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    Overview

    Master the basics of writing clearly, persuasively, and powerfully across academic and professional contexts.

    Clear, powerful communication is a prerequisite of success in the academic or business world. More than ever in the Internet age, communication takes place in a written form with speech, gesture, expression or body language providing fewer clues to meaning. ENGL 127 will introduce you to - or refresh your memory of - key concepts in effective writing. We will study practical aspects of grammar, punctuation, style and mechanics at the level of the sentence, paragraph, essay and beyond. We will emphasise practical work and teach you skills that you can transfer to your own academic or professional writing projects. This paper builds on the skills taught in ENGL 128, but may be taken separately.

    About this paper

    Paper title Essentials of Writing
    Subject English
    EFTS 0.15
    Points 18 points
    Teaching period(s) Semester 1 (On campus)
    Semester 1 (Distance learning)
    Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) $981.75
    International Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website.
    Schedule C
    Arts and Music, Science
    Contact

    nicola.cummins@otago.ac.nz

    Teaching staff

    Ms Nicola Cummins,

    Paper Structure
    • Weekly one-hour lectures focused on writing at the paragraph level and beyond
    • Two-hour tutorials in selected weeks focusing on writing from the sentence level to the paragraph level
    Textbooks

    Required: Williams, Joseph M. and Joseph Bizup. Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace, international edition, (Pearson Longman).
    Course Reader (available from the Print Shop).

    Graduate Attributes Emphasised
    Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation.
    View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.
    Learning Outcomes

    Students who pass ENGL 127 will be able to:

    • Apply a sound knowledge of grammatical and syntactical structures in English to their writing in a variety of discourses
    • Summarise texts in a coherent paragraph that orders points in a logical way, expresses ideas clearly and uses consistent topic strings
    • Write an academic essay that demonstrates the above features and separates ideas into appropriate paragraphs
    • Apply the stylistic conventions of academic written English to their written work
    • Understand the concept of audience and adapt writing style to suit a particular audience
    • Use information technologies to facilitate their individual study and production of writing in English in a formal context

    Timetable

    Semester 1

    Location
    Dunedin
    Teaching method
    This paper is taught On Campus
    Learning management system
    Blackboard

    Lecture

    Stream Days Times Weeks
    Attend
    A1 Monday 15:00-15:50 9-13, 15-22

    Tutorial

    Stream Days Times Weeks
    Attend one stream from
    A1 Tuesday 11:00-12:50 10-13, 15-16, 18-19, 21
    A2 Tuesday 15:00-16:50 10-13, 15-16, 18-19, 21
    A3 Thursday 11:00-12:50 10-13, 15-16, 18-19, 21
    A4 Thursday 09:00-10:50 10-13, 15-16, 18-19, 21

    Semester 1

    Location
    Dunedin
    Teaching method
    This paper is taught through Distance Learning
    Learning management system
    Blackboard
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