1. Workplace Writing and Organizational Communication
ENGL 3355—Spring 2008—course no. 26893
HUDS 300, Monday/Wednesday 3:00-4:20 p.m.
Instructor: Christie Daniels
Office: 103 Vowell Hall
Telephone: 747-6242
E-mail: cldaniels@miners.utep.edu
Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday: 3:00-4:30 p.m.
RWS: Living Rhetoric. Writing Knowledge.
Course Description
In this course we will examine the role that language plays in our lives, from our ways of acquiring and
expressing knowledge, to the ways that we perceive the world, ourselves, and others. More specifically,
we will examine workplaces as discursive formations, taking a rhetorical approach to workplace writing
and communication, and seeing organizations as complex, polycontextual, and distributed. The first half
of the course takes a broad theoretical approach, introducing influential readings from researchers in
Business/Technical Communication and Rhetoric and Writing Studies. The second half of the course
applies these theories to common workplace writing contexts through case analyses and developmental
projects.
Course objectives: Students will…
 Investigate and implement theories of language, rhetoric, and analysis.
 Explore methods of rhetorical thinking and metacognition.
 Explore and practice the common conventions of workplace writing and organizational
communication.
 Explore writing research in the workplace.
 Investigate writing as a way of thinking, knowing, and being, using their writing to negotiate
their world.
Key Terms and Phrases
Rhetoric—Discourse/Discursive—Metacognitive—Distributed Work—Epistemology —Ontology—
Organizational Identity—Agency—Invention—Rhetorical Thinking—Rhetorical Dispositions—
Polycontextual—Multilingual—Recursion—Aggregation—Inquiry—Structure—Power—Image—
Subjectivity
Required Textbooks
Community Action and Organizational Change. Brenton D. Faber. SIU Press, 2002.
Strategic Business Communication: An Integrated, Ethical Approach. Robyn Walker. Thomson South-
Western, 2006.
Storage and Backup
This course depends heavily on computer-mediated writing and analysis, and much of the work you will
do this semester will involve interface with technology. Therefore, it is important that you take

2. responsibility for your assignments, including the storage and backup of digital work. This course will
require the consistent use of one or more of the following storage devices:
 USB Drive (recommended)
 UTEP My Space Storage
 CD
 Hard Drive
Grading Policy
Assignments are graded according to criteria distributed in class (or on WebCT). A tentative grading
schedule follows, but is subject to adjustment.
Course Assessment and Calculation of Final Grade
Participation
In Class and Online 50
WebCT Reading Responses (5) 50
Applications/Case Analyses (5) 50
Mid-Term Examination 200
Report on Current Scholarship in Business/Tech Communication 150
Oral Presentation of Final Project/Proposal 150
Final Project
Business Report or Proposal 200
Project Assessment Memo 150
Final Exam 200
Total: 1200
Attendance, Withdrawals, and Incompletes
 Regular attendance is essential to success in the course, as we may begin or complete several
assignments in class.
 If you have 4 absences before the published drop date, you will be dropped and receive a W for
the course.
 If you have 4 absences at the end of the term, you will receive an F.
 Please arrive on time for class, be prepared to work, and respect others.
 Please turn off your cell phone before the start of class.
 Notify me ahead of time about absences for official University business or for religious holidays.
 Repeated failure to turn in assignments will result in a drop for neglect of course work (before
the drop date with a W; after that date, with an F).
 Please see the University Catalog for more information on Withdrawals and Incompletes.
 Late work: If you miss a deadline for any reason, you may still choose to submit your work, but
you will be docked one letter grade for each day (not class period) that passes beyond the
deadline.
Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty
Proper citation is a hallmark of good scholarship. Plagiarism is using information or original wording in a
paper without giving credit to the source of that information or wording: it is not acceptable. Do not
submit work under your name that you did not do yourself. You may not submit work for this class that
you did for another class. If you are found to be cheating or plagiarizing, you will be subject to
disciplinary action, per UTEP catalog policy.
Refer to http://www.utep.edu/dos/acadintg.htm for further information.

3. Students with Disabilities
I will make any reasonable accommodations for students with limitations due to disabilities, including
learning disabilities. Please see me personally before or after class in the first two weeks, or make an
appointment to discuss any special needs you might have. If you have a documented disability and
require specific accommodations, you will need to contact the Disabled Student Services Office in the
East Union Bldg., Room 106 within the first two weeks of classes. The Disabled Student Services Office
can also be reached in the following ways: Web: http://www.utep.edu/dsso Phone: (915) 747-5148
voice or TTY Fax: (915) 747-8712 E-Mail: dss@utep.edu

4. COURSE SCHEDULE
Schedule of Readings and Major Assignments
Complete the reading assignments before the class for which they are assigned, and be prepared to participate in
discussion.
Major Assignment Due Dates (subject to adjustment)
3/3 Mid-Term Examination
4/21 Report on Current Scholarship in Business/Tech Communication
4/21-4/30 Oral/Visual Presentations
4/30 Final Project/Proposal and Project Assessment Memo
5/5 (1:00-3:45 p.m.) Final Exam
Spring 2008 Calendar (subject to adjustment)
1/14
Course Preliminaries—syllabus and introductions—buy books!
1/16
Introduction to Business/Organizational Writing—Philosophies and Methods
Spinuzzi, C. (2006). What do we need to teach about knowledge work? Computer Writing and Research Lab, White
Paper Series.
Spinuzzi, C. (2007). Guest editor’s introduction: Technical communication in the age of distributed work. TCQ 16
(3), 265-277.
1/21
NO CLASSES – MARTIN LUTHER KING HOLIDAY
1/23
Brummett, B. (1979). Three meanings of epistemic rhetoric. SCA Convention.
Emig, J. (1982). Inquiry paradigms and writing. College Composition and Communication 33 (1), 64-75
WebCT Reading Response Due
1/28
Faber Ch. 1
1/30
Faber Ch. 2
WebCT Reading Response Due
2/4
Faber Ch. 3
2/6
Faber Ch. 4
WebCT Reading Response Due
2/11
Faber Ch. 4 (cont.)
2/13
NO CLASS – INSTRUCTOR AT CONFERENCE

5. 2/18
Winsor, D. (2006). Using writing to structure agency: An examination of engineers’ practice. TCQ 15 (4), 411-30.
WebCT Reading Response Due
2/20
Faber Ch. 5
2/25
Faber Ch. 6
WebCT Reading Response Due
2/27
Faber Ch. 7 (pp. 166-181)
3/3
Mid-Term Examination
3/5
Introduction to Case Analysis, Projects, and common Business Writing/ Organizational Communication Practices
3/10
Walker Ch. 1, Ch. 8 (pp. 208-217)
3/12
Walker Ch. 2
3/17
Walker Ch. 3
Case Analysis/Workplace Application Due
3/19
NO CLASS – INSTRUCTOR AT CONFERENCE
3/21
NO CLASS – GOOD FRIDAY
3/24-3/28
NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK
3/31
NO CLASS – CESAR CHAVEZ DAY
4/2
Walker Ch. 4
Case Analysis/Workplace Application Due
4/7
Walker Ch. 5
Case Analysis/Workplace Application Due
4/9
Walker Ch. 6
Case Analysis/Workplace Application Due

6. 4/14
Walker Ch. 7
Case Analysis/Workplace Application Due
4/16
Walker Ch. 8
Kostelnick, C. (1988). A systematic approach to visual language in business communication. JBC 25 (3), 29-48.
4/21
Oral/Visual Presentations
4/23
Oral/Visual Presentations
4/28
Oral/Visual Presentations
4/30
Oral/Visual Presentations
Final Projects Due
5/5 (1-3:45 p.m.)
Final Exam
For course or program information, contact Dr. Helen Foster, Director of Rhetoric and Writing
Studies, 101 Vowell Hall 747-6623