Formal Request Email Assignment

The due date for the assignment is next week, before the start of class.

In this assignment, you will write a well-formed email. Your email should include the 5 keys to good formal email requests that were studied in class. To write this email, follow the 7 Steps to writing a formal email.

Writing Topics Choose only ONE.

1. Write to a university professor (whom you do not know) asking for information about a degree program that you are interested in. This needs to be information that you cannot easily find on the Internet.
2. Write to a professor/instructor for one of your large, lecture-based classes. Assume you have been admitted to a degree program at a U.S. University. You cannot go to his/her office hours due to your class schedule, but you didnt understand the lecture material and want to meet with this teacher to go over it.
3. You have finished a draft of a paper early and would like some feedback from your course instructor before you turn it in. Write an e-mail to this instructor (an English teacher or a professor in a university course you may take in the future) to ask for feedback.

Assignment Requirements

• Write a 100-200 word typed email for one topic above.
• Follow the 7 steps provided in the PowerPoint we studied in class. (For review, go to the PowerPoint on Blackboard or look at some of the handouts weve used in class).
• Include at least one of the vocabulary phrases below.
• The due date is before the start of class.

Audience

The audience you are writing for is the receiver of your email. You must consider the relationship between the sender and the recipient of your email.

Sources

Use only your own knowledge, your personal experience, and what you learned in this class. Do not use information from any additional sources.

Vocabulary

Your paragraph must include at least one of the following words or phrases below--in any form (e.g. controversy, controversial, controversially). Highlight, bold, or underline the one or more vocabulary words or phrases in your e-mail.

I was wondering	Could you?	Could I ask you to?
Would it be possible	I would like to	If you could
Would you mind	If its not too much trouble	If possible

Formatting

Follow all the following formatting requirements

• Use MS Word (English)
• Use a clear 12-point font (Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial, Tahoma, or another standard font)
• Use 1-inch margins (2.5 centimeters)
• Use standard line spacing (1.5)
• Add the common headings found in formal emails:
  • From:
  • To:
  • Date:
  • Subject:
• Submit your MS Word file in Blackboard - Formal Email Assignment

Reminder Checklist

Reread your writing for:

Content & organization

• Do you have a subject line that accurately reflects the topic of the email message?
• Do you have a salutation that is appropriate for the relationship between the sender and the receiver?
• Does the body of your email justify the request you are making?
• Does the email get to the point quickly?
• Do you acknowledge the imposition?
• Do you have language that softens the request?
• Do you suggest an appropriate time frame, if applicable?
• Do you have a closing that is appropriate for the relationship between the sender and the receiver and the request you are making?
• Do you have correct punctuation, including a comma after the salutation and the closing?