Communications Studies (COMS) 463 - Lecture 01
Advanced Professional & Technical Communication
Fall 2007
MWF 13:00-13:50

Instructor:	Dr. Tania S. Smith
Office Location:	SS 326
Office Phone:	220-7774
E-Mail:	smit@ucalgary.ca
Web Page:	http://www.ucalgary.ca
Office Hours:	By appointment and MW 14:00-15:00

Additional Information

This course uses Blackboard to post ongoing announcements, grades, and course information. Recommended: Internet access, and skills with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, email, and internet searches.

This course will also host an undergraduate Peer Mentor doing a practicum for GNST 501.35. She has taken the course before and I trust her to assist your learning process for up to 40 hours this term. For example, she can offer her unofficial personal advice on your communications strategies and documents, and group support if you are having difficulty delegating tasks among group members, conducting group meetings, or managing project timelines. She is not a teaching assistant and will not grade you. Please see the Peer Mentor Q&A document to understand the general benefits and limitations of your peer mentor.

Course Description

An inquiry-based course in which students apply rhetorical theory and communication research in professional and/or technical contexts. Topics include persuasion and argumentation, editing, and the use of technology. The main term project involves producing documents for clients or organizations outside of the classroom. Prerequisites: Communications Studies 361 or 363.

Objectives of the Course

• to understand relevant rhetorical theory, professional communication theory, and community service learning theory, and apply these theories to your communication experience
• to better understand professional contexts for communication
• to further improve one's skills in writing, editing, oral presentation, teamwork, and research

Textbooks and Readings: 

Required: NEW Coms 463 Course Pack of photocopies (To be sold at the Student's Union "Bound & Copied" Used Bookstore and Copy Center, located in the basement of MacEwan Hall. ASK for it at the cashier. ) Some additional articles will be available through a link in Blackboard.

Assignments and Evaluation

• 5 % September 28-- Term Project Proposal and Team Contract
• 40 % October 26, December 14 -- Learning Portfolios - Ongoing communication in Logs, Reflections, a short Presentation, and Final Team Evaluation. Each item's due date is posted on the schedule; grading occurs in midterm and final instalments after October 26 and December 14.
• November 30 - Required Term Project Draft (at least 2/3 length of final with no appendices or bibliography. Late or insufficient drafts will result in penalties applied to the term project grade.)
• 5% -- December 5-- Peer Review of Draft
• 40 % -- December 12 -- Final Term Project Individual grades for group projects will be influenced by one's teamwork contribution, which is partly based on the Final Team Evaluation assignment (see Learning Portfolios).
• 10 % Class Participation (Discussion & activities in class, responsible communication and consultation with the Instructor.)

About half of the course grade is focused on the direct outcomes of Community Service Learning: the Term Project Proposal, Final Term Project and Peer Review.

About half of the course is based on Academic Learning: Logs, Reflections, and Class Participation.

COLLABORATION: Students will read and review drafts of each other's writing and will review each other's contribution to their group projects. If you encounter problems in group work, communicate promptly with peers, the peer mentor and/or the instructor to work on an acceptable solution.

INSTRUCTOR'S RESEARCH: To improve the quality of teaching in this subject area, your instructor occasionally analyzes data about student learning that is gathered naturally in the course of teaching, and may present these findings at conferences or in academic publications. Unless you give signed consent, data specific to your course work and participation will not be included in such research. During course evaluation time, or after the course is over, the instructor may recruit participants or email you a request to use your work outside of the course. You are free to decline participation or withdraw participation at any time. Any signed consent forms will not be seen by the instructor until after the final grades have been submitted.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination: No

Policy for Late Assignments: Assignments submitted after the deadline may be penalized with the loss of a grade (e.g.: A- to B+) for each day late.

Writing Skills Statement: Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including, although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented. If you wish help with your writing at any stage, including drafts, you are invited to contact the Writing Centre, SS110, 220-7255.

Grading System: The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

A+/A (4.0); A- (3.7); B+ (3.3); B (3.0); B- (2.7); C+ (2.3);
C (2.0); C- (1.7); D+ (1.3); D (1.0); F (0)

The score of A+ will be awarded to students whose course work average is A if they also have an excellent class participation record.

Plagiarism: Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university. You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people's words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources. Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS110) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

Students with Disabilities: If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union: For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info

"SAFEWALK" Program -- 220-5333 Campus Security will escort individuals day or night -- call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Schedule of Lectures and Readings: To be posted online on the course website at http://www.ucalgary.ca/~smit/Coms463/Schedule.htm, and subject to revision (revisions will be announced in class, on Blackboard, and will be flagged on the schedule).