Instructor Mark Lewis, who has previously taught 100w at JMC, has agreed to come back to teach the 10:30 Tu/Th class.
I know that some of you who were trying to add my T/Th 3 p.m. class (section 7) of 100w yesterday were “refugees” from Section 5. So I’ll wait until Tuesday’s class to add any students to my section so I’ll know who really needs to get in … and who can go back to the 10:30 a.m. section with Prof. Lewis.
This blog serves as the home page for MCom 100W, sections 2 and 7.
Yes, you have to write a minimum of 8,000 words. Yes, there’s no let-up in assignments. Yes, it’s a lot of work … but it can also be a lot of fun.
I like to think of 100w as a “sampler” class because we get to do a little bit of everything. The best way to make sure you pass this class is to complete all of the assignments on time. The best way to fail this class is to miss a bunch of classes and assignments. If you fall behind in this class, it’s really hard to catch up … so stay on top of it.
You’ll find links to the course syllabus, class schedule and list of assignments at the top of this web page, as well as in the sidebar to the right.
If you’re new to blogging, be sure to check out the “Starting a Blog” page.
See you in class,
Cynthia Fernald
I was talking with Raana toward the end of today’s class and she had a great suggestion: Let’s bring “potluck munchies” to the last class and celebrate your final project presentations with some snacks.
We can talk about it after Thanksgiving break. If your class or work schedules tend to make bringing potluck snacks difficult, maybe we can order in pizza or something.
Thursday evening 100w students — how about it? You guys are always starving by the time we take a break, so how about bringing in snacks or ordering in pizza for our last class session too?
MCom 100w students (section 2) at the Japanese-American Internment Memorial in downtown San Jose.
I ran across a couple of interesting resume- and career-related blog posts, so I’m passing them on:
In Final Cut: Words to Strike from Your Resume, which appeared in Forbes online, self-described “word nerd” Elizabeth Lowman writes:
The average resume is chock-full of sorely outdated, essentially meaningless phrases that take up valuable space on the page. Eliminate them, and you’ll come off as a better, more substantial candidate—and your resume won’t smack of that same generic, mind-numbing quality found on everyone else’s.
Some of the words she recommends you avoid using in your resume are: experienced, team player, customer focused, people person, energetic and enthusiastic. To find out why, and what to say instead, check out the article.
Another recent article focuses on the skills and qualities employers say they are seeking in new hires. According to a recent survey by NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers), three top-rated skills include:
I put my copy of z.z. packer’s Drinking Coffee Elsewhere on reserve at the MLK Library this morning. You can take it out for an hour or two at a time to read a short story and complete the Drinking Coffee Elsewhere blog post assignment. (BTW, the reserve desk is on the main floor of the library — look for the signage.)
Since I know many of you had trouble getting hold of this book, I won’t mark this blog post as late as long as you get it done by the end of this week.
I was at my local coffee shop getting a cuppa when I spotted these errors. Can you spot them? The first people to identify each error get 2 points extra credit. (One error per person, please.)
Speaking of the upcoming Copy Edit the World assignment … here’s an example of the kind of trouble you can get into if you don’t proofread carefully. And here’s another example.
I sure wouldn’t want to be the person who let these errors slip by. Goodbye job, hello unemployment!
I’ll be posting the Fall 2011 syllabus and class schedules (for sections 2 & 5) tonight. I’ll also include links to accessible versions of the syllabus and class schedules so you can download them if you like.
FYI, I am also getting started with SJSU’s D2L system this fall, so I’ll be transitioning some class information and materials to D2L as the semester progresses … but I’m not quite ready to give up my class blogs yet. 
See you in class!
P.S. Does anyone recognize the dapper guy I ran into in NYC this summer?
Here we all are at the Japanese Internment Memorial, outside the federal building in downtown San Jose.
What a great looking group!
