Course Syllabus
Contact Information
Course Details
Course Description
Prerequisite: Business majors and students enrolled in approved degree programs or by permission of Price College advising; ENGL 1213 or EXPO 1213 or equivalent. Business professionals communicate effectively when integrity, emotional intelligence, exceptional judgment, and technical skills converge.
This is a writing- and presentation-intensive class for future business professionals. The course builds skills to enhance personal and professional credibility, adapt to the unique contextual features and audiences in various professional settings, and deliver the best content through appropriate channels.
Students learn to work in high-performing teams and to integrate feedback into presentations and written documents. Students will reflect on analytics and feedback to drive improvements in essential writing and speaking skills.
Course Objectives
L1: Build and exhibit credibility through integrity, accountability, and exceptional judgment in writing, presenting, and interacting with others.
L2: Employ strategic, audience-centered analysis to plan, research, write, revise, and deliver effective and appropriate messages for various business writing genres.
L3: Develop, organize, and deliver excellent, audience-centered presentations.
L4: Demonstrate effective professional communication to produce positive work climates and maximize performance in small-group and interpersonal interactions.
Course Materials
Required Textbooks and Program
- Cardon, P.W. (2024). Business communication: Developing leaders for a networked world. (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill LLC.
Other Required Materials
- Laptop, tablet, or desktop computer with word processing functions.
- Reliable Internet Access
- Paper and pencil for note-taking and in-class writing.
- AI Tool (Instructor will specify when you may use AI Tools).
- A professional business suit for your final presentation. We have options if you need financial assistance purchasing a business suit. Please let your instructor know as soon as possible to allow adequate time to make and process the request.
Grades
Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Elevator Speech | 50 | |
| LinkedIn Learning Certificates | 3 @ 10 | 30 |
| Resume and Cover Letter | 100 | |
| Professional Email | 50 | |
| Midterm Examination | 50 | |
| Academic Integrity Pledge | 20 | |
| Progress Update Briefing | 50 | |
| Business Report | 100 | |
| Team Presentation | 100 | |
| Final Examination | 100 | |
| In-class Participation | 240 | |
| Connect Videos and Questions | 10 @ 10 | 110 |
| Total | 1000 |
Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 90–100% | A |
| 80–89% | B |
| 70–79% | C |
| 60–69% | D |
| Below 60% | F |
BC 2813 Attendance and Participation Policies
BC 2813: Strategic Communication for Business Professionals Attendance Policy
Regular attendance is crucial to success in this course. The following attendance policy will apply to this course and is the same for all Strategic Communication for Business Communications Sections.
Regular attendance is crucial to success in this course. The following attendance policy will apply to this course and is the same for all two-day-per-week Strategic Communication for Business Professionals sections:
One to four absences (personal leave). Personal leave includes absences for any reason, including sickness. You will miss valuable information and participation activities, likely affecting your performance on assignments, but your instructor will make no attendance deductions. Please see the class participation policy for details.
Fifth or more absences- Your final course grade will be reduced by one full letter grade.
Participation Policy
When you enter Price College, you are entering an opportunity to join one of the top business schools in the United States (U.S. News and World Report, 2022). Please treat BC 2813 with the same care and attention you would at an extended interview for your dream job. What you do today in Strategic Communication for Business Professionals influences what doors open tomorrow. Embrace the discomfort of technical writing, public speaking, revision, giving and receiving feedback, and developing emotional intelligence. You can earn total participation points if you show up to work on time with a great attitude, stay for the entire class period, participate in the daily activities, and take an interest in your classmates' successes. Students can only make up participation points if they represent the University at an official function.
Course Assignments
Elevator Speech
After watching the Elevator Pitch Mini-Lecture and Sample Student Elevator Pitches, develop, practice, and deliver a brief, creative elevator pitch introducing yourself to your classmates. As you prepare your speech, strive to emphasize your credibility and creatively connect with your audience. Please see the assignment details in Canvas.
LinkedIn Learning Certificates
You will complete several LinkedIn Learning Certificates to improve your speaking and writing skills. You can choose to add these certificates to your resume to demonstrate your communication skills.
Resume and Cover Letter
Research an internship position using Handshake, a Price College Center for Student Success service. Once you have selected an internship posting, apply business letter-writing principles to design and create a cover letter. Next, use one of the Price College Center for Student Success resume templates available in Canvas to create your resume. Please see the assignment details in Canvas.
Professional Email
Use effective business writing skills to create a clear, concise, complete, and correct email. Please see the assignment details in Canvas.
Midterm Examination
The midterm examination will test your applied communication skills. for example, you might be given a sample resume or cover letter to test your understanding of the communication principles you have learned through this point in the class.
Academic Integrity Pledge
You will complete the University of Oklahoma Library and Writing Center's tutorial on Academic Integrity. Please see the Canvas assignment for details.
Progress Update Briefing (Individual)
Each student will prepare an individual update to brief the instructor on their individual and team progress toward completing the business report. Please see the assignment details in Canvas.
Business Report (Team)
Use effective business writing skills to create an analytical business report in several stages. You will have both individual and team responsibilities. Please see the assignment details in Canvas.
Team Business Report Presentation (Team)
Use effective group presentation skills to showcase your analytical business report to the class. Please see the assignment details in Canvas.
Final Examination
The final exam will test your cumulative understanding of the course content. You will be given samples of business communication artifacts and evaluate their effectiveness. Please see the Final Exam study guide for details.
Course Policies
Feedback
I will try to grade all work approximately one week from the due date. For grades of A.W., W, and I refer to the university catalog for information and how they might affect eligibility for financial aid, etc. *Even if mathematically you can pass the course without completing the presentation assignments, I will not pass any student who does not complete each speech assignment.
Late Policy
All assignments, written and oral, are due on specified dates. Please discuss any extension requests before the assignment is due. Unexcused late submissions will receive a 15% grade reduction. Please complete the assignment or exam within seven calendar days of the scheduled date or you will receive no points for the assignment.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation or when asked to experiment with generative AI. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism.
For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Access the University Academic Policies Document.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|