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 or bad grade; 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. The ability to write a good essay is a foundational block that can unlock numerous 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. Furthermore, examples will be provided of both good and poor writing, as well as common mistakes to avoid when creating an essay. When completed, this course will enable the student to better understand how good essays are written and how to go about writing them for academic or professional use.
- Completely Online
- Self-Paced
- 6 Months to Complete
- 24/7 Availability
- Start Anytime
- PC & Mac Compatible
- Android & iOS Friendly
- Accredited CEUs
Learning Outcomes
- Describe the anatomy of an essay.
- Define the parts of speech.
- Demonstrate capitalization and punctuation usage.
- Recognize subject-verb agreement and other writing mishaps.
- Describe types of essays.
- Formulate topic and thesis.
- Define the argument, conduct research and record citations.
- Outline the essay.
- Create the introduction.
- Create the body and conclusion.
- Revise the essay.
- Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.
Assessment Guide
Assessment | Points |
---|---|
An Introduction | 1 points |
Lesson 1 Assignment | 25 points |
Lesson 1: Anatomy of an Essay | 10 points |
Lesson 2 Assignment | 25 points |
Lesson 2: Grammar Basics, Part I – The Parts of Speech | 10 points |
Lesson 3 Assignment | 25 points |
Lesson 3: Grammar Basics, Part II – Capitalization & Punctuation | 8 points |
Lesson 4 Assignment | 25 points |
Lesson 4: Grammar Basics, Part III – Subject-Verb Agreement & Other Writing Mishaps | 9 points |
Lesson 5 Assignment | 25 points |
Lesson 5: Types of Essays | 10 points |
Lesson 6 Assignment | 25 points |
Lesson 6: Topic & Thesis Selection | 9 points |
Lesson 7 Assignment | 25 points |
Lesson 7: The Argument, Research & Citations | 9 points |
Lesson 8 Assignment | 25 points |
Lesson 8: Outlining the Essay | 9 points |
Lesson 9 Assignment | 25 points |
Lesson 9: The Introduction | 8 points |
Lesson 10 Assignment | 25 points |
Lesson 10: The Body and Conclusion | 10 points |
Lesson 11 Assignment | 25 points |
Lesson 11: Revisions & Finishing Touches | 9 points |
Lesson 12: Final Essay Assignment | 25 points |
Lesson 12: Some Final Writing Pitfalls To Avoid | 8 points |