EL1010:03
Effective Writing
| Townsville, Cairns | HECS Band 1 |
13 hours lectures, 10 x 1.5 hour tutorials. Semester 1 and 2.
Available to students who wish to improve their general writing skills.
Staff: Dr C Taylor, Dr G Mercer (Townsville campus); Dr S Torre, Dr R Lansdown (Cairns campus).
This subject offers practical training in a key generic skill: the ability to write in a way that will assist both academic study and later professional life. Emphasis is on writing for information transfer, communication and persuasion, rather than on writing for self-expression. Major topics include basic grammar and syntax and punctuation; analysis and outlining of material; planning, developing and editing work; practical application in essays and reports.
Learning Objectives:
- a knowledge of fundamental grammar, syntax and punctuation;
- an audience-centred, reader-oriented approach to writing;
- an awareness of the interdependence of analytical skills and clear expression;
- an understanding of the key stages in the writing process (planning, writing, editing);
- an appreciation of effective writing and the ability to apply these techniques to different styles of writing.
Assessment by workshop exercises (10%); workshop attendance and participation (20%); grammar test (20%); three written pieces: paragraphs (15%), essay (20%), report (15%).