Class Syllabus: Essay Writing 101
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Continuous
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Continuous
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Course Description
Essays are a vital part of writing, both in academic circles and in many professions. Being able to write good essays is a rare ability and those that can demonstrate a mastery of this writing form will quickly distinguish themselves from those who write poorly. In school, this can be the difference between a good grade and a poor one; in industry, it can mean being passed over for a promotion, creating a safety hazard, or even limiting an applicant's prospective job pool.
Learning to write good essays will boost academic performance in school and college, but will also be a valuable skill in today's increasingly competitive job market. Creating concise, informative, and compelling essays can form the basis of many careers, such as authoring non-fiction books, getting into print journalism, writing legal briefs, rendering judicial opinions, or just creating some persuasive advertising text for a business (McClain & Roth, 1999). The ability to write a good essay is a foundational block that can unlock great numbers of opportunities.
This course will examine the nature, history, and structure of essays; the various types of essays; and provide a refresher course in English grammar, focusing on the parts of speech and rules for good syntax. Further, examples will be provided of good writing and poor writing, as well as common mistakes to avoid when creating an essay. When completed, this series of lessons should enable the student to better understand how good essays are written and how to go about writing them for academic or professional use.
Course Requirements
This course will not require you to have previous experience in any particular area but you should have a high school reading level. No books will be required.
Course Topics
- Lesson 1: Anatomy of an Essay
- Lesson 2: Grammar Basics, Part I -- The Parts of Speech
- Lesson 3: Grammar Basics, Part II -- Capitalization & Punctuation
- Lesson 4: Grammar Basics, Part III -- Subject-Verb Agreement & Other Writing Mishaps
- Lesson 5: Types of Essays
- Lesson 6: Topic & Thesis Selection
- Lesson 7: The Argument, Research & Citations
- Lesson 8: Outlining the Essay
- Lesson 9: The Introduction
- Lesson 10: The Body and Conclusion
- Lesson 11: Revisions & Finishing Touches
- Lesson 12: Some Final Writing Pitfalls To Avoid
Course Materials
All course material will be provided in the lessons and netlinks. There are no required materials to purchase before taking the class.
Grading Policy
Each lesson will include a lesson review quiz along with one or two assignments. Students will successfully complete this course with 70% or better.
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