
Spring 2022
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Week 1
Course Introductions
Monday, January 24
REVIEW:
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Course Syllabus
LESSON:
Course orientation & website introduction; Week 2 assignment description
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Week 2
Argument Patterns Overview
Monday, January 31
SUBMIT:
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Argument Analysis ESSAY (2 pp minimum) (iLearn)
READ:
Everything's an Argument (EA): Chapter 1 "Understanding Arguments and Reading them Critically" pp 3-29
Business Communication (BC): Chapter 1 "Good Writing" pp 1-15
NYT Opinion Pages "Room for Debate" (web)
REVIEW:
Quotation Integration Strategies
LESSON:
Types of argument & writing strategies overview
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Week 3
Unit 1 Introduction
Monday, February 7
READ:
EA Chapter 7 "Structuring Arguments" pp 135-142
EA Chapter 8 "Arguments of Fact" pp 164-185
Business Writer's Companion (BWC) selections:
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pp xxvii-xxxiv "Five Steps..."
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pp 3-6 "Audience" & "Collaborative Writing"
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p 33 "Preparation"
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p 35-38 "Proofreading" & "Purpose"
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p 39-40 "Revision"
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p 41 "Writing a Draft"
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pp 162-164 "Notetaking," "Paraphrasing," & "Plagiarism"
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pp 167-174 "Research"
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pp 310-311 "Conciseness"
STUDY:
"Rogerian Argument: Definition & Examples" | ThoughtCo (web)
"What is Rogerian argument?" (YouTube)
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Arguments of Fact - Project Guidelines
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Sample Project Presentation #1 (Prezi link)
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Sample Project Presentation #2 (Prezi link)
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Sample Project Presentation #3 (Prezi link)
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LESSON:
Structuring Rogerian arguments of fact; Project overview & group selection
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Week 4
Project Workshop
Monday, February 14
READ:
BC Chapter 2 "Start-up Strategies" pp 18-20 only
STUDY:
REVIEW:
EA Chapter 7 "Structuring Arguments" pp 135-142
EA Chapter 8 "Arguments of Fact" pp 164-185
LESSON:
Start-up strategy practice: The Questioning Method
WORKSHOP:
Group project development
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Week 5
Project Workshop
Monday, February 21
SUBMIT:​
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Personal Project Narrative (1 p minimum) (iLearn)
READ:
EA Chapter 15 "Presenting Arguments" pp 366-380
BC Chapter 6 "Presentations" pp 44-51
STUDY:
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Oral Presentation Rubric
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Peer Evaluation Sheet
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Tutorial: Making Effective Presentations
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Tutorial: Presenting with Impact
WORKSHOP:
Group project development
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Week 6
Group Presentations & Critique
Monday, February 28
SUBMIT:
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Prezi presentation link (Email)
COMPLETE:
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Peer review survey response (one for each group presentation) (iLearn)
PRESENT:
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Group Argument Pitches & Prezis
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Week 7
Skills Week: Business Forms: Cover Letters
Monday, March 7
SUBMIT:
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Cover Letter DRAFT (1 p min/max) (iLearn)
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Group Write (6 pp min) (iLearn)
READ:
BC Appendix B pp 70-71 (pp 139-142 for print editions)
BWC "Application Cover Letters" pp 261-265
STUDY:​
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Cover Letter Tips | Time (web)
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"Incredible Cover Letters" (YouTube)
EXERCISE: Group work: cover letter revision
LESSON:
Cover letters: Principals and critique
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Week 8
Unit 3 Introduction: Definition-based claims & the Toulmin model
Monday, March 14
SUBMIT:
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Cover Letter FINAL (1 p min/max) (iLearn)
READ & WATCH:
Toulmin Midterm Essay - Assignment Description
EA Chapter 7 pp 143-163 on Toulmin argumentation
EA Chapter 9 "Arguments of Definition" pp 197-223
Toulmin Argument (YouTube)
STUDY:
Definition/Toulmin Argument - Sample practice 1​
Definition/Toulmin Argument - Sample practice 2​
LESSON:
Structuring arguments of definition & the Toulmin model
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Week 9
Monday, March 21
Spring Break - No In-class meeting this week ​
Week 11
Workshop: Definition Arguments & The Toulmin Framework
Monday, April 4
READ:
NYT "Libel Law" opinion piece
NYT "Sex Education" opinion piece
STUDY:
Definition/Toulmin - Exercise Description
EXERCISE:
Group work: Outlining a Toulmin argument
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Week 12
Workshop: Definition Arguments & The Toulmin Framework
Monday, April 11
SUBMIT: ​
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Logical Fallacies QUIZ (iLearn)
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Definition/Toulmin Exercise (iLearn)
READ:
EA Chapter 5 "Fallacies of Argument" pp 79-95
EA Chapter 6 "Rhetorical Analysis" pp 97-130
Trump speech transcript (web excerpt)
WATCH:
Analyzing Trump (web)
10 Logical Fallacies (YouTube)
Deduction & Induction (YouTube)
STUDY:
15 Logical Fallacies (web)
15 Common Logical Fallacies (web)
Thinking Logically: Deduction & Induction (web)
REVIEW:
How to Write a Great Essay Quickly (YouTube)
LESSON:
Logical fallacies practice & review
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Week 13
Online midterm exam - No In-class meeting this week
Monday, April 18
SUBMIT:
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Definition/Toulmin ESSAY (timed in course, 700 words min) (iLearn)
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​Week 14
Unit Introduction: RFPs & Proposals
Monday, April 25
READ:
EA Chap 12 "Proposals" pp 286-305
BWC "Proposals" pp 120-132
BWC "Formal Reports" pp 176-201
Project Proposal/RFP Assignment Description
Checklists for proposal writing
Business Plans vs Business Proposals (weblink)
REVIEW (You are NOT required to read all of the items linked below. Read and refer to them only as needed throughout the proposal unit):
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* Please Note: The resources below are LARGE scanned files:
Some may take time to load on your machine
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Deadline Tips for Proposal Writing
PROPOSAL TEMPLATES:
Business Proposal Template (weblink)
LESSON:
Proposal writing & planning
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Week 15
Proposal planning & writing workshop
Monday, May 2
WORKSHOP:
Group project development
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Week 16
Proposal planning & writing workshop
Tuesday, ---
SUBMIT:
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Abstract (1p min) (iLearn)
STUDY:
Abstract - Assignment Description
PenandthePad.com | How to Write an Abstract for a Proposal (web link)
WORKSHOP:
Group project development
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Week 17
Project presentation & critique
Monday, May 9
Last day of class
SUBMIT:
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Project Proposal/RFP (4 pp min) (iLearn)
REVIEW:
PRESENT & CRITIQUE:
Proposal will be screen shared for the class to review while your group informally presents its work for discussion and critique