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International Business Professions
Oral Business Communication (IBP 067)
Written Business Communication (IBP 068)
Spring 2014

 

Instructor: Kristina Curtis                                                   Hours: by appointment   

Email: kristina.curtis@bellevuecollege.edu                      Office: Room C- 227                                         

Class: Monday – Friday, 1:20-3:20                                          Office Phone: 425-564-2602

Room: D101                                                                                       No Class: 05/26

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Textbook and Materials

 

Course Learning Outcomes & Content for Oral Communication

 

The focus of this course is on improving interpersonal and oral communication skills in a business setting. The following content will be covered:

  

Intercultural Social Skills

 

Telephone Skills

 

Presentation Skills

 

Meeting & Negotiation Skills

  

Course Learning Outcomes & Content for Written Communication

 

This course is designed to improve the communicative job performance of non-native English speaking professionals. It focuses on the written discourse patterns (grammar, tone, register, word choice) commonly encountered in business settings. It also introduces the students to non-linguistic, cultural rules by which organizations operate.

 

At the end of this course, students will be able to do the following:

 

 

GRADING

 

 

 

Grading Scale: Letter grades will correspond to percentage scores as follows.

 

A         = 96-100%      B+       = 86-89%        C+       = 76-79%        D+ = 65-69%

A-       = 90-95%         B         = 83-85%        C         = 73-75%        D  =  60-64%

                                    B-        = 80-82%        C-       = 70-72%   

   

Grade Weights

Oral Communication Grading:

Projects & Presentations                                              60%

Attendance/Class Participation & Homework             20%

Quizzes                                                                        20%

Written Communication Grading:

Writing Assignments/Projects                                       60%

Attendance/Participation & Homework                        20%

Quizzes                                                                          20%

 

 

Grade Requirements

You are also expected to complete all homework assignments, class discussion questions, and have active participation in class. Participation includes regular attendance to class. To obtain a high participation grade, you will need to come to class prepared to discuss homework, ask questions when you don’t understand something, volunteer answers and work actively with your classmates in pair and group work, and listening politely when others are speaking.

 

IN-CLASS EXPECTATIONS

Classroom Requirements

 

Classroom Atmosphere/ Student Conduct Responsibilities

“Cheating, stealing and plagiarizing (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source) and inappropriate/disruptive classroom behavior are violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College.  Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to: talking out of turn, arriving late or leaving early without a valid reason, allowing cell phones/pagers to ring, and inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or classmates. The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of Conduct to the Vice President of Student Services for possible probation or suspension from Bellevue College.  Specific student rights, responsibilities and appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct, available in the office of the Vice President of Student Services.”  The Student Code, Policy 2050, in its entirety: http://bellevuecollege.edu/policies/2/2050_Student_Code.asp

 

Affirmation of Inclusion

Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination.

We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect.  For more information, go to: http://bellevuecollege.edu/about/goals/inclusion.asp

In addition, I do not want to hear any negative talk by anyone in class. Disrespectful comments or behavior towards any group of people/person are unacceptable.  You will be asked to leave the classroom if this occurs.  If this behavior continues, you will be reported to the Dean of Student Services.

 

Keys To Success In This Class

o  Participate in class discussions and group work.

o  Take individual responsibility for your education and actions.

o  Seek additional help if needed through the Writing Lab, tutoring, or me.

o  Complete all assignments and homework.

o  Be on time and come to all class meetings.

o  Come with a smile, respect for yourself and others, a positive attitude, and be ready to learn.

 

Cell Phones and Cell Phone Dictionaries

Cell phones and cell phone dictionaries are not allowed in the classroom.  If you have a cell phone, please use it before class, after class, or during break time outside of the classroom.  During class, please turn them off and put them away in your bag.  Please use a paper or electronic dictionary during class time.

 

Attendance Policy

Although not recommended, students are allowed to miss up to three classes per quarter without any penalty.  After that, students who miss 4-7 classes may have their grade lowered.

 

Please Note:  If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out from another student what was covered in class on the day you were absent and to make copies of any material that was handed out in class on the day you were absent. The instructor will not be responsible for helping you. The instructor will not be responsible for bringing any handouts or copies of lecture notes when you return to class. You must get these materials from a classmate.  

I recommend exchanging email addresses and phone numbers with at least one other student in class.  If you are sick, you can contact this student to take lecture notes for you and collect any handouts.

 

Name________________        Email______________________    Phone_________________

 

ASSIGNMENT/ OUT-OF-CLASS EXPECTATIONS

 

Time Management and Workload

This course will have a lot of responsibilities. You should expect to spend at least 1-2 hours every day outside of class studying and working on homework or class projects. That means that you have to schedule and manage your time carefully every week so that you will have time to get everything done on time. Do not wait until the night before to do your assignments. Do them early so that you can do a good job and increase your learning potential.

Assignments

All assignments and homework are due at the beginning of the class period on the date assigned.

Make Up Policy for In-Class Work (quizzes, tests, presentations, etc.)

Under very special circumstances, students are allowed to make up one in-class work assignment (quizzes, tests, presentations, etc.) due to absence if students follow the make-up work procedure.  The procedure is—students must email the instructor before class starts on the day of their absences stating why they are absent and requesting an appointment to make up the in-class work. The student will then have 48 hours to make up the work upon their return to class. For example, if you are very sick on a Tuesday, you would email the instructor 3 hours before class starts, explaining why you are absent and requesting an appointment to make up the in-class work. When you return to class on Wednesday, you would have Wednesday or Thursday to make up the work. Students who fail to follow the make-up policy correctly will not be allowed to make-up missed in class work.

Late Homework Policy

I rarely accept late homework. Each homework assignment is worth about 1-2% of your grade. So, your grade will not suffer too much if you miss one assignment. However, if you miss 3 homework assignments, that is between 3-6% of your grade, which means an F for 3-6% of your total grade. Yikes! Missing homework also negatively impacts your participation grade. While I will only rarely give credit towards your homework score, you can always show me late homework to receive a better participation grade.

 

Plagiarism and Cheating

Plagiarism: This is using someone else’s words or ideas in both writing and oral presentations, and pretending they are your own. It is cheating and is not acceptable in American classes. Plagiarism can be unintentional (accidental) or intentional (on purpose):

Examples of unintentional plagiarism are:

If you plagiarize unintentionally:

Examples of intentional plagiarism are:

If you plagiarize intentionally:

A good resource for Plagiarism is the Writing Lab: http://bellevuecollege.edu/writinglab/Plagiarism.html

 

In addition, there are different kinds of cheating besides plagiarism: “borrowing” a classmate’s homework (partially or wholly), using an essay or a presentation from a previous quarter, using “cheat notes”, and copying answers from classmates’ papers during tests.

Cheating in any form is unacceptable.  

 

COMMUNICATION EXPECTATIONS

Bellevue College E-mail and Access to MyBC

All students registered for classes at Bellevue College are entitled to a network and e-mail account.  Your student network account can be used to access your student e-mail, log in to computers in labs and classrooms, connect to the BC wireless network and log in to MyBC. You are expected to check your email daily.

To create your account, go to: https://bellevuecollege.edu/sam

Office Hours

My office hours are M-Th 10:00-11:30.  I prefer that you make an appointment with me ahead of time so that I can better serve you and manage other student appointments. Please send me an email ahead of time requesting an appointment during office hours. I am also happy to meet with you at other times of the day as long as you email ahead of time.

Student Concerns

Should you have concerns about any part of the class, please come to me with them.  If for any reason you don’t feel comfortable coming to me, the usual next step would be to speak with the program chair, Ivan Breen (ibreen@bellevuecollege.edu).  You can also refer concerns to the Arts and Humanities Division Dean, Maggie Harada (maggie.harada@bellevuecollege.edu) or the Assistant Dean, Scott Bessho (scott.bessho@bellevuecollege.edu) in the Arts and Humanities division office (R230).   An additional resource for concerns you find aren’t being addressed by faculty or administration is the Ombuds Office (http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/ombuds/default.html)

Special Needs

If you require accommodation based on a documented disability, have emergency medical information to share, or need special arrangements in case of emergency evacuation, please make an appointment with DRC (Disability Resource Center.)   If you would like to inquire about becoming a DRC student, you may call 564-2498 or go in person to the DRC program office, temporarily located in the Library Media Center.  For more information, please go to: www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc

Other

Please refer to the Arts and Humanities Student Procedures and Expectations   www.bellevuecollege.edu/artshum/studentinfo.asp  for all other information.

Instructor’s Note

If you have any concerns about the course or your performance in the course, please don’t hesitate to talk to me.