n this assignment, you will write a report about working in your major field(Major in business analytic). This report will describe an interview you will have with a professional in your chosen field; you will also write about information you collect from at least two outside sources (articles),following appropriate citation and reference styles (APA or MLA). Requirement are attached
201807120400531._di_assignment_sheet_sp18__1_.doc
201807120401022._choosing_a_person_to_interview_for_the_d.docx
201807120401113._adding_research_to_the_di__1_.docx
201807030059408._di_sample_paper__1_.docx
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ENGL / LLD 100A
Discipline Investigation Assignment
Spring 2018
Purpose and Audience
Purpose: To investigate a discourse community* (e.g. profession) you hope to join and to learn about the
kinds of texts (genres) that community uses. 1 This assignment will enable you to identify some of those
rules or patterns by interviewing a professional in your field of study and by doing outside research
Audience: Your instructor, your classmates, and other faculty members on the 100A portfolio committee.
*Discourse Community: Any group of people who form a community—a family, a neighborhood,
colleagues, practitioners of a particular profession—and establish informal and formal rules regarding
who gets to join their community and how spoken and written interactions (i.e. discourse) occur within the
community. Anyone who wants to join that community has to learn its discourse rules and patterns.
Writing Steps
Step 1: Interview
For this assignment, you will interview a professional in your field of study to gain insight into your future
discourse community. Try to select someone at a senior level, with at least five years of experience
working in this field, who can provide you with a broad view of the types of work and opportunities that are
available to you. Your professors in your field of study may be able to give you advice on finding a
suitable interviewee. Unless you hope eventually to become a faculty member at a research university,
you should not interview one of your professors.
It is preferable to interview the subject in person. The interview should cover 1) your subject’s background
and career path; 2) your subject’s current role and responsibilities; and 3) your subject’s insight on the
types of communication skills required for advancing in your field.
In preparation for the interview, you will work in class to develop a set of questions for your particular
interviewee. You will also discuss various interviewing strategies. Before the interview, you will need to
discuss with your interviewee the confidentiality of the interview. Because people sometimes share
sensitive information in an interview, you need to assure them that the information will be confidential and
that you will not use their real name or the name of the company.
Step 2: Outside Research
Find a minimum of 2 outside sources (articles, journals) that give you additional information about your
future discourse community – for example, what types of work or jobs someone in that field would have,
or what the requirements will be for those jobs in the future. The outside sources must be cited within the
Discipline Investigation report. Make sure that the outside sources you add are relevant to the
content you are discussing in that specific section and are meaningful. You will also provide intext citation where you add these sources. You might also research additional genres of writing that
1571might be used in your field. Note: Step 2 can be done while you are arranging the interview. You do
not have to wait until your interview is done.
Step 3: Prepare Report
Your Discipline Investigation will report the information you learned during your interview and outside
research, providing an introduction and conclusion to share how your own expectations about the field
may have changed or broadened in doing this assignment.
Suggested Organization
INTRODUCTION
1
This assignment has been adapted from a similar one developed by Julian Heather and Fiona Glade at
CSU Sacramento.
1
ENGL / LLD 100A
Discipline Investigation Assignment
Spring 2018
Your introduction should include a brief overview of the discourse community you investigated for this
assignment and provide a short background on why you chose your field of study and what your
expectations were before you conducted the interview and outside research.
INTERVIEW REPORT
Background & Career Path
Introduce your interview subject, giving details of the subject’s background and education to show why
the subject chose that profession and how he/she got started in the field. You will also need to give some
explanation of the subject’s career path so far, highlighting particular positions or stepping stones to the
current role. Possible topics to discuss in this section include:
•
•
•
Why your subject was drawn to a particular career field
What requirements or skills were needed before entering the field
The expectations and surprises your subject had in entering that profession
Outside sources (articles) that add additional or supporting information may be used in this
section.
Roles & Responsibilities
Provide an overview of your interview subject’s current role at his/her place of employment, explaining the
responsibilities of that position and how it fits into the overall structure of the company or organization.
Your subject should also give you a general sense of the types of jobs and career paths common in that
field. Possible topics to discuss in this section include:
•
•
•
•
•
The subject’s job responsibilities in his/her place of employment
Where your subject’s job fits in terms of the overall structure of the profession
Types of jobs people in this profession have
The skills and qualifications your subject’s job requires
The biggest challenges the subject faces in this job
Outside sources (articles) that add additional or supporting information may be used in this
section.
Communication Skills
Explain the types of reading and writing typically required in your field of interest. Provide an overview of
the communication skills that are most important in your field. For example, some occupations demand
the ability to work collaboratively on reports, while others may require an ability to respond clearly and
concisely to time-sensitive email inquiries. Possible topics include:
•
•
•
The types of reading and writing required in your subject’s daily responsibilities
The typical audience for written communication (co-workers, clients, general public, etc.)
The communication skills your subject finds most important in his/her role
Outside sources (articles) that add additional or supporting information may be used in this
section.
CONCLUSION
Share your thoughts on what most surprised or interested you about your interview and research. Did it
change your expectations about your chosen field? For the remainder of your undergraduate studies,
what further skills, knowledge, or experience (such as an internship) will you need to develop to help
prepare you for the start of your career?
REFERENCES
Include a list of your outside sources (at least two are required). Use the style that is used in your field of
interest (for example, APA, MLA, etc.). Do not forget to include in text citation.
2
ENGL / LLD 100A
Discipline Investigation Assignment
Spring 2018
APPENDIX
Include a list of the interview questions you asked. It is not necessary to include a transcript of the
responses.
Format Guidelines
Your final draft should be approximately 1500 words, with 1-inch margins and 12 point font, Times New
Roman, single-spaced with double spacing between paragraphs. The report should have headings (in
capitals and bolded) to guide the reader. Please number your pages.
Peer Review
All students must bring the following to the peer review:
• A draft of the complete report; include links to the outside sources you used.
• A copy of the interview questions you used
• A copy of the peer review sheet; remember to include any questions which you would like your
peer reviewer to answer about the content and organization of your draft.
During the peer review session, you will provide written feedback on his/her paper.
Teacher Conference
Use the feedback from your peer to revise your writing in preparation for a mandatory conference with
your instructor. Bring to the conference:
• A draft of the final report (you will annotate both the document and your own report based on your
instructor’s feedback); include links to the outside sources you used and a list of the interview
questions you asked;
• A copy of the peer review.
Important Dates
First draft due (1300 words min); Mandatory peer review
Mandatory conference with instructor and bring a 2 nd draft based on peer
review (1400 words min)
SemiFinal draft due on Canvas or Turnitin (1500 words)
Things to Keep for the Portfolio
•
•
•
•
•
A copy of this assignment sheet
A copy of the interview questions you used
All drafts produced for this assignment
A copy of your instructor’s comments and your peer’s comments on your earlier drafts
A clean (unmarked) copy of your final draft.
3
Choosing a person to interview for the D.I.
When choosing a person to interview, keep in mind the purpose of the interview:
• to gain insight into your future discourse community
• to explore the types of work and opportunities available in your chosen
profession
The person you choose must be:
• a professional in your field (preferably working in a job you hope to do in the
future)
• someone at a senior level (minimum three years experience in the field, to be
able to give you a broad view of the field, work and opportunities)
• someone who you can interview in person (at least the first interview should be in
person)
• someone willing to share information about their background, career path and
knowledge in the field particularly on the communication skills required for the
field. (This should not be a problem since most people do like to talk.)
(The first two are requirements; the second two make for good interviews)
Do not interview your professor unless you plan to become a professor. (In some cases,
you may have a professor who has worked or is still working in the field. In such cases,
you can interview the person, but only about work in the field. If your professor has not
been in the field for a long time, it will be better to find someone who will have current,
working knowledge of the field.)
Finding a person:
Talk to your professor (finance) for suggestions (your best source, they often have
strong contacts in the industry)
Talk to family members
Talk to peers, seniors who have started working (their boss could be a good candidate)
Talk to members of a fraternity or association you belong to
Talk to friends, neighbors (a student of mine found someone by talking to her
hairdresser, another client of the hairdresser)
Adding research to the DI
Requirement—Two references from different sources (given in the DI assignment
guidelines)
•
Use references to support points you make – what you have learned from the
interview
If you say that the job is very well paid you could cite some source that gives
average salaries in the field
•
Be sure the reference really supports the point
If you say the job is well paid and your reference gives low numbers, the reference is
not effective
•
Be sure the reference is connected to the point
If you are talking about salaries the reference should be about salaries and not some
other aspect.
The job is very well paid. In an article it states that today there are many jobs in the
field.
•
Be sure the reference furthers/ strengthens the point, it contributes to the
point being discussed, and has not been put there simply because it is
required.
XYZ shop is doing well since it is located downtown. XYZ is situated on First St.
The website for XYZ states that the address is 2100 First St.
This is a totally ineffective addition, and has been thrown in only to fulfill the
requirement of two references.
•
References should be worked into the paragraph. There should be a flow and
the reader should not feel the reference has been abruptly thrust into the
paragraph.
In this paragraph the reference is tied to the point being made and there is a flow:
1) According to the article, “Royal Clinical Medical Record Analyst / RN Registered Nurse,” a registered nurse must “be prepared to produce an outline
of time spent; organizing a chart for review, gathering documents pertaining to
the record as needed, research as indicated.” In other words, a Registered Nurse
must have the ability to write routine reports and talk about it in front of
members of the health teams. Mrs. C said that she had to everyday write reports
about her patients’ illness, how they were feeling, and the types of medicine they
took. After that she had to report it to the juries.
•
If the quote needs explanation, be sure to explain it and connect it to the idea
in the paragraph.
Kim H.
LLD 100A, Section 9
Sanders
Semi-final (3rd) draft
April 15, 2017
DISCIPLINE INVESTIGATION ASSIGNMENT
INTRODUCTION
A Discipline Investigation essay is a type of essay which guides students to explore the
profession that they hope to join. After interviewing a professional of a particular field of study
and doing outside research, students will learn the rules and patterns of a specific field that they
wish to start their career in.
I choose business administration with a specialization in international business because I want to
take a leadership role, such as a manager or a chief officer in a company. Since globalization has
become a trend in doing business, an international business degree would provide me with
sufficient knowledge to do business with people outside the U.S. This degree provides me with
necessary skills to plan, organize, direct, and control an organization. Throughout the program, I
will be studying theories and principles of accounting, finance, statistic, marketing, management,
economy, and decision-making. All of the knowledge in my major will provide me with a
framework to achieve my goals in my future career path, and the understanding of business
administration encourages me in dealing with entrepreneurs such as the chief operating officer,
business owners, managers, customers, etc. One of the reasons that leads me to choose this
career is that I want to stand out from the crowd. I am a fluent user of many languages such as
Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and English. Therefore, I want to take advantages of knowing
multiple languages since I believe multilingual users have competitive advantages when they do
business internationally. I know that being a manager of a firm is very stressful; however, it pays
a high salary. Most of the time, managers have the opportunity to travel abroad for business. By
traveling to different countries, managers would have a chance to learn new things and meet with
people from different cultures.
My interviewee is Mr. Ivan, and he is now the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at company X.
Company X is in the medical device industry. He has worked in the medical device industry for
1
ten years. In this Discipline Investigation Assignment, I will introduce Mr. Ivan’s background
and career path, his role and responsibilities as a COO, and his communication skills. At the end
of this assignment, I will share my thoughts about what I find in my interview and research.
INTERVIEW REPORT
Background and Career Path
Mr. Ivan is Chinese-Vietnamese. He can speak Vietnamese, Chinese, and English. He
immigrated to the United States of America when he was twenty-two years old. Life was not
easy for him when he first came to the USA. He encountered many difficulties like language
barrier, culture barrier, financial difficulties, etc. It took him eight years to obtain his first college
degree in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley because he had to work and study at the
same time. I asked Mr. Ivan what motivated him to pursue higher education since he had to work
full time to survive. He told me that he believed education is proportional with income; it means
the more you learn the more you earn. Mr. Ivan was not the only one who believed that
education would help people become more successful. In the article “IMF recommends ways
countries can fight income disparities without slowing economic growth” by Christopher S, the
author presents one suggestion to reduce income inequality from International Monetary Fund
(IMF) is that “Governments should ensure that poorer citizens have access to higher education
and health care. More education can help low-income people earn more and move up the income
scale.”
Mr. Ivan informed me that at the time, when he came to the USA, anything related to medical
industry could have a good potential future; this was the reason why he started his career in the
medical device industry. Mr. Ivan worked at many companies prior to the start at company X,
and all these companies are in his field of interest. Mr. Ivan started working as a technician at a
medical device company since he was in community college. After obtaining a bachelor degree
in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley, he worked as an engineer. After two years
working in his initial position, he was promoted to manager, and then director. He worked in
Research and Development, and Manufacturing Departments. Since he was the director of a
company, he realized a need for obtaining a MBA degree. He said that a postgraduate degree
could assist him to move to the top position. In the article “When having an MBA is Important”
2
by Beth Braccio Hering, the author cites the book The MBA Student’s Job-Seeking Bible by
Elizabeth Freedman to emphasize the importance of having a MBA degree, and she cites:
“Having an MBA — as opposed to just a bachelor’s degree in business — is sort of like traveling
someplace by plane instead of taking the train. With either business degree, you may eventually
wind up at your final ‘destination’ — but the MBA will get you there faster.”
After he had obtained his MBA degree from the University of Phoenix, he decided to leave the
company and started his company X. Ivan’s position at company X is now Founder and Chief
Operating Officer (COO). Mr. Ivan said that it was not easy for him to be the COO of the
medical device company because not only did he have to acquire business management
knowledge, but he also had to get a good grasp of mechanical engineering. He said that the
qualification for COO at his company requires a BS, MS or PhD in engineering. Therefore, to
him, a degree in Master of Business Administration is highly desirable. There are specific trade
skills that are helpful such as medical device manufacturing technology, plastic processing
technology, accounting, project management, human resource, and communication skill.
Mr. Ivan’s company has been operating for ten years. At the beginning, on one hand, Mr. Ivan
had to look for investors in order to seek funding for the company. On the other hand, he had to
work very hard to manage the company. He told me that writing was very important because a
good writing skill would contribute a lot to a successful business plan. Having exceptional
writing skills enables Mr. Ivan to compose remarkable business plans, in order to attract
investors to fund his company. After putting tremendous effort to run company X, Mr. Ivan’s
company is in good shape; however, Mr. Ivan also mentioned that a current job market in the
medical device industry is quite unfavorable. Since the product takes a long time to achieve FDA
approval, and it is costly to develop. Therefore, not a lot of companies in this field are
established.
Role and Responsibilities
Mr. Ivan’s responsibility as COO consists of developing business strategies, hiring capable
teams, managing budgets, designing products, overseeing manufacturing operations, interacting
with a variety of people (customers, investor, physician and FDA) as well as executing
3
marketing strategy. Mr. Ivan said that the biggest challenge is to hire the right people and keep
them focused. He mentioned that it is not easy to find an employee with both technical skills and
interpersonal skills, that is, someone who was capable and got the right skill set, and someone
who had the right attitude, and willing to learn. I …
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