Course

Introduction to Workplace Writing

Important Notice

This course is not active. Please contact Department Chair for more information.

Faculty
Language, Literature & Performing Arts
Department
Communications
Course code
CMNS 1105
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15
Max class size
20
Course designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This preparatory course is designed for students requiring a review of the principles and practices of Standard English. This course is not a pre-requisite for other CMNS & ENGL courses, but a refresher to help students to develop the writing skills necessary for the more complex writing tasks required in subsequent courses. The fundamentals of Standard English are emphasized, including spelling, diction, grammar, logical sentence connections, and paragraph coherence. Course content is geared to students’ educational and professional goals and focuses on straightforward workplace writing tasks: summaries, descriptions, memos, letters, short reports.
Course content

Students will acquire these skills by performing a variety of writing tasks to prepare them for future workplace related writing activities. Students will:

  1. write routine letters such as
    • a.requests for information
    • b.responses to request for information
  2. write memoranda which
    • a.instruct
    • b.report
  3. write summaries of field-related readings
  4. write descriptions of phenomena or mechanisms
  5. explain data or processes
  6. complete preparatory writing exercises.
Learning activities

Classroom activities will encourage students to develop a critical awareness of the principles of clear and correct prose. Although brief lectures will focus the aims of each unit, most sessions will be workshop-oriented and will emphasize:

  1. writing activities
  2. discussion and assessment of student writing
  3. discussion of ways to revise and improve written products
  4. rewriting activities.

Students will work in small study groups, learning to assess the effectiveness of one another’s writing and to recommend strategies for organization and for revision.

Means of assessment

Evaluation will be based on this general breakdown:

Letters (3) 15%
Memoranda (2) 20%
Summaries (2) 20%
Description 10%
Explanations 10%
Tests/Quizzes/Exercises 15%
Preparedness and participation 10%
  100%
Learning outcomes

Successful students should be able to undertake the more complex writing tasks required in CMNS 1110, 1111, and 1115 or English 1130.

Special Course Objectives

By the end of the course, successful students will have developed proficiency in writing skills allowing them to

  1. write coherent paragraphs
  2. organize data in accurate and coherent form
  3. show logical connections between assertions
  4. write grammatically correct sentences
  5. choose words appropriate to the writing task
  6. spell correctly
  7. summarize field-related readings
  8. write business correspondence and memoranda in appropriate format
  9. use library resources effectively and efficiently
  10. gather data from firsthand observation
  11. distinguish between fact and opinion
  12. submit assignments in a neat and legible form that considers readers’ needs.
Textbook materials

The instructor will choose a suitable textbook. Possible choices are as follows:

The Brief English Handbook.  Dornan & Dawe

Writing Fundamentals.  J. T. Lyons

Canadian Business English.  Mary E. Guffey & P. Burke

The Bare Essentials.  S. Norton & B. Green

The Least You Should Know About English.  T. F. Glazier

The Reluctant Writer.  Mann & Roberts

Impact.  Mary Northey

Requisites

Prerequisites

Satisfactory result on College Writing Assessment or substitution / equivalent as stated in College Calendar.

Corequisites

Courses listed here must be completed either prior to or simultaneously with this course:

  • No corequisite courses

Equivalencies

Courses listed here are equivalent to this course and cannot be taken for further credit:

  • No equivalency courses

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for CMNS 1105
There are no applicable transfer credits for this course.

Course Offerings

There are no course offerings this semester.