COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course prepares students for the writing demands they will encounter in university and their professional careers. A wide range of essay models will be explored, allowing students to delve into various forms and understand their unique characteristics. The course offers comprehensive guidance in critical reading, creative thinking, and effective writing, with an additional focus on expanding ideas and developing a variety of essays. Emphasis is placed on exploration, investigation, reflection, analysis, revision, and collaborative learning.
Students will focus on constructing and refining their ideas, recognizing that writing and thinking are fundamentally linked. Students will discover their own voice and develop a distinct writing style by engaging with different aspects of writing and its various forms. This process will empower students to communicate their ideas more effectively and confidently across various contexts.
Key Topics Covered
- Understand the Fundamentals of Academic Writing: Learn the principles of academic writing essential for university and professional settings.
- Explore the Core Principles of Essay Development: Gain insight into the critical elements of developing essays across various forms.
- Differentiate Between Narrative, Expository, and Argumentative Essays: Recognize the distinctions among key essay types and their purposes.
- Define Critical Reading and Creative Thinking Techniques: Learn methods for approaching reading and thinking that enhance writing clarity and effectiveness.
- Discover How to Expand and Organize Ideas in Writing: Understand techniques for building and refining ideas in essay construction.
- Identify the Core Concepts of Writing Analysis and Revision: Learn how to analyze and improve drafts through revision processes.
- Engage in Collaborative Learning to Enhance Writing Skills: Participate in group discussions and activities that promote shared learning and writing development.
REFERENCE MATERIALS
for
Full-CLC Students
Based on your HESEAP application, you have been awarded full CLC for this course, classifying it as a test-out course, meaning no traditional instruction will be provided. Your CLC award signifies that you possess knowledge, whether gained through prior education or experience, equivalent to or surpassing what would typically be learned in a traditional college setting. Consequently, classroom attendance is not required; however, you are required to successfully pass a final exam for the course.
USILACS remains committed to fostering your academic success. Should you find a refresher necessary or wish to deepen your understanding of the subject, it is recommended that you explore a variety of free online educational resources on the suggested topics below.
Thousands of FREE Online College Courses
Search Topics: Publications/Videos/Papers
The majority of the exam questions for this course are based upon information contained in the below search topics.
- (2017) Expository Writing - Writing to explain. Andie Worsley. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5IPrxafggQ
- (2016) How to Write a College Expository Essay: Michele Cooper, Hearst Seattle Media. http://education.seattlepi.com/write-college-expository-essay-1214.html
- (2015) Expository Essay Writing. Sarah Kaleart. (Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQWLehYWMyk
- (2015) Lesson 2: Types of Writing. Brooks Winchell. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTlGg41yt6o&index=2&list=PLwMQyKfqLWedVVtP5l7Y3VFnSkm8BGa_c
- (2015) Writing for Success: University of Minnesota Libraries http://open.lib.umn.edu/writingforsuccess/
- (2015) Critical Reading Strategies. Spectrum Science. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJPea7Ogy6w
- (2014) Inspire thoughtful creative writing through art https://www.edutopia.org/blog/thoughtful-creative-writing-through-art-denise-cassano
Please note that USILACS is not the source of the above links; therefore, we do not have control over their accessibility. Some links may no longer be active, and in such cases, we encourage you to copy and paste the title into Google or YouTube to find an alternative source. Should you encounter an inactive link, please contact our academic team at academics@usilacs.org for assistance or notify them so the link can be updated.
Occasionally, the links may prompt you to download reference material in PDF format. While we have made every effort to ensure the safety of the sources, we encourage you to take precautions to verify the security of any downloads on your device.
Although comprehensive study materials have been provided, you can search for the topics and titles on Google and YouTube if additional resources are needed.
Tips for Success
Remember that the exams are open-book, meaning you can keep reference materials open in other tabs for easy access during the exam. Some reference materials are extensive, with hundreds of pages. To quickly find answers, follow these steps:
- Choose a keyword or phrase from the exam question.
- Open the reference material.
- Press ‘Ctrl’ + ‘F’ on your keyboard to open a search bar.
- Enter your keyword or phrase and click search. This will display all instances of that word or phrase within the document, allowing for more efficient navigation.