Readings and activities

Week 1: Course Intro / Review Syllabus

• Read blog post by Bill Magrino (Business Writing Program Director) - https://he.kendallhunt.com/blog/six-p%E2%80%99s-importance-real-world-significance-professional-writing

• • West Oakland Farms Sow Seeds of Renewal for Ex-Inmates, by Jonathan Kauffman, Sept. 6, 2015 in San Francisco Chronicle.
  • Black Panther-Inspired Urban Farming video
• Read Autistic boy and service dog article, from Ottawa Citizen. Class discussion (groups of 4).

Homework

Readings

• Magrino, Chapter 1, The Project Proposal from the Ground Up, pp. 1-14. (6Ps - Six Parts of the Project Proposal)

Prepare for Class

• Find and bring to class a labor-themed article from the SMLR E- List Archives of interest to you (: This will be your source for newspaper articles)

Week 2: SMLR E-List Archives Article / Newspaper Exercise & 6Ps

• Rutgers SMLR E-List Archives (search by month) - https://email.rutgers.edu/pipermail/smlr_net/
• Rutgers Education and Employment Research Center - https://smlr.rutgers.edu/content/education-employment-research-center-eerc
• For Funding, search database: Foundation Directory (Online)

Homework

Readings

• Magrino, Chapter 3, The Cover Letter and Resume - pp. 125-137.
• Alred, Chapter 9, Job Search and Applications - Application Cover Letters, pp. 260-272.
• Alred, Chapter 9, Job Search and Applications - Resumes, pp. 282-300.

Week 3: Paradigm, Cover Letter & Resume

Review

• Scholarly / Library Research - http://libraries.rutgers.edu (Part of the Academic Community --> Extend the Research)
  • Foundation Directory Online (if page doesn't load properly, here are 2 workarounds: (1) copy the EIN from the funder profile and search it in our 990 Finder: http://foundationcenter.org/find-funding/990-finder OR (2) If the proxy issue interferes with that tool, here's a backup: http://www.eri-nonprofit-salaries.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=NPO.Search&SearchType=Advanced&CobrandID=0

Activities

• Barker, Joel, "Defining a Paradigm", pp. 17-21 & Group Discussion, pp. 23-24 (Work collaboratively to answer questions)
• Peer Review Workshop - DRAFT Cover Letter / Resume (Magrino, p. 133)
• Discuss Proposal Ideas / Titles (: Use 6Ps Google Doc)
  • Add Proposal Idea / Topic to Google Form for Library Visit - Peggy Wong (Sept. 27) - Sakai Announcement

Homework

Readings

• Magrino, "Researching the Problem (Topic)", pp. 139-163
• Pay Attention to:
  • Magrino, White Paper Assignment, pp. 145-155
  • Magrino, Sample Annotated Bibliographies, pp. 155-163
  • Magrino, A Brief Guide to Using MLA Style, pp. 153-155 AND Purdue Online Writing Lab MLA Formatting and Style Guide
• Alred, Brusaw, and Oliu. The Business Writer’s Companion, 8th edition (2017), Bedford/St. Martin’s, Chapter 5, Job Search and Applications - Research - pp. 167-173
• Rutgers Library Guides: http://libguides.rutgers.edu/eng_302_303_guides
  • Rutgers Library Tutorials

Week 4: White Paper, Annotated Bibliography & References

• Wordiness - Part 1 - "I am currently employed" / Bonsai tree example
  • See: Wikipedia reference for Bonsai
  • Bonsai movies on YouTube & How to create a bonsai tree (9:43) - a bit slow moving, but you get how it's done.
• Visual Storytelling: The Power of Images / Thinking in Images to Portray Your Proposal (Getty Images.com)
  • Image 1: Go to: When a league protests together, by Holden Walter-Warner, Getty Images
  • Image 2: Go to: Millions left without power Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico, Getty Images
• NEW!! Visual Storytelling
  • See: Visual Storytelling / Narrative on Wikipedia & Google Search
  • See: Google Docs folder on RU Scarlet Drive

Homework

Readings

• Magrino, White Paper Assignment, pp. 145-155
• Magrino, Sample Annotated Bibliographies, pp. 155-163
• Modern Language Association (MLA) Formatting & Style Guide: Purdue Online Writing Lab, https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
• Alred, "Outlining" and "Paragraphs", pp. 23-29
• Peek, CJ et. al), The 5Rs of Conducting Relevant Research, pp. 93-104
  • Discussion questions, pp. 105-106
• Huffman, Stephanie, Missing Link: Lack of Citations and Copyright Notices in Multimedia Presentations pp. 115-122
  • Discussion questions, pp. 123-124

Week 5: Plagiarism; Visual Storytelling; White Paper & Annotated Bibliography (Peer Review Workshops)

Review

• What did I learn from last week? Outstanding Questions?

New Learning

• Grammar, Wordiness, Better Writing Construction - Refer to this Week's Readings - into Next Week
  • Initial CL/R Feedback:

1. Alignment between Cover Letter & Resume
   1. Extraneous / Strikethrough
2. Redundant
3. Watch Tenses
4. Active vs. Passive Sentences

• Midterm Guidance: Plagiarism
  • Plagiarism, LinkedIn Post
• Fieldwork: Tips & Techniques
  • Future: Mini-Survey Workshop (see following week)
• Visual Storytelling Slides (i.e., Pix from USAID) ; What "Problem" do Images Convey? - continued from Week 4 (Visual Storytelling folder on Scarlet Drive)

Homework

Readings

• Magrino Reading,"The Initial (Midterm) Sales Letter", pp. 169-184

(: Refer to these readings throughout the course, as they will help you develop clear, compelling and persuasive proposals.)

• Alred, Chapter 4 - Proposals to Quotation Marks - p. 120-136
• Alred, Chapter 6 - Formal Reports - pp. 176-202
• Alred, Chapter 10 - Style and Clarity
  • "Business Writing to Loaded Arguments", pp. 306-319;
  • Tone to You", pp. 328-334.
• Alred, Chapter 11 - Grammar
  • "Dangling Modifiers, p. 349
  • "Person", p. 360
  • "Sentence Construction to Sentence Fragments", pp. 370-377
  • "Tense, Verbs and Active Voice", pp. 377-385
• 'Alred, Chapter 12 - Punctuation and Mechanics, pp. 388-423
• Miller, Jane. "Organizing Data in Tables and Charts", in Magrino, pp. 107-11
  • Discussion questions, pp. 113-114

Week 6: Initial Sales Letter; Wordiness & Dangling Modifiers

New Learning

• Magrino, Chapter 5, Midterm / Initial Sales Letter guidelines and samples (Magrino, pp. 169-184)
• Wordiness

• Wordiness & Misplaced, Dangling Modifiers
• Miller, Jane. "Organizing Data in Tables and Charts", in Magrino, pp. 107-11
  • Discussion questions, pp. 113-114 (: Prepare answers for Questions 5 & 6)
• Discussion on 5 R's Research & Citations in Multimedia Presentations - pp. 93-104 (MAYBE - if time available) (: Pay attention to Table 2 + Prepare answers for Questions 1, 4 and 5) answers for Questions 1, 4 and 5}}
  • Discussion questions, pp. 105-106

Homework

Readings

• Magrino, Chapter 6 - The Oral Presentation - pp. 191-209
• Hill, Andrea et al. "I'm Ambivalent About It: The Dilemmas of PowerPoint, in Magrino, pp. 75-90
• Discussion questions (small groups), pp. 91-92
• Review Top Ten Slide Tips, by Garrey Reynolds
• Review How to Create the Best PowerPoint Presentations with Examples, by Amanda Zantal-Weiner, Hubspot

Prepare for Class

• DRAFT Midterm / Sales Letter for Peer Review Workshop
  • Write a business / sales letter or memo (4-5 pages) - single spaced, not including the list of works cited (MLA style).
• (: Bring a PRINTED / HARD COPY of the appropriate Peer Review Workshop Form to class.)
  • Complete the form and add your name and the date. Take a photo of the form - as you will be required to submit it.)
  • Make sure the completed Peer Review Form accompanies the corresponding assignment.
  • Refer to the corresponding Rubric / Grading Criteria for each assignment.

Week 7: Presentations, Guidelines & PowerPoint

Review

• What did I learn from last week? Outstanding Questions?

Activities

• Alan Alda Video - 3 Ways to Express Your Thoughts So That Everyone Will Understand You (4:56)
• Relax, De-Stress Before a Presentation
• Explain Sign Up Sheet for Oral Presentations (Google Doc)

Homework

Readings

• Magrino, "The Oral Presentation", pp. 191-207
• Review 10 Powerful Body Language Tips for Your Next Presentation, SOAP Presentation on LinkedIn, 2013
• Magrino, "The Project Proposal", pp. 211-216 - Get a head start - begin reading and also skim the "Sample Papers", beginning on p. 217

Readings

• Magrino Reading, "The Project Proposal", pp. 211-278

Review

• Magrino, Chapter 7, "The Project Proposal", pp. 211-278

• • Oral Presentation Evaluation, Magrino, p. 209
• Project Proposal for Peer Review Workshop I, Magrino, pp. 253-254

Homework

Readings

• Oral Presentation Evaluation, p. 209
• Project Proposal for Peer Review Workshop II: Executive Summary, pp. 259

Homework

Readings DUE

• Alred, Chapter 7 - Design and Visuals - pp. 204-236 (helpful cheat sheet on p. 235)

Prepare for Next Class

• Project Proposal for Peer Review Workshop III: Introduction and Literature Review, pp. 265-266

Week 11: Oral Presentations + Peer Review Workshop III

Activities

• Project Proposal for Peer Review Workshop III: Introduction and Literature Review, pp. 265-266

Homework

Prepare for Next Class

• Project Proposal: Peer Review Workshop Evaluation, pp. 277-278
• (: Bring a PRINTED / HARD COPY of the appropriate Peer Review Workshop Form to class.)
  • Complete the form and add your name and the date. Take a photo of the form - as you will be required to submit it.)
  • Make sure the completed Peer Review Form accompanies the corresponding assignment.
  • Refer to the corresponding Rubric / Grading Criteria for each assignment.

Additional & Interesting Readings

• Grant Reviewer's Perspective - Lessons from the Other Side: My Experience as a Federal Grant Reviewer, April 21, 2011