Module Overview for Week of February 17: Correspondence, Part 2

This is Week 05 of the course.

Woman typing on a laptopYou will submit your second project, Proposal Memo: Assignment. This week you will have time to finish your document using DDPs and other resources to ensure that you meet all of the requirements for the activity.

For this project, you choose a kind of writing from the table you created for the Analysis of Writing in Your Field project and write a memo that proposes examining that genre in your Recommendation Report.

Your memo will explain your choice, how it will help you in your career, and what you will include in your research as you work on your report. I will review and approve your proposal (or suggest revision). To understand more about the connections among the Major Projects, read How the Major Projects Connect.

The audience for this project is me, Traci. Your goal is to convince me that the kind of writing you have chosen will help you prepare for writing in the workplace when you graduate (or during future internships or jobs). Your memo should persuade me that you have made a good choice and that you are ready to begin more in-depth research.

Objectives for this Module

After completing this module, you will be able to

  • Analyze the rhetorical situation and determine the appropriate audience or users of written communication, considering the needs of global audiences and people with disabilities. [CLO 1]
  • Use conventions of various workplace genres, such as proposals, instructions, correspondence, reports, and slide decks, with understanding of how the genre conventions can be used as heuristics and as principles of arrangement. [CLO 4]
  • Apply principles of effective visual design for print and electronic presentation, including hierarchical, chronological, and spatial arrangements. [CLO 6]
  • Identify and apply the principles of effective style in the composing of usable, reader-centered written communications. [CLO 7]

Note that you can find the full text of the Course Learning Objectives on the Syllabus.

Readings for the Week of February 17

Please complete all readings before beginning the quizzes for this module. This material introduces concepts you will need to successfully apply the objectives stated above.

  1. Markel & Selber, Ch. 16: “Writing Proposals”
  2. Markel & Selber, Ch. 8: “Communicating Persuasively”
  3. Markel & Selber, Ch. 12: “Creating Graphics”
  4. Daily Discussion Posts (DDPs)

Activities for the Week of February 17

Time Required: 6–7 hours, plus reading time
Available Points: 800
Due Dates:

  • Friday, February 21 at 11:59 PM: All activities and drafts due. 
  • Monday, February 24 at 11:59 PM: Grace period ends for all work.

Daily Discussion Posts Activities
(85 minutes—5 posts @ ~15 minutes each plus self-assessment @ ~10 minutes)

Writing Activities
(~5 hours, including time to write)

  • Complete your Proposal Memo: Final, Finished Draft (400 points total).
    • Use the links in the assignment to revise and edit your draft before submission.
    • Check your project against the rubric and criteria listed in the assignment.
    • I will record the points for this assignment, according to the expectations listed in the assignment.
  • Ask any questions about the course in the General Q and A Discussion (0 points) in Canvas.
    • Check the General Q and A Discussion for answers before posting.
    • Asking a question is not required. Use the Inbox tool in Canvas for questions about grades or personal information that should not be shared with the class.

Reading Quizzes
(1 hour—3 quizzes @ ~20 minutes each, excluding reading time)

Image credit: Aufsicht einer am Laptop arbeitenden Frau by Marco Verch on Flickr Links to an external site., used under a CC-BY 2.0 license.