From: Norbert Elliot, Professor, Department of Humanities

Welcome Letter for Communication 351: Documentary Studies

If you are reading this memo, then you are trying to find our more about Communication 351: Documentary Studies.

This course will allow students to study the methods by which documentary work is conducted and to complete a documentary project of their own. The course will connect the qualitative methods of the social sciences and the humanistic concerns of the arts by allowing students to study documentary subjects as captured by non-fiction, photography, film, tape recorder, and the world wide web. Special emphasis will be placed on narrative and metaphor.

So, how do you know if this particular course is for you? Answer each of the following questions by thinking if you strongly agree, agree, don't know, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of the following five statements:

1. I am very familiar with using the computer as a tool of learning. That is, I am fluent with the Microsoft Word and Microsoft Power Point. I am at ease exploring the world wide web. I am able to use the NJIT library for searching and retrieval of electronic sources of information, as well as for interlibrary loan of traditional print sources. And I am able to download and upload documents to a server such as Web-CT. I also have a basic knowledge regarding the creation of digital media.

2. I think that reading a seven books and analyzing peer-reviewed articles is not a heavy reading load.

3. I enjoy writing about complex social ideas and discussing them in groups.

4. I am committed to asynchronous learning as a mode of education. That is, I am prepared to visit the course website daily and post my observations in discussion groups. If technical problems arise, I will not let these stand in the way of obtaining material and submitting work.

5. I think of myself as a competent writer. That is, I am able to write persuasively and to document sources of information using MLA or APA format, and I am confident I can write a proposal and complete a documentary project in a semester.

If you were able to answer that you strongly agree or agree with each of these five statements, then this course would suit you well. If, however, you were not able to affirm your devotion to a literature course offered in a distance-learning format, then this is not the course for you.

If you elect to take this course, then I would love to have you enroll. So that I can better prepare the course with you in mind, please complete the following agreement and e-mail it to me as soon as your registration is confirmed. As soon as I receive the form, I will write back to you.

Thank you for considering this course.

Course Agreement Form for Communication 351

Date: (Insert Date of Completion)
To: Norbert Elliot, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Humanities (elliot@adm.njit.edu)
From: (Insert Your Name Here)
Subject: Agreement for Communication 351

I am registered for Communication 351.

I have read the NJIT Academic Honor Code and agree to follow its contents: http://www.njit.edu/academics/honorcode.php

I have taken the prerequisites for Communication 351.

I have read the syllabus and understand the amount and quality of reading, research, and writing required in the course.

I agree to have the required books and CDs in my possession within 24 hours of the first day of class. (I also understand that it is preferable to have these materials in hand before the course begins.)

I understand that I will have to submit all assignments in MLA or APA format.

I understand that I must be an active participant in this course.

I understand the I must submit all assignments on their due date.

Please complete the following questions:
Name (please print):
Email address:
Preferred Phone Number:
Major:
Expected Date of Graduation:
Course Titles of the Prerequisites for Communication 351:
Freshman Composition (3 credits)
Basic Social Science (6 credits)
Cultural History (6 credits)
Upper Division HSS Courses: :
Reason for taking this particular course: