• Class introduction and course overview
• Writing Theory, Background, Poetics
• Connotative Writing, Consideration of Audience
• Language as Socially Agreed Upon Currency
• Get email addresses--Google Groups
• Day 1 Notes

• Read Strunk & White 1
• Ereserve reading May & May (Chapter 1--Accountants as Communicators).

• Princeton Review--poor writing choice
• Use of titles (for memo today and later)
• Discuss chapter 1-2: Overview of Writing in Accounting & The Writing Process
  
• Given Strunk and White I, Definitions of Rhetoric
• Rhetoric according to the OED (denotation and connotation in relation to the OED)


• Public nature of writing – in class work on memo. This memo will be an introductory memo and will include basic contact information along with any other details that students wish to reveal about themselves (major, accounting track, area of specialization).
• Thorough discussion of Wikipedia Article assignment.

• Properly set up and explore Google Groups (if you want, post about the articles you found for Wednesday)
• Get to know your word processor!
• Find to bring to class Wednesday an article, advertisement, or some other form of writing that specifically addresses accountants.
• Read Strunk & White 2

Class structure: word of the day and quote; slides on Strunk 2 and May 6;
analyzing writing samples brought to class; work on analysis of UF memo; in both, discussion of formatting for clarity

• Word of the Day; and another; and another
• Quote; and another
• Review Strunk 2 and May 9
• Review using and posting to Google Groups
• Bring to class an article, advertisement, or some other form of writing that is geared specifically to accountants. This can be something you have read or written for another class, an article in a trade magazine, or an advertisement for accounting services, software, etc. We will work with these items in class.
• Group analysis of writing brought in to class: links
• Analysis of UF memos if more sources needed, and memo in txt
• Q and A regarding assignments and class format --does this format work, or other preferences: discussion of principles/worksheets?

• Read Strunk & White 3
• Google Group Posting, Due by 6 pm Friday
  The posting should be a link to the article you brought for today (if it's online) or information on where the article is from (author, title of article, where the article appears--magazine, journal, somewhere else), and then a few sentences on what the article is about. Or, you can post in response to another person. This posting will help us all get more familiar with the Google groups format and it will begin our creation of reference materials.

• word of the day and another; quote; another
• Review of Strunk 3 and May & May (Chapter 7 critical thinking and 9 Letters)
• In-class work on reassurance letters based on in-class writing of the complaint letter
• Sample Letter format

• Read Strunk 4
• Finish Reassurance Letter, due on Jan. 26

• Word of the day; quote of the day
• Overview of Chapter 5: Standard English
• Upcoming readings--problems with ereserve and other readings of interest?
• Reassurance Letter Due in Class (two copies)
• In-class peer review of grammar and mechanics with Reassurance Letter

• Read Strunk & White 5
• Read Strunk & White 6
• Google Groups Posting, Due by 6 pm Friday. The posting should be a link to the article about accounting or a response to another person's article, just as we did last week.

• Class Canceled Today because I'm sick. I'm sorry for the late notice.

• None

• Word of the day; quote of the day; word/phrase list
• Overview of May & May 4: Coherence
• Overview of corrections on papers
• Passive active in relation to mini-words
• Paragraphing, organization, and transitions
• More exercises on concision
  
  
• Discussion of Response Letter assignment (sample letter with cliches and without)
• Response Letter in class work

• Write Response Letter, due in class on Monday
• Have resume and cover letter for class on Monday


• Google Groups Posting, Due by 6 pm Friday. This posting should be a link to a text that you think is difficult to read (because of writing style, heavy use of jargon, layout, or another reason), or a response to another person's posting. The point of this posting is to train your critical eye in identifying problematic writing styles and to think about and discuss methods to correct unclear writing.
  OR
  The Google Group posting could also be on suggested readings for the rest of the semester. Currently, we have readings from popular nonfiction books that deal with economics and data analysis. These readings have two purposes: to serve as examples of clear writing for difficult topics and to serve as interesting readings for later business communication. Ereserve hasn't fixed the scans of some of these and some of these may be boring or less useful for various reasons. Please suggest other readings to the group. The readings just need to be interesting examples of good writing.
• If you don't have a resume or cover letter, email me to set an appointment to make one, or create a sample like this cover letter sample; this- this is not a perfect resume, but we just need enough of the basics to work with)
  Cover letter help and samples and another sample and an online lecture on resumes
• Reading from The Prince (notice the long, convoluted sentence structure)

• Word of the day; Quote of the day: My pokemon bring all the nerds to the yard, and they're like you wanna trade cards? Darn right, I wanna trade cards, I'll trade this but not my charizard.
• Overview of May & May 13: Cover Letters and Resumes



• Response letter due in class today. Peer review of response letters



• Using lists and bullet points; action words for resume
• Bring resumes and cover letters and we will work on these in class based on these guidelines (all fields are different, so these will be the guidlines we'll be using. If you look at my resume, it's very different from these because it's guidelines are for College English instructors--know that the rules are always different for different fields.)
• Resume Interests: systems/IT interest"I also take things apart compulsively." What would the accounting equivalent be?
• In class work on resumes and cover letters
• Cover letter help
• Scannable resumes (Arial, white font, keywords, jargon)
• In addition to the short, super-streamlined resume, also keep a log of your work activities--for use as an interview prompt, as an archive of related experience (this is for you, not for potential employers)

• Ereserve reading from The Smartest Guys in the Room
• Work on resumes and cover letters
• Google Groups Posting, Due by 6 pm Friday on either an article you find that's useful or a link to a text that you think is difficult to read (because of writing style, heavy use of jargon, layout, or another reason), or a response to another person's posting.

• Word of the day; quote of the day
• Slides


• Peer review of resumes and cover letters - must have final version to put on website later; peer review format
• Assignment of Groups (3-4 in each) for Final Project, and maybe for Wikipedia article
• Discuss final projects (or another)

• Google Groups Posting, Due by 6 pm Friday

• Word of the day; Quote of the day: There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't; counting in binary; and sun


• Work on Wikipedia Article

• Read Introduction from Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (available through the Library System on Campus or via the Remote Connection - this is in the library catalog, it's an E-book, it's not in the Ereserve System)
• work on Wikipedia article, due next Wednesday

• Word of the day; quote of the day
• Discussion of May and May 3; slides
• In-class work on Proposals; Audit reports: http://www.metro-region.org/article.cfm?ArticleID=464
• Overview of May and May 11 and 12: Reports Slides
• In class work on Wikipedia Article

• Google Groups Posting, Due by 6 pm Friday
• Find 3 websites for accountants that you think are effective. Post the links to these websites to the discussion board and we will evaluate these sites on Monday to decide which sites to make into templates for your sites.
• Read Ereserve chapter on proposals

• Word of the day; Quote of the day: There's no place like 127.0.0.1
• Grammar Note
• Discussion of May & May 8 and 14; slides
• Documentation, citation formats, format end-notes and works cited
• How to search for academic sources; switching formatting format from one to another


• Peer review of Wikipedia Article



• Word of the day; Quote of the day: Roses are #FF0000, Violets are #0000FF, All my base are belong to you
• Discussion of etiquette and writing; Ms., Mrs., Miss, Mr., business cards, chatting online



• Converting from passive to active voice
• Passive-Active Exercises

• Google Groups Posting, Due by 6 pm Friday.
• Ereserve reading on etiquette

• No Google Groups Posting

• Upcoming: 6 weeks left, assignments left; proposals due wed; memos due next Wednesday (after break); websites will be completely made in class
• Going over wikipedia entries
• Quote of the day
• pick one; use of more; use of lay /lie; use of less/fewer


• Discussion of Memo to Client's File Assignment
• Websites: If you want to use the block style for your website, prep a bunch of images


• Writing for the CPA Exam
• In class, group writing for CPA Exam Simulation on written communication; Writing a memo of a brief communication with a client (who has limited accounting knowledge) on the advantages of the dollar-value LIFO method. (from CPA-Exam.org)
  
• Discussion of Ethics and word choice; Plain English
• Ethics and Business Writing discussion of accounting ethics-written versions of issues that apply to other accounting ethics; as well as writing with clarity so that the writing is not easily misunderstood or misconstrued


• In class work on proposals?
• Correcting parallel structure
• Parallel Structure handout 2
• Miscellaneous grammatical issues – relative pronouns, subject-verb agreement, who & whom, he or she, ‘this-is’ expletives, meta- discourse, gerunds, etc.

• pick one!
• Proposal for Final Project due in class on Wednesday
• Work on Memo to Client’s File, due in class Mar. 20 on for peer review
• Respond to this reading for the weekly Google Groups post.



• Ereserve reading from Blink : The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

• Grammar stuff 1; Grammar stuff 2; Grammar stuff 3; Grammar stuff 4; Grammar stuff 5; Grammar stuff 6
• Basic Note
• Specific work on reports



• Revision Techniques
• Example of a well-written memo. Possible discussion of why it works.
• Review of grammar, mechanics, sentence structure
• Discussion of websites for accountants that you posted to the group discussion list. We will evaluate these sites and decide which sites to make into templates for your sites.



• Proposal for Final Project Due in Class today; peer review.
• In class writing on Memo to a client's file after reading Wal-Mart memo
• Group work on Memo to Client’s File

• Work on draft of Memo to Client’s File
• We meet in the computer lab next week-don't forget!
• Choose which template you will use for your website; bring materials to class on Monday
• Work on Memo to Client's File, Due in class Wed. Mar 22

Spring Break - No class

Spring Break - No class

Spring Break

Spring Break

• Today we'll meet in the computer lab, Architecture 116
• Discussion of Image-Text (Website) Considerations
• Working on your websites
• Memo to client's file due Wednesday
• Web Design Basics
  Images

• Google Groups Posting, Due by 6 pm Friday
• Work on Final Report portion of Final Project

• Today we'll meet in the computer lab
• Memo to Client’s File Due in Class today
• Working on your websites
• Review Revision Techniques Handout

• Work on Final Report portion of Final Project
• Google Groups Posting, Due by 6 pm Friday

• Today we'll meet in the computer lab, Architecture 116
• Working on your websites
• In class work on Final Project

• Class cancelled

• Today we'll meet in the computer lab
• Image-Text Project Due in class today.
• Peer review of Image-Text Projects
• In class work on Final Projects
• Turn in memo to client's file if you haven't already

• Google Groups Posting, Due by 6 pm Friday

• Discussion of Oral Presentations—tips and suggestions
• Some real business writing
• Overview of Creating Presentations
• In class work on Final Project
• Final Project Reports due when your group presents

• Danielle, Camila, and April's groups presenting
• Presentations, Q & A, and Discussion

• Kathy's group presenting
• Presentations, Q & A, and Discussion
• Ask someone to pick up and bring evals for Wed, will need section number

• Dilpesh's, Ben's, and Alyse's group presenting
• Evaluations
• Final Review of Summary Requirements
• Colleague feedback and suggestions

• Last Replies to Classmates' DB Postings Due by 6 pm Friday.
• Individual Summaries of Final Project due by 6 pm Friday.