Readings and activities

Pre-Course: Preparation & Guidance

Required Text

Alred, Brusaw, and Oliu, The Business Writer’s Companion, 8th edition (2017), Bedford/St. Martin’s
Amazon (Blue-Cover) 1. Buy OR Rent the E-Textbook Version - https://www.macmillanlearning.com/college/us/product/Business-Writers-Companion/p/1319292690?searchText=lred%2c%26%23x20%3bBrusaw%2c%26%23x20%3band%26%23x20%3bOliu%2c%26%23x20%3bThe%26%23x20%3bBusiness%26%23x20%3bWriter%26%23x2019%3bs%26%23x20%3bCompanion

Readings (Throughout Semester)

• 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
• Alred, Chapter 10 - Style and Clarity
  • "Business Writing to Loaded Arguments", pp. 306-319;
  • Tone to You", pp. 328-334.

Week 1: Course Intro / Review Syllabus

Activities (in class)

• Course / Assignment Review
• Writing IS a Craft
• Mini-Intros
• 3Ps activity

• Complete Email Address & Contact Info (Google Sheet)

Readings (Throughout Semester)

• See Pre-Course Preparation & Guidance (before Week 1)

.

Writing Guidelines: Grammar (G), Sentence Construction (SC) & Punctuation (P)

• See Pre-Course Preparation & Guidance (before Week 1)

Watch / Listen

• Allan Little - BBC Journalism Skills: Principles of Good Writing for News (0:01-3:04; (14:45)
• Black Panther-Inspired Urban Farming video
• A guerilla gardener in South Central LA | Ron Finley TED Talk Video, March 2013 (10:45)
• GoPro: Wingsuit Flight Through 2 Meter Cave - Uli Emanuele (2:43)

Homework

• Weekly Discussions
• Add Your Current Resume Version V1.0 to Canvas

1. For Week 1, DO NOT UPDATE / REVISE YOUR RESUME
2. When you name your document, add the Version Number - V1.0 - For example, "Shawn_Fisher_Resume_V1.0"
3. Bring three (3) printed copies to class - Resume
4. Bring three (3) printed copies of the Job Description too!

Bring to Next Class

• Transferable Skills document (completed)
• Original / Current Resume AND Advertised Job in Your Profession / Field - PRINT three (3)COPIES OF EACH DOCUMENT

1. DO NOT UPDATE / REVISE YOUR RESUME. You will receive feedback in class to help you do that.
2. The Job Description should be for a role you want to apply for, after graduation
3. Save a copy of the Job Description (as a PDF - because the ad may not always be available).
4. You will need to submit the Job Description for Assignment 1

Week 2: Effective Writing for Job Applications I (CAR Stories + Resumes)

Activities (in class)

• Transferable Skills
• CAR Stories Make Compelling Reading / Resumes
  • CAR Stories & Feedback (call and response)
• Resume Review + Job Ad (Remember to bring three (3) copies of each)
  • See Writing Guidelines & Formatting Rules

Readings

• Alred, Chapter 9, Job Search and Applications - Resumes, pp. 282-300.

Watch / Listen

• TED TALK: Highlight Your Ability not Your Experience, Jason Shem (6:30)
• Funny Video about Resumes
• Prof. Fisher - Video Review of Job Description, Cover Letter & Resume

Homework

• Weekly Discussions - Three (3) CAR Stories (DRAFT)
• Add Revised Resume V2.0 to Canvas

1. Aligned to your desired job / Job Description
2. Based on what we learned / covered in class
3. Based on your Partner's / Table feedback / suggestions
4. Name it with your First Name and Last Name and Assignment Name (i.e., Shawn Fisher_Resume Version 2).

Week 3: Effective Writing for Job Applications II (CAR Stories, Research + Cover Letters)

Activities (in class)

• Learning Review
• Review Resumes + CAR Stories (DRAFT)
• Research Job Ad, Company, etc.
• Cover Letter - aligned to Job Description & Industry
  • (: Professor to provide Cover Letter example / template)

Readings

• Alred, Chapter 9, Job Search and Applications - Application Cover Letters, pp. 260-272.
• Application and Cover Letters, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Homework

• Weekly Discussions
• Revise Cover Letter - with feedback received
• Assignment 1 - Resume, Cover Letter & Job Ad DUE Next Class (Week 4)

Week 4: Labor Themes - Changing Nature of Work & Universal Basic Income

Activities (in-class)

• Resume & Cover Letter Review - last minute changes
• Bullets (bullet points) & Big Words - Kickstart Your Writing!
• Peer GROUP Worksheet

Readings

• Alred, Outlining and Paragraphs, pp. 23-29
• Alred, Memos, pp. 99-102
• Subscribe to: SMLR E- List Archives
• Visit website: Rutgers Education and Employment Research Center - https://smlr.rutgers.edu/content/education-employment-research-center-eerc
• Anthony Goldbloom: The jobs we’ll lose to machines — and the ones we won’t TED 2016 (4:36) - https://www.ted.com/talks/anthony_goldbloom_the_jobs_we_ll_lose_to_machines_and_the_ones_we_won_t

Watch / Listen

1. Andrew McAfee: What will future jobs look like? TED 2013 (14:21) - https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_mcafee_what_will_future_jobs_look_like
2. Erik Brynjolfsson: The key to growth? Race with the machines TED 2013 (11:53) - https://www.ted.com/talks/erik_brynjolfsson_the_key_to_growth_race_em_with_em_the_machines
3. Wingham Rowan: A new kind of job market TED Salon 2012 (12:13) - https://www.ted.com/talks/wingham_rowan_a_new_kind_of_job_market

Universal Basic Income

• Universal Basic Income, Waking Up with Sam Harris, Podcast Episode #130 (Start at 4:00 minutes)
  • Sam Harris interviews Andrew Yang - 2020 Presidential candidate and entrepreneur - . (Sam Harris is a neuroscientist, philosopher, and best-selling author Sam Harris as he explores important and controversial questions about the human mind, society, and current events.
• Rainer Strack: The Workforce Crisis of 2030 — and how to start solving it now (12:47) -
• Google futurist and director of engineering: Basic income will spread worldwide by the 2030s, Business Insider, April 14, 2018

The Importance of Unions & the Union Movement (according to Bernie Sanders)

• Bernie Sanders Explains Unions to Young People, YouTube, (9:10)

Homework

• Weekly Discussions

Week 5: Labor Themes: Labor Standards, Risks & Research - Guest Speaker: Prof. Naomi Williams

Activities (in-class)

• Feedback - Assignment 1 - Cover Letter & Resume & Job Ad Assignment
• Review Week 4 Audio / Video Content
• Guest speaker content (SMLR Prof. Naomi Williams)
• Writing Practice (in-class)

Readings

• 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
• The Disposable Plight of Adjunct Professors, Washington Post, February 2019
• Are you an employee or a contractor? Carpenters, strippers and dog walkers now face that question, in LA Times, by Margot Roosevelt, February 23, 2019 (assigned by Prof. Naomi Williams)
• Like a Prison: Target warehouse workers in Perth Amboy rally to become first to unionize, in MyCentralJersey, February 2020.

Watch / Listen

• What KickStarter United Means to Labor Tech, WNYC / NPR, February 2020
  • Vice and Motherboard staff writer Lauren Kaori Gurley joins us to discuss Kickstarter employees' groundbreaking vote to unionize and labor issues in the tech industry.

Labor Readings & Resources

Labor law, standards, regulations - for employment information, unemployment numbers, and updated legal information

1. US Department of Labor - https://www.dol.gov
2. New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development - https://nj.gov/labor/

Historical overviews:

• Philip Dray, There is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America
• Priscilla Murolo & A. B. Chitty, From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend

Economic & Labor Policy & Implications:

• Economic Policy Institute, https://www.epi.org/about/ - good source for ideas on how to think about projects’ broader implications
• New Labor Forum – https://newlaborforum.cuny.edu/ - A labor journal of the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies that deals with new research and debates on working-class issues

Watch / Listen

• Prof. Fisher - Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoOMJDDAsrs - Using RefCheck & Rutgers Library / Databases

Homework

• NO DRAFTS THIS WEEK
• Weekly Discussions

Week 6: Sentence Construction; Grammar & Labor Themes: Gig Economy; Temp Work, Automation & Anti-Unionism

Activities (in-class)

• Review Assignments remaining and due dates
• Sentence Construction, Punctuation
• Guest Speaker - Heads-Up / Recap
• Memo Assignment / Template, Due Date
  • Memo Template Example - Peer GROUP Review

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Write Context / Organization Type, Products / Services - Name of Company, What is Changing / Proposed / For Whom? Why? When? How?
• Write 3-5 bullet points for Each Group BELOW
  • Employees / Labour; Customers; Suppliers; Investors; Government/Regulatory; Community; Other Impacts

1. Who is affected? How? Where? Why?
2. Who is responsible? What will you be asking of him / her to help you make decisions
3. What is their likely response / challenges / resistance / motivations

• (: You Can and Should show PROs & CONs in a bulleted list (i.e., Make a heading for PROs, and add the corresponding bullet points below; then make a heading for CONs, and do the same. See the example below:)

PRO

• Faster call handling after hours

CON

• Impersonal service that might cause the organization to lose customers.

Readings

• Alred, Memos, pp. 99-102
• 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

Changing Nature of Work

• Watch Out Workers, Algorithms Are Coming to Replace You — Maybe, by David Kaufman, NYT, October 18, 2018 (Summary: Mr. Harari recently spoke about the benefits and dangers of A.I. and its potential to upend the ways we live, learn and work. The conversation has been edited and condensed. https://nyti.ms/2EwVcQd)
• 50 Employee Relations Issues You Should Be Documenting, by Debbie Miller, HR Acuity blog, 2012
• 7 Compliance Issues Every HR Leader Should Know, HRDive, January 29, 2019
• 6 Books on the Future of Work that Every HR Professional Should Read, SHRM, Sept. 2018 - https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/book-blog/pages/6-books-on-the-future-of-work-that-every-hr-professional-should-read.aspx
• Changing Nature of Work, 2019, World Bank - http://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2019

Questions to Consider

1. What impact will automation have on work?
2. What are possible scenarios for employment growth?
3. Will there be enough work in the future?
4. What will automation mean for skills and wages?
5. How will automation affect Labor and Employment Relations?

Watch

• How Amazon Blew Its Chance in New York (video), Jon Sarlin, CNN, February 15, 2019 - https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/15/tech/amazon-nyc-hq2-fail/index.html (3:32)

Homework

• Re-Read Articles provided by Prof. Naomi Williams in class
• Pay attention to Simon Chandler's article on LinkedIn: Artificial Intelligence Has Become A Tool for Classifying and Ranking People.
• Write and Submit MEMO (Draft / Version 1) - 3-5 Bullet Points for each Stakeholder Group on the Template: Employees / Labour; Customers; Suppliers; Investors; Government / Regulatory; Community; Other Impacts
  • Show PROS / Positives & CONS / Negatives
  • Bring three (3) copies to class - one for you, classmate, one for instructor
• Weekly Discussions

Week 7 - AI and Automation in the Workplace

Activities (in-class)

1. Follow up on Prof. Naomi Williams talk and articles shared in class and on Canvas:

• List out your skills and/or attributes that make you valuable to your employer. Then write a 3 paragraph email asking for a raise.
• Focus on using action verbs.
• Short, direct sentences (i.e., 10 words or less).
• Start with a strong topic sentence. (You can sum up your overall value in one, good, opening sentence!)
• Exchange papers and give each others tips on improving your pitch.

2. Peer GROUP Review (Memo) - Using Simon Chandler's article on LinkedIn - "Artificial Intelligence Has Become A Tool for Classifying and Ranking People".

• Write two (2) short paragraphs - for Each Stakeholder Group (based on your the strongest bullet points - PRO & CON) for: Employees/Labour; Customers; Suppliers; Investors; Government/Regulatory; Community; Other Impacts
  • Focus on using action verbs.
  • Short, direct sentences (i.e., 10 words or less)
• Exchange papers and give each others tips on improving your paragraphs

Readings

• Amazon's Hard Bargain Extends Far Beyond New York, by By Karen Weise, Manny Fernandez and John Eligon, March 3, 2019, in New York Times
• Amazon Patented System to Put Workers in a Cage on Top of a Robot, Sept. 7, 2018 in Seattle Times
• McKinsey Report - Jobs Lost, Jobs Gained: What the Future of Work Will Mean for Jobs, Skills and Wages
• Book Review, Louis Hyman, New York Times,(The Gig Economy / Temporary Work)
• Amazon's Aggressive Anti-Union Tactics Revealed in Leaked 45-Minute Video, by Bryan Menegus, Gizmodo, Sept 25, 2018
  • Summary: Amazon, the country’s second-largest employer, has so far remained immune to any attempts by U.S. workers to form a union. With rumblings of employee organization at Whole Foods —which Amazon bought for $13.7B in 2017 — a 45-minute union-busting training video produced by the company was sent to Team Leaders of the grocery chain last week, according to sources with knowledge of the store’s activities. Recordings of that video, obtained by Gizmodo, provide valuable insight into the company’s thinking and tactics.
• Amazon has patented a system that would put workers in a cage on top of a robot - https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/amazon-has-patented-a-system-that-would-put-workers-in-a-cage-on-top-of-a-robot/, in Seattle Times, Seattle Times, September 7, 2018
• Uber Drivers Lose Big Class Certification Case, Sept 26, 2018
  • Summary: The Ninth Circuit issued its decision in O'Conner v. Uber, a class action that centered on drivers' claim that they should be classified as employees. The Ninth Circuit reversed the district court's order to certify the class action, holding that the drivers must arbitrate their claims individually because arbitration agreements they signed with Uber prevented class claims.
• The Race to Replace Farmworkers with Robots, Washington Post, February 17, 2019
• How Amazon Blew Its Chance in New York, by Lydia DePillis, CNN Business

Watch

• How Amazon Blew Its Chance in New York (video), Jon Sarlin, CNN, February 15, 2019 - https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/15/tech/amazon-nyc-hq2-fail/index.html (3:32)

Homework

• Write and Submit MEMO (Draft / Versions 2 + 3)

1. Arrange the five (5) Bullet Points into a logical sequence and write concisely including all of the points in a single paragraph. 1 paragraph per Stakeholder group: Employees / Labor; Customers; Suppliers; Investors; Government / Regulatory; Community; Other Impacts
2. PRINT THREE (3) COPIES OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT - AND BRING TO NEXT CLASS. Make sure your first name, last name, phone number and Rutgers email address are at the top of the document.

• Weekly Discussions

Week 8: Empathy for Stakeholders & Assignment Review

• Assignment Review

Activities (in-class)

• Peer Group Review
• TBD

Readings

• Alred, Chapter 4 - Progress and Activity Reports, - p. 117-119
• Alred, Chapter 4 - Proposals to Quotation Marks - p. 120-136
• Alred, Chapter 10 - Style and Clarity
  • "Business Writing to Loaded Arguments", pp. 306-319;
  • Tone to You", pp. 328-334.

• Student Debt is Dragging an Entire Generation Down: Here's Why So Many Americans Feel Cheated By Their Student Loans by Anne Helen Peteron, BuzzFeed News, February 9, 2019

Watch / Listen

Two (2) Kinds of Empathy

• Listening with Understanding and Empathy (3:32) - Caring Perspective, Wondergrove Video on Vimeo
• Customer Discovery - Assuming You Understand the Problem
• Customer Discovery - Customer Empathy (2:25), Lean LaunchPad Series (Steve Blank)
• Design Thinking I - Empathy-Based Prototyping (3:08)
• Design Thinking Empathy (2:57), Arts Perspective

Two (2) Kinds of Empathy

• Curiosity Conversations, by Brian Glazer, The Curious Mind

Business / Labor Applications - Talk to People & Listen for the Answers

• How To - Customer Conversations - Interviews 1 (5:41) - intro / getting outside the building / your head
• How to - Customer Conversations - Interviews 2 - Link Needed (3:49) - advanced
• Value Proposition (and Product-Market Fit) - How to Build a Startup (2:28) - Business Perspective
• Visualizing Your Business Model (3:40)

Homework

• Revise Memo DRAFT
• Identify two (2) people you can speak with - either by videoconference / in-person
  • Let the person know that you are a Rutgers student AND have an upcoming assignment whereby you will want to understand how technology is affecting their work - from (1) Manager perspective; OR (2) an Employee Perspective
  • DO NOT CONDUCT INTERVIEW YET - WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK

• Weekly Discussions

Week 9: Primary & Secondary Research & Discovery Interviews

1. Primary Research - Interviewing (1-1)
2. Secondary / Literature Research (Library, Internet)
3. Discovery Interviews

Activities (in-class)

• Read Sara Ashley Article focusing on pros and cons (bullet points) about:
  • Company Executive / Leader
  • Employee / Labor Leader

Readings

• One year after the Google walkout, key organizers reflect on the risk to their careers, by Story by Sara Ashley O'Brien, CNN Business, November 1, 2019

Watch / Listen

• TBD

Homework

• (: FOR EACH ASSIGNMENT DRAFT - PRINT THREE (3) COPIES & BRING TO CLASS. Make sure your first name, last name, phone number and Rutgers email address are at the top of the document.)

• Weekly Discussions

Week 10: Assignment Review & Peer / Instructor Feedback

Homework

• (: FOR EACH ASSIGNMENT DRAFT - THREE (3) COPIES & BRING TO CLASS. Make sure your first name, last name, phone number and Rutgers email address are at the top of the document.)

• Weekly Discussions

Week 11: Assignment Review & Peer / Instructor Feedback

Homework

• (: FOR EACH ASSIGNMENT DRAFT - PRINT THREE (3) COPIES & BRING TO CLASS. Make sure your first name, last name, phone number and Rutgers email address are at the top of the document.)

• Weekly Discussions

Week 12: Assignment Review & Peer / Instructor Feedback

Homework

• (: FOR EACH ASSIGNMENT DRAFT - PRINT THREE (3) COPIES & BRING TO CLASS. Make sure your first name, last name, phone number and Rutgers email address are at the top of the document.) Submit Briefing Note DRAFT 2

• Weekly Discussions - NONE THIS WEEK

Week 13: Review Assignment (DRAFT) + Course / Instructor Evaluation

Activities (in-class)

• Review Assignment - Final Revisions BEFORE Submitting Final Assignment
• SIRS

Homework

• Weekly Discussions - Course Learnings & Takeaways - (400-500 words)
• Conduct a full review and copy edit of your Assignment.
  • Get someone else to proofread it.
  • Excellent grammar makes a big difference to the success of your proposal and your grade.

Remember: Writing Guidelines: Grammar (G), Sentence Construction (SC) & Punctuation (P)

• Clarity of Thinking
  • No stream of consciousness, rambling, lack of specificity / details
• Short Sentences
  • No run-on sentences
• Grammar, Wordiness, Better Writing Construction

1. Alignment between Cover Letter & Resume
   1. Extraneous / Strikethrough
2. Redundant Words / Phrases
3. Watch Verb Tenses
4. Judgment / Claims in Writing - should, could, would
5. Active vs. Passive Sentences

• Watch for Typos, Big Words (don't use them!)