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Module Overview for the Week of February 11: Correspondence, Part 1

Overview

Black and white image of a lolcat in early 1900s clothing, with the caption, I feel a strongly worded letter coming up. Dear Sir"Regardless of format—from micro-blogs to traditional letters—you will communicate via the written word nearly everyday at your job. Regardless of the content being conveyed, your correspondence should be accurate, clear, and communicated with honesty and integrity. And regardless of audience, you want to leave a positive impression upon your reader. Remember that correspondence may be the client’s first impression of you. You want it to be a positive one!

Assessing the rhetorical situation will determine the type of correspondence to be used. Does the situation call for an inquiry letter, a complaint letter, a sales letter, a claim letter, a refusal letter or other type of letter? Knowing the patterns of each type will lead you to fulfill your purpose and satisfy your reader’s needs.

The tone and accuracy of correspondence can solidify positive working relationships and contribute to a successful, stable organization. Because the communication relies completely on the written word and does not involve verbal or facial cues, word choice becomes critical in establishing tone.

The reading material and examples will give you information to assist you in analyzing rhetorical situations and selecting the appropriate strategy to address the situation successfully.

At the end of this unit, you will compose correspondence that serves the writer's purpose, satisfies the reader’s needs, presents accurate and organized content, and uses a positive tone.

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 11

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. Proposal Memo: Assignment
  2. How the Major Projects Connect
  3. Markel & Selber, Ch. 14: “Writing Correspondence”
  4. Markel & Selber, Ch. 9: “Emphasizing Important Information”
  5. Markel & Selber, Ch. 11: “Designing Print and Online Documents”
  6. Daily Discussion Posts (DDPs)

 

Activities for the Week of February 11

Time Required: 5–6 hours, plus reading time
Available Points: 800
Due Dates:

  • All work is due by 11:59 PM on Friday, February 15.
  • The grace period for these activities ends at 11:59 PM on Monday, February 18.

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

Writing Activities
(~4 hours, including time to write)

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