WRIT90000 - Consultation: Effective Writing for Business and the Professions
Course Description
Use this one-on-one consultation to learn the skills necessary to enhance the clarity and effectiveness of your business and professional writing. Over eight weeks, you will receive written feedback on two five-page writing samples and revisions, and take part in four forty-five-minute, student-directed online consultation sessions. As University of Chicago Writing Program instructors, consultants will work with writers to help them align their goals as writers in the professional world with the needs of their readers. Consultants will help writers understand what rhetorical choices they have, and they will give writers analytical tools to take beyond the individual sessions.
Registration & Placement Process
After you have registered for the course, you will be contacted about scheduling. Your online consultation meetings will take place at the same day and time every other week for eight weeks. Once your time is set, you will have forty-eight hours to return a completed Goals & Planning Letter along with your first sample (see format below). You will then be placed with your consultant. You will require a webcam, stable internet connection, and limited background noise.
What to Submit & Required Format
- Writing for Review: You can send all one piece or several pieces, as long as the total number of pages is five or less per submission. These might include work projects, business letters, emails, etc.
- Goals & Planning Letters: One page letter clarifying two primary aims, who the readers are (be as specific as you can), any specific questions or issues you’re facing with the submission, and any other information that might be useful. The template will be sent to you upon registration.
- Required Paper Format: Twelve point, Times New Roman font, standard margins, double spaced.
Example Consultation Weeks (Every Other Week)
- Week 1 - January 28-February 1
- Week 3 - February 11-15
- Week 5 - February 25-March 1
- Week 7 - March 11-15
Example Eight-Week Schedule
- Within forty-eight hours of scheduling confirmation: Student turns in first submission: Sample 1 and Goals & Planning Letter to writersstudio@uchicago.edu.
Week 1
- Week of January 28: First consultation session
Week 2
- Wednesday, February 6: Second student submission: Revision of Sample 1
Week 3
- Week of February 11: Second consultation session
- Friday, February 15: Second response letter
Week 4
- Wednesday, February 20: Third student submission: Sample 2 and Goals & Planning Letter 2
Week 5
- Week of February 25: Third consultation session
- Friday, March 1: Third response letter
Week 6
- Wednesday, March 6: Fourth student submission: Revision of Sample 2
Week 7
- Week of March 11: Fourth consultation session
Week 8
- Wednesday, March 20: Fourth response letter
Make-up sessions will be available at the consultant’s discretion and based upon availability.
About the Writer’s Studio
Ranging from introductory to advanced and creative to professional, the Writer’s Studio offers one-day to eight-week open-enrollment classes at the Gleacher Center in downtown Chicago. Visit the Writer's Studio page to learn more.
Note for University of Chicago Full-Time, Benefits-Eligible Faculty and Staff
All Writer's Studio classes are available to you at half cost. To apply this discount, please call 773-702-1722 to register.