WRI 112 - Boot Camp: The Basics of Good Writing
Course Description
Want to improve your business English? How about dedicating a week (and because it’s summer, we’ll make that a four-day week) to transforming your writing? Your ability to write lean and persuasive documents that capture the reader’s attention, communicate your message clearly, and convey that you are a careful and respectful communicator is integral to your success. That’s why this boot camp is such a great career and personal investment for anyone who wants to review the basics of good writing. Plan to leave this course with some new skills that will make your writing sparkle.
We start with the basics of grammar and punctuation, move on to style principles, and then review best processes and practices in business correspondence. The class concludes with an examination of some editing tools and techniques, and a review of resources that will help you continue to refine your writing skills.
Course Details
By completion of this course, successful students will be able to:
- Apply the rules of grammar, punctuation, and mechanics
- Apply the style principles of dynamic and clear writing
- Prepare and organize for writing tasks
- Apply skills reviewed in the workshop to organize, compose, and revise business correspondence (emails, letters, and short reports) effectively
- Apply key editorial strategies to write more efficiently
- Apply the Seven Cs of great writing to all their writing projects
- Use resources provided in class for further improving their written English
Notes
In preparation for WRI 112 Boot Camp: The Basics of Good Writing, please read the following excerpts from the required textbook ‘Good Writing Is Good Business’. This reading will take approximately one to two hours. Do not complete any of the exercises as they will be covered in class.
- Introduction (pages 1 to 13)
- Chapter 8 “Appreciate Grammar: The Language of Language” (pages 130 to 147)
- Chapter 9 “Make Peace with Punctuation: Marks and Remarks” (pages 183 to 197)
- Chapter 13 “Cut It Out: Concision at Work” (pages 245 to 255)
Proficiencies
This course is designed for both average and strong writers. Students whose primary language is not English must meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement.