Good essay writing is a skill acquired rather than learnt. Approaches
vary from person to person and will depend on one’s experience in essay
writing, almost to the point where a style of writing will be as individual as
a signature. This course focuses on the basic elements of essay writing: thesis
statement, topic sentences, paragraph structure, and basic grammar and style.
When you understand these elements, take time to practice using them and
receive feedback on your attempts, you will produce better essays. But
producing better essays is not an end in itself. The process of planning,
preparing, and writing an academic essay will help you engage with a topic,
think critically about it, find your own perspective and opinion on it, and
present that perspective to your readers in a clear, logical way.
In this course, we will not only help you develop
and organize your writing but also offer instruction and exercises in basic
grammar and style. Our feedback will focus on specific areas where you (as an
individual writer) need to improve and the process of revising, editing, and
proofreading your work based on the grammatical and stylistic principles that
you have learned. As you complete, you will practice writing types of essays
including the critical review essay, the compare and contrast essay, the
research essay among others.
Course Description:
This course is intended to assist you in refining your writing and
research, skills that may be learnt and further developed with practice. It
will provide a guide to the commonly accepted conventions governing citation,
usage, and editing employed in essay writing. It also provides guidance on the
development of essays, carrying out research, and editing your writing. These
general guidelines should be used along with any specific instructions for
assignments. The most common problems with essays generally arise from the
following: poor planning, inadequate preparation, haphazard and/or insufficient
research, poor organisation of material, inadequate proofreading, sloppy and/or
obscure arguments. These problems can be minimised, if not eliminated
altogether. Writing is a craft. In all your written work you will be expected
to write in an articulate, coherent and logically structured manner. This course
will assist you in your completion of that task and the refinement of your
skills. What follows focuses specifically on the preparation of essays for
internal assessment essays. However, the principles apply to other written
work, including honours essays, post-graduate theses and examination essays.
Modules
- Introduction
- What
is writing
- Effective
writing
- Correct
writing
- Writing
as communication
- Writing
and speech
- The
essay
- Meaning
of an essay
- Why write
an essay
- Types
of essays
i.
Narration
ii.
Description
iii.
Exposition
iv.
Discussion
- The
procedure of writing an essay
- Planning
- Drafting
- Revising
- Editing
- Decisions
in the writing process
- Selecting
a topic
- Analyzing
your audience
- Determining
your purpose
- Deciding
on context, language and package
- Mechanics
of essay writing
- Paragraphs
- Sentences
- Diction
- Spelling
- Punctuation
- Tone
and style
- The
essay examination
- Comprehending
the task
- Planning
your answer
- The
writing processes
- Proofreading
your answer
- Common
mistakes to avoid
Purpose
Understanding the value of essay writing will help you to be more
confident and positive about tackling it. What reasons are there for writing
essays?
•
Consolidating
your understanding of the topic
•
Encouraging
you to think and read widely and deeply
•
Allowing
you to develop and organize your own ideas through writing
•
Illustrating
that you are able to express your thoughts clearly and logically
•
Providing
an opportunity for you to get feedback from a tutor.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students
will be able to:
1.
Develop logical arguments supported
by quality academic research and critical thinking (critical thinking, inquiry
and analysis)
2.
Avoid common grammar and style
errors to ensure writing is as easy to read as possible (communication)
3.
Plan arguments and structure
writing to enhance its maximum impact and ensure major points are convincing
(communication, problem-solving)
4.
Present scholarly research in a
variety of styles and drawing on a variety of academic sources (communication,
social awareness and engagement, valuing)
5.
Construct useful feedback on
writing by peers and deliver constructive criticisms that lead to measurable
improvement (self-awareness and development)
Requirements
·
English
proficiency
Time Table
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