mini assignment
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mini.email_.docxMini Assignment
“Email Ethos”
ENGL 90
Task
Read about email etiquette here (Purdue Online Writing Lab).
Your task is to write four emails, each with its own context, and all requiring deftness, tact, and professionalism. Be sure to fill out the significant (yet mundane) information such as the subject line, greeting, and signature.
Due
by May 5th at 11:59pm.
Lesson
Correspondence such as email is one of the primary ways you will communicate in the workplace. How you communicate, from your spelling and grammar and mechanics to your tone and style and professionalism, will determine how others perceive you. Are you barely literate, semi-competent, and passive aggressive? Or are you clear, competent, and professional? I’ve used comment bubbles to explain how emails work in professional settings.
Prompts
Email 1 (Slacker Problem)
You’re in a group for a class project. Unfortunately for you, you landed in a group with that guy. You know the one; he’s in every group. He’s the one who slacks off during class, misses group meetings, turns in subpar work late, and doesn’t respond to emails in a timely fashion (if at all). It’s week 2 of a 4-week project, and he’s already missed a group meeting he said he’d be at and is a day late on his part of the project, based on the deadline the group agreed to. The professor suggested emailing the student (and cc’ing the professor) to attempt to remedy the situation and leave a detailed record for when it comes time to grade the project.
To: Slacker Student From: CC: BCC: Subject: Comment by Carter, Genesea: This will auto-fill typically, but type your name in anyway. Comment by Carter, Genesea: CC stands for Carbon Copy, the way copies of documents used to be created. So, who—if anyone—gets a copy of this email? Comment by Carter, Genesea: BCC is Blind Carbon Copy. It’s the same as CC, except the receiver does not see who else received a copy. It is useful for cluing people into ongoing conversations for documentation. Comment by Carter, Genesea: Analogous to essay titles, the Subject Line is vital for filing and finding the email after-the-fact. Keep it short, but semantically rich; that is, make it relate closely to the content of the email.
[Replace with email content] Comment by Carter, Genesea: Delete bracketed content and type your email here. Don’t forget to include a greeting and signature, though these pieces often disappear in informal email correspondence.
Email 2 (Absenteeism Problem)
To: Dr. Reimer
From:
CC:
BCC: Subject:
[Replace with email content]
Email 3 (Grade Dispute)
You’re once again in my class. You’ve kept diligent track of your grade on D2L. To your surprise and dismay, your grade on the latest assignment (a C minus) does not match up with what you anticipated (at least a B plus). You’re concerned about what the score will do to your overall grade. Email me about your surprise and concern. Comment by Carter, Genesea: Hint: If you’re hoping to visit my office hours, you shouldn’t need to ask what they are.
To: Dr. Reimer From: CC:
BCC:
Subject:
[Replace with email content]
Email 4 (Letter of Recommendation) You’re now a junior and looking for internship opportunities. Several of them require a letter of recommendation, and they highly value good communication skills. You want a letter from me speaking to your writing ability. Write me an email requesting a letter of recommendation. Comment by Carter, Genesea: Hint: So long after you’ve taken my course, I will likely recognize the name, but perhaps not more. Identify when you took which course with me and what type of work you did. This will help jog my memory, but also give me talking points in the letter of recommendation.
To: Dr. Reimer From:
CC:
BCC:
Subject:
[Replace with email content]
