Learn how to present yourself professionally in multiple areas of writing! Because business writing is distinctive from academic or creative writing, writing powerfully in your dealings with others in any organization, mastering business writing is essential. In this course, you’ll write letters and professional correspondence, create a professional resume, and write pieces critical to getting a job. Whether you plan on entering college, getting a job right out of high school, or building your own business as an entrepreneur right now, this course is for you.

Class 1: What is business writing? (Business Writing Overview)

Class 2: Writing business reports (business writing vs. academic writing), entrepreneurial writing, and professionalism in writing for business

Class 3: Writing formal letters: letters of complaint, opinion letters/letters to the editor, and letters of request

Class 4: Resumes: what they’re for, who uses them, and why you need one (writing to get a job)

Class 5: Resumes: your Resume’s form, structure, and content

Class 6: Cover letters: what they are and how to write them

Class 7: Marketing writing: what it is, who uses it, and an introduction of how to write a text to sell

Class 8: “Little Writing Tasks” that are really big: social media and business; the business email; inter-office communication including the memo, organizational texts, and agendas; and organizational writing to keep on task

Total Number of Classes: 8

Prerequisite: High School Simplified Writing 1: Strong Foundational Writing Skills (HS 9-2)

Take the prerequisite courses LIVE or through Unlimited Access.

Alternative prerequisite: a passing assessment from the Aquinas Writing Advantage Assessment service.

Students should be able to use Microsoft Word competently. Your student will need Word 2007 or a later version or the ability to convert a document to a Word-compatible document.

Suggested Grade Level: 11th grade; however, all high school students are welcome

Duration: 55 minutes

Suggested Credit: Two-thirds (2/3) semester’s credit for writing. Add the composition of your own documents from the coursework to create one (1) full semester’s credit for writing.

Parent Note: To create a full semester credit, students may add compositions of their own documents. For example, to earn full credit, the student may choose to complete two (2) of the following:

1. Create two to three different versions of the same resume.
2. Write an essay on what the student learned in the course and how he/she sees the information applying practically to the future, with examples pertaining to both short-term and long-term goals.
3. Visit an office or business space to interview a person who uses the tools taught in the course, and then write a paper about the experience.

Course materials: All materials are provided FREE via the instructor. All documents are turned in as Microsoft Word documents. If you do not own Microsoft Word 2007 or a later version, you can use a system such as Google Docs that converts to Word documents FREE.

Homework: Students will have weekly writing assignments with grading and direct feedback from the instructor. Expect an estimated three (3) to four (4) hours per week for homework outside of class time, depending on the student’s ability; homework includes reading, writing, and responding to feedback.

RECORDED, INDEPENDENT-LEARNING COURSE

When you sign up for Unlimited Access and take this recorded course, your instructor is the designer and Director of Aquinas Writing Advantage, Erin M. Brown, MA, MFA (aka author EB Conroy/Erin Brown Conroy).