Program for Writing & Rhetoric

3040 - Writing on Business & Society Course Descriptions

The following list is alphabetical, by instructor last name. Not every course shown below is offered every semester. Check the current Course Schedule.

PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, Dr. Eric Burger

This course aims to ready you for the on-the-job writing required in the business world.  You will produce documents such as memos, proposals, reports, policy statements, letters and resumes; you will practice critical thinking, audience assessment and reading/writing skills in doing so.  Since effective business writers demonstrate a strong understanding of audience and professional context, you will study the workplace audience(s) in your intended profession and you will research a social or ethical issue in your field of interest.  Additionally, in this course we will study and practice effective collaboration, since much of the writing done in the business world is produced by teams rather than individuals.

PROFESSIONAL WRITING, Allison Carr

Writing on Business and Society is an upper-division course designed specifically to prepare students to write in a professional setting. This course will help students become familiar with the kinds of writing they will do in the workplace such as memos, reports, cover letters and proposals. Students will learn to write from a reader-centered perspective and to improve their critical reading skills, both in their writing and that of others. Students should be prepared to do a good deal of collaborative work in workshop processes and writing projects.  A significant portion of the course will be devoted to the development of a portfolio of documents that will address a business-related issue of the student’s choice.

BUSINESS WRITING, ETHICS, and SUSTAINABILITY, Douglas Dupler

Writing 3040 is an upper-division writing course that expands and refines students’ writing and communication skills. The course emphasizes critical thinking and rhetorical awareness; prepares students to write analytical, evaluative, and/or persuasive papers that incorporate research and conventions in a field of interest; extends students’ knowledge and experience of the writing process; and builds effective communication skills including oral presentation. The primary course content is writing and critical thinking, using the broad theme of “business and society” as a context for our semester-long inquiry and practice. This course aims to prepare students for the writing situations and challenges that they will encounter as professionals and educated citizens. Content will be delivered by lectures, seminar discussions, peer-review workshops and group activities, online sources, videos, guest speakers, and community-learning opportunities such as the CU Conference on World Affairs.

DOING GOOD WHILE DOING WELL: WRITING FOR CORPORATE & SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURIAL CULTURES, Lara Jacobs

Designed for juniors and seniors majoring in business, economics, and international studies, the course will balance professional assignments with skill development. You will apply your disciplinary expertise to current issues in corporate and public policy, with an emphasis on social entrepreneurship. Through strategic problem solving and writing focused on entrepreneurial themes, you will hone your critical thinking and rhetorical skills as you learn to observe, analyze, write, and speak consciously and critically. Through in-class exercises you will learn to write effectively under time and logistical constraints, designed to mirror those you may encounter in a work environment. Through your assessments of your classmates¹ work and your own drafting process, you will learn to edit on macro, meso, and micro levels. You will workshop and revise each assignment to improve organization, content, and clarity. Through engagement with the Human-Centered Design Toolkit, you will create stakeholder analyses, conduct interviews, devise frameworks, test prototypes, and assess the impact of your ideas, developing researched, innovative, and tested strategies and solutions for the entrepreneurial project of your choice. The opportunity to apply your academic knowledge to a real world business problem will challenge your assumptions and prepare you for future professional opportunities.

PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL WRITING, Eliza Klinger

Students will develop business writing skills based on a strong sense of document purpose and audience needs and expectations. We will work on practical documents, such as memos, professional emails, resumes, and cover letters, in addition to more extensive writing assignments. This class emphasizes collaborative learning and writing as a process; therefore, students must attend class regularly and participate in class discussions and workshops.

CONVINCING AUDIENCES, Robert McBrearty

Business writing often involves explaining material to an audience and presenting evidence to recommend a course of action. Using business and social issues as subject material, students will receive instruction in traditional argumentative principles, and learn how to apply those principles in fair-minded, thoughtful, practical ways. Students will consider the needs of their audiences as they develop an effective writing style. Students will write a four-page personal experience essay based on an ethical decision, two four-page arguments, a 5-7 page research assignment, several short business communications including a resume, cover letter, and responses to work-place problems. They will also write a one-page proposal for a final project, and upon approval, will then write the final paper.

WRITING ON BUSINESS & SOCIETY, Ann Stockho

Description coming soon.

PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION: TIGHT THINKING, TIGHT WRITING, Tobin von der Nuell

In this course you will practice successful business writing strategies, and you will do so by focusing on three main rhetorical concerns:  audience, purpose and voice.  You will critically read and discuss a variety of business articles and case studies to arm you with “data” that you then will use to frame and defend various arguments written to specific audiences.  You will create a number of business documents, ranging from memos and letters to reports.  In each, you will need to define your purpose for writing, your audience’s needs, and your method of argumentation to meet both.  The course functions as a writing workshop, wherein you will help your classmates, as they will help you, to critically work through the writing process.  You will revise often your work, and will practice developing a tight prose style. Your final project will consist of a proposal, a paper and a 10-minute Power Point presentation. Attendance and participation are vital to your success in the course.

MAKING DECISIONS, Paula Wenger

The aim of professional communication is to convey or influence the decisions that drive business. Drawing on field-specific decision-making models as well as principles of corporate social responsibility, you will hone your skills in identifying the evidence and reasoning and selecting the communication strategies that will move a particular audience to a particular course of action. We will explore the critical thinking and rhetorical analysis involved in shaping effective communication strategies, in light of the moral as well as the profit-making challenges of a global marketplace. In addition to writing a cover letter and resume, you will select a research project to develop through a range of written and oral assignments that include a project proposal, annotated bibliography, proposal, and oral presentation. Writing workshops will test your writing with an audience and sharpen your skills in collaborating and giving feedback. We will also cover revising techniques and business writing style.

WRITING ON BUSINESS & SOCIETY, Dr. Rosalyn Zigmond

Description coming soon.

WRITING ON BUSINESS & SOCIETY: DEVELOPING A MARKETABLE IDENTITY, Dr. Michael Zizzi

In this course you will learn principles, techniques and strategies that work together to aid your engagement and contribution within business/economic communities of personal relevance, by examining the intersections of business rhetoric, ethical concern, career application, digital media and use, collaboration in problem–solving groups, and civic/community engagement — all of this both in theory and practice. Strong emphasis will be placed on developing a "marketable identity" (including applying for a real opportunity) as a prospective job seeker and contributor in and out of employment contexts.