expect the papers to be written with this audience in mind.
Grades on the annotated bibliography will be based primarily on your evaluations of the sources and secondarily on the citations themselves.
I will give all assignments letter grades. I calculate final grades by converting the letter grades to a 100 point scale using the following values:
| A+ 100 | |
| A 95 | C+ 78 |
| A- 90 | C 75 |
| B+ 88 | C- 70 |
| B 85 | D 65 |
| B- 80 | F below 60 |
The University translates letter grades into 4-point GPA values:
| A+ 4.00 | B- 2.67 | C- 1.67 |
| A 4.00 | B 3.00 | D 1.00 |
| A- 3.67 | C+ 2.33 | F 0.00 |
| B+ 3.33 | C 2.00 |
Please note that A+ and A have equivalent point values.
A note on final grading: You must earn the grade of "C" or better
in this course to receive credit for it and to fulfill this portion of the
English composition requirement in General Education. A grade of "C-" or
below will not be sufficient to receive credit for this course.
Late Assignments: Late papers will lose one-half letter grade per
day unless you make prior arrangements with me.
Revision Policy: The essays may be revised for a higher grade,
but they must be substantially revised. You cannot lose a grade by revising,
but a higher grade is not guaranteed. I have found that "B" papers
(or higher) are often more difficult to revise, since serious revision
requires thoroughly changing the essay's structure, and "B" papers
usually have a fairly good structure. "C" papers (or lower)
often respond more dramatically to revision, since the major changes
they require are often more straightforward. I recommend revising "C" papers
or lower only. If you plan to revise a "B" paper, please see
me beforehand so we can discuss a revision strategy.
All revisions must be turned in by July 21.
Plagiarism: The GMU
Honor code is available online. I will report suspected cases of plagiarism
to the Honor Committee.
Engl 302 Schedule
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