1

FOUN 1008 SYLLABUS 2022-2023

This course is designed to help you recognize and use effectively the particular techniques and
strategies of professional writing needed for effective communication in your given discipline
(business, scientific, etc.) and post-graduation. By the end of the course, you should be able to:
• Understand effective techniques of information gathering and information presentation
• Produce high quality, well-written professional writing
• Communicate with an understanding and appreciation of your intended audience

In order to achieve these goals, the following learning outcomes will be targeted:
1. Choosing and using appropriate language and expression for written and oral contexts
2. Using the stages of the writing process diligently and conscientiously for improvement
3. Applying critical thinking and ethical reasoning to analyse audience, context, and purpose
4. Using problem-solving strategies effectively – situation analysis, criteria creation, inquiry
construction
5. Gathering, evaluating and integrating and documenting researched materials relevantly,
efficiently and effectively
6. Identifying, analyzing and using effective design and formatting choices to increase
usability in documents
7. Using graphics correctly
8. Developing and using task-specific skills to produce clear, relevant and effective
documents to purpose (e.g. letters, reports, presentations)
9. Recognizing the importance of teamwork for professional endeavours and practicing
cooperative and/or collaborative techniques

Recommended texts

Cunningham, Donald, Elizabeth O. Smith, and Thomas E. Pearsall. How to Write for the World of
Work. Seventh Edition. Boston: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2005.

Dutton, John, A. Effective Technical Writing in the Information Age. {https://www.e-

education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/node/1786}
McMurray, David. Online Technical Writer. {https://www.prismnet.com/~hcexres/textbook/}
Keller, Arnold. The Practical Technical Writer. New York: Pearson Longman, 2004.
Assessment

This course is 100% coursework. Specific pieces will be graded as follows:

(1) Group oral presentation to describe and analyse problems 15% Due in Wk 5
(2) Literature review 20% Due in Wk 9
(3) Correspondence documents (2) 20% Due in Wk 5/7
(4) Attendance/Participation 5%
 2

(4) Proposal 40 % Due in Wk 12

COURSE POLICIES
Work requirements and recommendations

eLearning: Students should read the material provided on e-learning for each topic as the
semester progresses.
Preparation: All students should come to each class prepared with questions, notations and
observations on the assigned reading. Failure to complete the assigned reading
will result in a failure to capitalize fully on the lesson, thereby creating a
backlog of work, late submissions and an increased chance of failure.
Process: Each student should keep a portfolio of all writing, from initial brainstorming
to completed paper. This should be saved on their computer and this process
work should be submitted with finished assignments, as requested.
Participation: Participation includes daily responses, in-class activities, peer review
sessions/discussions and participation in group discussions. You are
responsible for your level of participation. This will be assessed over the
semester.

Assignments

Submission: Follow each assignment’s guidelines regarding when and how it is to be

composed and submitted. Please follow instructions or ask questions if you are
unsure. Assignments are uploaded to drop boxes which are created as the
semester unfolds. If your instructor wishes to collect in your assignments as
hard copies, they should be submitted in cardboard folders which have an
envelope on either side on the inside of the folder. Please be sure to submit a
draft, peer edit and plagiarism declaration with you literature review
assignment and a plagiarism declaration with your proposal.
Late papers: Extensions may be granted upon request. Without prior permission, late
assignments will be penalized. Late assignments after three days will only be
accepted if accompanied by a medical certificate.
Format: All assignments (drafts or finals) for this course must be typed rather than
handwritten-this includes drafts. All assignments should adhere to
professional documentation standards or any other formatting that is specified
in the instructions.
Plagiarism: All final assignments must be accompanied by the University’s Accountability
Statement (available online on the Main Library’s webpage) and UWI
guidelines on plagiarism will be strictly enforced in this course. Primary
guidelines are as follows:
o All work done for individual assessment must be your own
 3

o Do not copy work from other students, books or the internet

o Do not cut and paste from internet or other sources without using
citations and referencing
o Do not give your work to another student/person for their use OR use
another student/person to do your work
For further information on how to identify and avoid plagiarism, consult the
website: http://www.plagiarism.org.
Peer review: Every assignment must go through a process of peer editing at drafting stage
and every student will be expected to peer review. This exercise is useful for
academic self-awareness and fostering teamwork. Any assignment that is
submitted without peer editing will be penalised. Peer review guidelines
include a written commentary on the paper’s strengths and weaknesses which
can be broken down into the following subheadings: grammar, syntax,
spelling, punctuation, documentation and document design.

Revision: It is your final responsibility to use the peer review exercise, my comments and
your own judgment to revise your drafts. Revision involves fundamental
decisions about content, structure and style and is not simply a checklist of
suggested changes that may have been made by your instructor or peers.

Attendance

Policy: Classes consist of three hours of seminars per week and students are advised to
attend ALL sessions for the full length. If your attendance is unsatisfactory (less
than 80%), and process cannot be validated, it may affect your grade
unfavourably.
Roll Call: Attendance will be taken at each session. You are graded for your attendance and
class participation.
Tardiness: Please make every effort to be on time. Excessive tardiness is disruptive. Send me
an email when you are going to be absent. My email address is
[email protected]

Conduct

Classroom: Please respect the class by not wearing earphones, sleeping in class or carrying on
telephone conversations during class time.
Atmosphere: Please aim to create a classroom atmosphere that is open, friendly and free of
harassment. Within each class, there will diversity of ethnicity and race, gender,
sexual orientation, class, age, and disability, as well as religious and political
differences. While difference can engender conflict, it can also provide us with
opportunities to learn new things, compare experiences, test our assertions,
 4

understand ourselves better, and find common ground. So, in this class, please
focus on the latter by using the language and attitude of respect.

Communication

Email: All email correspondence to me should be conducted in a professional manner,

using appropriate language, format and content. When sending email to me,
please specify the course code and section in the subject line in addition to the
purpose for the correspondence. Do NOT send email without subject line and
body text as response cannot be guaranteed. Every effort will be made to respond
to email messages within 24 hours, except on weekends.