The goal of this assignment is to introduce yourself to the instructor, ask any questions you may have about the course, and review and practice your professional email communication skills. We will primarily interact through email and online forums, just as you will with many colleagues in the years to come, so it's important you are skilled at the communicative rules of the medium. 

EMAIL COMMUNICATION ASSIGNMENT

Read the guidelines and tips below. After those appear the specific instructions for what to email me to fulfill this assignment. You won't turn in anything on Canvas. 

Interacting through online media such as email is an ever-expanding necessity in our lives. It is crucial you become proficient at it in order to succeed in this class, college, and your professional and personal interactions. 

Rapidly becoming the largest segment of the global workforce, the communication practices of members of the millennial generation have widespread effect. Employers report struggling to fill jobs with qualified candidates because they find that a majority of college graduates lack “soft skills” such as oral and written communication, interpersonal skills, and professionalism. Consistently, digital literacy and communication skills make the short list of necessary and desirable traits for prospective employees, all of which require effective use of mediums such as email to interact with teachers, students, supervisors, colleagues, and clients. Remember that communication mediums such as email are “lean” and thus easily misinterpreted, that some conversations and questions are better handled in person (or via zoom), and how message content is affected by context. For instance, in a workplace setting, scenarios worth considering are team-based project interactions, receiving praise or feedback from a supervisor, sending a thank you to a colleague, or even informing clients of departure from the company. 

The “Ps & Q” basic expectations for email communication are:

• Prepared you've already looked for the answer or have included pertinent information; you've considered and accounted for the email's audience; you're sending it in enough time to receive a response in time to act on it
• Polite you use a professional tone, mode of address, and basic courtesies such as please and thank you
• Personalized you include a greeting and a sign-off including names, and account for your (professional) relationship with the receiver. 
• Precise The message is on-topic and includes an accurate subject line including your class # 
• Proof-read You've read for grammar and spelling, and you walked away to read & send later if too emotional
• Queries: You've looked for the answer to your question before emailing; you’ve answered previous questions asked of you; any questions you’ve asked include a question mark and are not worded as statements

In other words, taking a little bit of time, re-reading what you wrote, and using please and thank you will get you a long way.

I strongly suggest reading this article from the Chronicle of Higher Education, titled “Re: Your Recent Email to Your Professor” for a well-written explanation of why this matters.

For more details about my expectations, you can also check out these websites about netiquette: http://www.101emailetiquettetips.com/ 

MORE TIPS & TRICKS

DO …

• Check the syllabus, class announcements, and your notes before asking questions.
• Include your class # in the subject line
• Remember that email is LEAN communication channel and easily misinterpreted.
• Err on the side of caution. (For instance, “Professor” or Dr. is a safer bet than “Miss” or “Mrs.” when you’re not sure of an instructor’s preferred title. For example, I do not identify with either title, though I am often referred to as either)
• Create a NEW email thread if you're messaging about a new topic. 

DON’T …

• Turn in assignments due in class or through other mediums through email.
• Use the same email thread every time you have a question throughout the semester. 
• Send an email attachment with no message explaining it.
• Ask complex questions that are better-answered face to face (Instead set up a meeting, giving the instructor a sense of what you want to talk over.)
• Expect an immediate response. While I try to reply promptly, responses may take up to 2 days and, as I mentioned in the syllabus, I try not to check email on the weekends. More details about what to expect for our class communication is in the policies section of the Syllabus. 

From this point, I assume that emails not meeting the above minimum requirements were mistakenly sent as incomplete and I will delete them to await the polite and complete email that I’m sure you meant to send :).

YOUR HOMEWORK

Utilizing the above requirements, please respond to each of the following questions in the body of an email to me (not as an attachment). Please clearly indicate when you're answering each part of the prompt. My email address is on the Home page. 

1. Why does this class interest you? What are social movements or issues that grab your attention? Do you already actively work on behalf of any particular movements?
2. What questions arose as you read the syllabus and explores the course website?
3. What will help ensure a productive and useful semester for you? 
4. Please cut and paste the statement below into the body of the email, inserting your own name where indicated, to indicate that you have looked over the course website and have read and agree to abide by the syllabus and class schedule:  

I, (name), certify that I have read the syllabus in its entirety and am aware of the expectations and requirements for this class and agree to abide by them. I certify that I have visited the course website, read the welcome page, and explored its resources.

I assert that I will engage as an active member of this class community and will do so with respect for myself, my peers and my instructor.

I certify that I have read and will abide by honor code requirements for assignments, exams, and citing sources. 

*This assignment used with permission from Dr. Christy-Dale Mauer