Dear Prospective
EGL 111 Student:
EGL 111, Introduction to Business and Technical Writing, is a late-starting, 12-week class which begins on February 18, 2012 and ends on May 5, 2012.
It is an introductory course, emphasizing the types of writing situations most often encountered in the workplace. The course deals with writing memos, reports, proposals, and various types of business letters. Please follow the Syllabus and Course Overview links here on my web page for additional information
The
required textbook for the course is
Writing That Works by Walter
Oliu, Charles Brusaw, and Gerald Alred. In
addition, I recommend the Commonsense
Guide to Grammar and Usage by Beason and Lester for those
feel the need for additional work on grammar in their
writing.
The books will be available at the Skokie campus bookstore, or from eFollett, the
online wing of Oakton's bookstore.
The current
edition of Writng That
Works is the 10th, but it exists in two versions, each
with its own International Standard Book Number (ISBN). There is Writing That Works;
Communicating Effectrively on the Job, published October
2009, with the ISBN 978-0-312-54182-8. And then the
publisher printed a new version, Writing That Works--with 2009
MLA and 2010 APA Updates in June 2010, with
the ISBN of 978-0-312-69217-9. The
Oakton bookstore is only able to obtain the June 2010 edition from its
suppliers, but the October 2009 version is still available new from
Amazon and other online sellers..
Both versions of the 10th edition have been around long
enough that there are used copies available from online sellers, but even these may be a challenge for some budgets.
Therefore, while
the 10th will
be the officially-recommended edition, on my weekly assignment sheets
for readings and homework exercises, I will give page numbers for both
the current 10th edition, and
the earlier 9th edition.
Good-quality, reasonably-priced copies of the 9th edition appear to be
in plentiful supply through online vendors like Half.com, and
the
other vendors listed under the Online
Used Book Dealerslink
here on my web page.(As I write this, Half.com is listing nearly 80
copies of the 9th edition in New or Like-New condition for prices
ranging between $5 and $40, with the majority less than $30.}
If you decide to purchase
a used copy of the either edition, this point is crucial:
Search by International
Standard Book Number (ISBN). Every edition of every book has
a different ISBN.
- To make sure that you you get the correct, full, 9th edition of the book, use this ISBN when searching: 978-0-312-44844-8
- To make sure that you you get the correct, full, 10th edition, October 2009 imprint, of the book, use this ISBN when searching: 978-0-312-54182-8
- To make sure that you you get the correct, full, 10th edition, June 2010 imprint, of the book, use this ISBN when searching: 978-0-312-69217-9
I would also advise you to delay purchasing the Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage until the course is underway and I can determine whether you will benefit from the additional assistance it provides. If you do need to purchase it, there are also many good-quality, reasonably-priced copies to be found in the used book market, and I won't care whether you use the 5th edition or an earlier one.
My phone
number is (847) 635-1435, office B-200 on the
If you
have questions, please
contact me.
Michael McNett
Michael McNett
Instructor