Course: COMM 225 Location: DC316
Instructor: Ryan Pine
Term: Spring 2024 Office: DC 304
Course description:
Communication 225: Professional Communication and PR for Contemporary Workplaces. Foundational communication and public relations (PR) skills, with focus on how a communications function operates within an organization. Exploration of the role of communications strategy. Opportunities to turn concepts into real-world work products. Attention to social and digital literacies, content creation and distribution, and cultural differences in global audiences. Prerequisite: Writing 202 or A-level work in Writing 101
Course goals:
· Understand and reproduce the theory, goals, and practice associated with technical communication
· Apply principles of design in production of written and visual content
· Understand and analyze audience, purpose and context
· Choose and evaluate appropriate genres, media, and other tools for each project
· Collaborate effectively in group activities
· Aim to solve practical problems
· Incorporate ethical, legal, and cultural considerations
· Utilize organizational patterns, conventions of the language, headings and lists, sentence and paragraph structure
· Identify and understand technical discourse and how it differs from academic discourses
· Invent content based on research and review, including written copy and graphics
· Apply concepts of audience expectation
· Communicate persuasively for decision making
Required texts:
None. All materials are OER (Open Educational Resources) and will be provided in PDF format on Moodle.
Please access this folder (One Drive) with your BAC account credentials:
Course Schedule:
Week: In-Class: Due Sunday:
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1/2 W: 3/8
M: 3/13
W: 3/15
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Reading due: Rhetorical Situation
Reading due: Business Correspondence (2)
Reading due: HeadingsSeriation Draft due: Usability Memo |
Due: 3/11: Choose document; submit proposal and planning memo
Due 3/18 Memo draft and peer review forms |
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3
M: 3/20
W: 3/21
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Reading: JobAppPack Job ad due in class for review Resume planning
Reading: Persuasive Writing, Demographics and Psychographics
Draft due: Resume |
Due 3/25 Usability memo final draft
Drafts + Peer review forms: resumes |
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4
M: 3/27
W: 3/29
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Reading due: Paragraphs, Organizational Patterns
Create LinkedIn Profile; plan for organization membership
Reading due: Grammar/Punctuation,
Draft due: Cover letters and memo |
Due: Peer review forms; cover letters
|
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5
M: 4/3
W: 4/5
|
Read: Teamwork Essentials, Personality and Psychology Intro to Report
Read, Information Literacy Research, Annotated Bibliography
Identifying an issue, research questions
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Due: Job Application Packet (Memo, CL and Res, Job Ad copy)
Research pitch for formal report due
|
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6
M: 4/10
W: 4/12
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NO CLASS
Read: Research Methodology
Due in class: Annotated Bibliography for feedback |
Due: Annotated Bibliography |
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7
M: 4/17
W: 4/19
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Read: Stakeholders, Figures and Tables
Peer review: report drafts
Read: Headings Seriation, Citing Sources |
Draft + Peer review form
|
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8
M: 4/24
W: 4/26
|
Read: “Revision”, “Revision Simple”
Intro to Oral presentation Read Oral Presentations, Proposals |
Report Final draft due |
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9
M: 5/1
W: 5/3
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Read: Teamwork Essentials (review)
Draft peer review: presentations |
Presentation peer review and draft due |
|
10/11
M: 5/8
W: 5/10
M: 5/15
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Read: Media Ethics, Social Media
Read: What is PR; Writing for PR Online draft for peer review
Showcase of student work Review of class content |
Due 5/13 Presentation final draft due
News release published online: peer review and draft due
Due 5/20: Internet project due |
Assignment weighting:
Usability Memo: 15%
Job Application Package: 20%
Formal Report and Annotated Bibliography: 20%
Presentation: 10%
News release 20%
Classwork/Drafts/Participation: 15%
Grading:
A+ not used B+ 87-89 C+ 77-79 D+ 67-69
A 93-100 B 83-86 C 73-76 D 63-66
A- 90-92 B- 80-82 C- 70-72 D- 60-62
Assignment Descriptions
Usability Memo:
The goal of this assignment is to introduce you to the basic concepts associated with technical Communication. You will evaluate the usability (effectiveness for audience and purpose) of a document provided by your instructor. This can be considered a rhetorical analysis -an assignment you may have experience with in first year writing classes. The assignment will be in memo format and addressed to your instructor.
Job Application Packet:
In this assignment you will be required to make rhetorical choices to tailor a resume and cover letter to a job ad you could apply for now or once you have graduated. It should be a professional position. You will learn and apply design, invention, and organizational strategies as well as consider your writing on the level of paragraph and statements. You will apply conventions of the genre and continue to consider and research audience and context. A cover memo explaining your choices will accompany the package.
Report, Annotated Bibliography and Proposal Presentation:
In this 2-part assignment, students will work in teams to research a contemporary topic using primary data collection and secondary sources, prepare an analytical report, then propose a solution to a problem they identified in a presentation for the class. Students will choose a hypothetical audience of stakeholders that would have the most interest and influence in this context and design their project based on their needs. Collaborative work skills will be necessary through as students take on team roles related to the project.
News release:
In this web-based assignment, you will apply genre and design conventions as well as ethical and industry related concepts when presenting information for the public. The outcomes of your research for your report and proposal presentation assignment can be the focus of this assignment, although another contemporary issue would also be sufficient.
Course Policies
Absences:
Sanctioned activities and valid reasons for absences are excused. Otherwise, more than 2 absences (one week of class) will lead to grade deductions and can lead to failure if excessive, even if the grades received do not immediately reflect that. This is considered a writing workshop that is highly collaborative and based on instructor and peer-to-peer feedback.
Late Assignments:
For every day that an assignment is late, 10% or one letter grade will be deducted. As with the absence policy, extensions can be given for extenuating circumstances or other sanctioned reasons. Please keep in close touch with your instructor when these types of accommodations are needed.
Participation
There will be graded classwork and draft assignments that contribute to your participation grade, but deductions can be made at the instructor’s discretion for excessive absences, general lack of class participation such as contribution to class discussion or input to group activities, excessive lateness or other forms of partial attendance, and other factors that may not be immediately factored into the grade. This may be reflected in the final grading.
Academic Success Center (ASC)
Director Carmina Cianciulli Carmina.cianciulli@brynathyn.edu
For tutoring College website ASC page, click on "Make An Appointment”
Or phone 267-502-2449 or email success.center@brynathyn.edu
Academic Accommodations through the Office of Disability Resources (ODR):
Bryn Athyn College is committed to making reasonable academic accommodations for students with physical, psychological, or learning disabilities. Students requesting accommodations must first register with the ODR to verify their eligibility by emailing OfficeofDisabilityResources@brynathyn.edu. The ODR will provide eligible students with accommodation verification letters and instructions for implementation. For more information, see https://brynathyn.edu/student-life/office-of-disability-resources/
Academic misconduct:
“Students who engage in any form of academic misconduct fail to meet Bryn Athyn College’s expectations for academic integrity.” (Student Handbook) Academic misconduct includes cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, denying others access to information, and facilitating violations of academic integrity. A student caught being academically dishonest can receive a zero on the relevant assignment, paper, project, or test. “All faculty members are required to report every incident of academic misconduct to the academic dean.” (Student Handbook)
Bryn Athyn’s COVID-19 response policy:
Regarding Bryn Athyn College’s COVID response, please be aware that the pandemic is ongoing and that the College may respond to developments and/or advice from local and state authorities. Please check your BAC email account regularly and consult the College’s website for up-to-date information on any COVID-related policies or procedures.
- Teacher: Ryan Pine