Course Syllabus

Business Communication – Winter 2017

Instructor: Judyta Wasik
Email: judyta.wasik@bellevuecollege.edu
Course Dates: 1/9/2017 - 3/20/2017
Meeting time: Monday/Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. - 8:20 p.m.
Room: R209

Course Description:

⦁ This course is designed to give students the basic knowledge and skills necessary for correct oral communication and written correspondence within the framework of the business environment.
⦁ The course will cover such career-related skills as effective presentations skills, interviews, telephone etiquette, business letters, meetings, bargaining, etc.
⦁ We may cover additional topics based on the interests of the class.
⦁ Grammar and pronunciation will be introduced when needed.

Course Outcomes:

⦁ The student will write coherent business correspondence (i.e. business letter, email, etc.) using appropriate forms in order to respond to a variety of situations.
⦁ The student will develop oral communication skills by a variety of activities (job interview, oral business presentation, group discussions, negotiation skills, etc.) in order to organize information effectively.
⦁ The student will use research methodologies to develop, organize and refine information.

Grades:

⦁ This is not a credit class, so no grades will be assigned and there will be no exams.
⦁ You will be evaluated on your participation, in-class effort and final business presentation.

Attendance:

⦁ Students will receive certificates for successful completion of the course based on attendance (at least 75% attendance is required for a certificate), participation and effort.
⦁ If you miss more than 5 classes, you will not receive a certificate.
⦁ Please be on time to class! Tardiness is disruptive. Three tardies = one absence. If you arrive more than thirty minutes late for class, you will be marked absent.

 

*Class Schedule:

1. Jan. 9th:
Introductions
Brainstorming / Mind Maps
Course Expectations

2. Jan. 11th:
Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture in work environment
Case Study (***bring your laptops!***)

*Jan. 16th:
Martin Luther King's Day - NO CLASSES!

3. Jan. 18th:
Effective Presentations

4. Jan. 23rd:
 Presentation 1: Hofstede's Country Profile

5. Jan. 25th:
Debates

6. Jan. 30th:
Negotiations

7. Feb. 1st
Logical Fallacies

8. Feb. 6th:
***lesson canceled***

9. Feb. 8th:
Workshop: Critical Argument Analysis
Telephone Etiquette

10. Feb. 13th:
Presentation 2: Critical Analysis of an Issue
Language of Polite Socializing / Small Talk / 

11. Feb. 15th:
Business Letter (***bring your laptops!***)

12. Feb. 20th:
Business Meetings

13. Feb. 22nd:
Business Vocabulary

14. Feb. 27th:
***lesson canceled*** Linkedin 

15. Mar. 1st:
Job interviews
Workshop: Mock Interviews/Job Fair

16: Mar. 6th:
Guest Speaker - Fabienne Mouton

17. Mar. 8th:
Work on Presentations (***bring your laptops!***)

18. Mar. 13th:
Work on Presentations (***bring your laptops!***)

19. Mar. 15th:
Final Business Presentations

20. Mar. 20th:
Final Business Presentations
Course Evaluations (***bring your laptops!***)
Certificates

*Schedule and course content subject to change

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://www.bellevuecollege.edu/policies/id-4000/
 
Student Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity

Any act of academic dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarism (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source), and fabrication 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 Dean of Student Success for investigation.  Specific student rights, responsibilities, and appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct at: Student Code
 
College Anti-Discrimination Statement (Title IX)

Bellevue College does not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity; color; creed; national origin; sex; marital status; sexual orientation; age; religion; genetic information; the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability; gender identity or veteran status in educational programs and activities which it operates. For further information and contacts, please consult College Anti-Discrimination Statements.
 
Confidentiality and Mandatory Reporting

As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. It is my goal that you feel able to share information related to your life experiences in classroom discussions, in your written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. I will seek to keep information you share private to the greatest extent possible. However, I am required to share information regarding sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct (e.g. dating violence, domestic violence, stalking) that may have occurred on campus or that may impact someone on campus with the Title IX Coordinator.

Students may speak to someone confidentially by contacting the BC Counseling Center at (425) 564-2212. The Title IX Office can be contacted at 425-564-2441 and more information can be found at www.bellevuecollege.edu/titleix/.
 
Plagiarism and Cheating

Plagiarism is using someone else’s words or ideas as your own on assignments.  It is cheating and is not acceptable in American classes.

There are different kinds of cheating: 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.  

Examples of plagiarism are:

⦁ Copying from a Web page, book or article
⦁ Buying papers
⦁ Copying from another student
⦁ Using a friend’s paper from a previous quarter

If you plagiarize:

⦁ First time: your teacher will work with you so that you understand what not to do
⦁ Second time:  Fail the assignment
⦁ Third time:  Fail the class and be reported to the Associate Dean of Student Services.  Possibly be asked to leave the school
 
This link provides a good, short summary of how to avoid plagiarism:
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml

College Online Learning System: CANVAS

Access using your college login and password

⦁ Please access your CANVAS site immediately as course information will be organized there.
⦁ Create a NET-ID
⦁ You will need your SID # and your birthdate
⦁ Choose your Log in and Password
⦁ Be sure to update your SETTINGS to add in your personal email or phone number so you will be notified in case of class changes.
⦁ Much of the course information, assignments, and correspondence will be given through CANVAS site.
  
Help with CANVAS

Please click on the link below for help with CANVAS for students.
http://depts.bellevuecollege.edu/helpdesk/students/canvas/

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. To create your account, go to: Create Email 
 
BC offers a wide variety of computer and learning labs to enhance learning and student success. Find current campus locations for all student labs by visiting the Technology Help Desk 
 
Disability Resource Center (DRC)

The Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array of learning challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a disability or learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful in college, please contact us as soon as possible.

If you are a person who requires assistance in case of an emergency situation, such as a fire, earthquake, etc, please meet with your individual instructors to develop a safety plan within the first week of the quarter.

 If you are a student with a documented autism spectrum disorder, there is an additional access program available to you. Contact Autism Spectrum Navigators Email and phone number is on the web page. ASN is located in the Library Media Center in D125.

 The DRC office is located in B132 or you can call our reception desk at 425.564.2498. Deaf students can reach us by Skype: the address is DRCatBC (NOTE: There is no @ sign...it is actually DRCatBC).  Please visit our website at Disability Resource Center for application information into our program and other helpful links. 
 
Public Safety and Emergencies

Public Safety is located in the K building and can be reached at 425-564-2400 (easy to remember because it’s the only office on campus open 24 hours a day—2400). Among other things, Public Safety serves as our Parking Permits, Lost and Found, and Emergency Notification center.  Please ensure you are signed up to receive alerts through our campus alerting system by registering at RAVE Alert Registration

If you work late and are uneasy about going to your car, Public Safety will escort you to your vehicle. To coordinate this, please phone ahead and let Public Safety know when and where you will need an escort.

Please familiarize yourself with the emergency postings by the door of every classroom and know where to go in the event of an evacuation.  Your instructor will be asked if anyone might still be in the building, so check in before you do anything else.  Emergency responders will search for anyone unaccounted for.

If a major emergency occurs, please follow these three rules:

⦁ Take directions from those in charge of the response. We all need to be working together.
⦁ Do not get in your car and leave campus (unless directed to) - Doing so will clog streets and prevent emergency vehicles from entering the scene.  Instead, follow directions from those in charge.
⦁ In an emergency, call 911 first, then Public Safety.

Please do not hesitate to call Public Safety if you have safety questions or concerns at any time. You may also visit the Public Safety web page for answers to your questions.
 
Religious Holidays

Students who expect to miss classes, examinations, or any other assignments as a consequence of their religious observance should be provided with a reasonable alternative opportunity to complete such academic responsibilities. It is the obligation of students to provide faculty with reasonable notice of the dates of religious holidays on which they will be absent, preferably at the beginning of the term. Students who are absent on days of examinations or class assignments should be offered an opportunity to make up the work without penalty (if they have previously arranged to be absent), unless it can be demonstrated that a makeup opportunity would constitute an unreasonable burden on a member of the faculty. Should disagreement arise over what constitutes an unreasonable burden or any element of this policy, parties involved should consult the department chair, or Dean.

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 ELI Department Chair, Ivan Breen <ibreen@bellevuecollege.edu>.  You can also refer concerns to the Arts and Humanities Division Associate Dean, Tuan Dang
<tuan.dang@bellevuecollege.edu> or the Assistant Dean, Scott Bessho <scott.bessho@bellevuecollege.edu>.   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>.