The course serves as an introduction to standardized formal writing practices in academia and beyond. In six weeks, participants will become acquainted with the rules and conventions associated with a higher level of written discourse while focusing on style and structure through mandatory readings and exercises. The lessons begin with planning and organization strategies designed to help formulate a text before outlining some of the most common mistakes made by novice writers. Further units survey grammatical and literary devices to aid in clarity and precision which also contribute to eloquence and cohesion. The final units analyze the anatomy of a text in its entirety, including individual sentences and paragraphs.
The ability to clearly express ourselves in written or verbal communication is perhaps the most important skill we can develop. Personal and professional relationships rely on a mutual understanding which can only be obtained if ideas are conveyed in a precise and logical manner. Meaning is often obscured in the written format because the author is not present to clarify content and therefore a higher degree of practice and training is required. Through organizational strategies and attention to structure, this course will provide students with a lifelong skillset applicable to all interactions, verbal or written.
Peter Watson is a teacher at the University of West Bohemia. He is from Tampa Florida, where he obtained undergraduate degrees in Political Theory and International Relations from the University of South Florida. His postgraduate work was in the fields of Globalization Studies and Anthropology, also from USF. He served on the editorial board of a Tampa magazine and worked as an editor at a publishing house.
The Open edX platform works best with current versions of Chrome, Firefox or Safari, or with Internet Explorer version 9 and above.
See our list of supported browsers for the most up-to-date information.