Aims of the course
- To discover how academic writing can be made more accessible and engaging for a wider audience
- To develop an appreciation of writing in terms of communication and pleasure
- To give information on pursuing commercial/popular publication
Target audience
Undergraduates, Postgraduates, and more senior academics who want their research to be read by a wider audience.
Course content overview
- Participants will look at how to build bridges between the sometimes esoteric language of academia and writing for the general reader
- Participants will discuss style, language, narrative, brevity, clarity and knowing your audience
- Participants will explore and experiment with different writing styles
- The course will also look at how to approach agents and publishers
Teaching week 1: Why is academic writing so academic?
To discuss the nature of academic writing
Learning outcomes:
- To provide an understanding of the language and system of academic writing
- To provide an appreciation of what makes academic writing seem elite or opaque to the general reader
- To discuss how academic writing can be deconstructed
Teaching week 2: Writing for a diverse audience
To show how academic writing can be made more accessible to the general reader
Learning outcomes:
- To provide an understanding of style, language, brevity and clarity
- To provide an appreciation of writing that can communicate, inform, and induce delight
- To experiment with re-writing a short piece of academic script into a more accessible style
Teaching week 3: What makes a story?
To explore what a story is, what it is for, and how to shape one.
Learning outcomes:
- To provide an understanding of the 'hook', and the means to find one
- To provide an appreciation of structure, framing the narrative and driving it on
- To provide the means to recognise and assess what makes a good story
Teaching week 4: What kind of writer do you want to be?
To explore different styles of writing.
Learning outcomes:
- To provide an understanding of different writing styles
- To experience writing for a wider audience
- To provide the means to develop a lucid and engagingly memorably style
- To provide knowledge of the audience you want to reach
Teaching week 5: Aiming for publication
To look at how to approach publication
Learning outcomes:
- To provide an understanding of what agents, publishers, and the media want from writers
- To provide an insight into the potential for self-publishing
- To provide knowledge about how best to approach publication
Schedule (this course is completed entirely online)
Orientation Week: 9-15 January 2023
Teaching Weeks: 16 January-19 February 2023
Feedback Week: 20-26 February 2023
Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.
While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).
Virtual Learning Environment
Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards etc).
Certificate of participation
A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.
What our students say
"I loved this course! Louise is an excellent tutor. She gave us a vast range of interesting and helpful tips on how to write in a creative and engaging way. The activities were challenging and stimulating, allowing us to explore our authentic selves. I now feel free from the shackles of academia! Thanks, Louise, you are great, I have learned a lot from you and now feel more confident in expressing myself."
"I have learnt to rethink the way I write for a new audience. This was a challenging course about the technicalities of writing. I now feel more confident I can attract an audience who may not previously been interested in my subject. An excellent tutor who gave her time providing much positive feedback and advice."
"This has been a really valuable course for me. I've really appreciated the challenge of analyzing how and why I write, and it's been so helpful having Louise's critique. It's also been really interesting to see how everyone else has applied the ideas to a wide variety of subjects."
