Advanced Writing

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/advanced-writing

Introduction

### Course Review: Advanced Writing on Coursera **Course Title:** Advanced Writing **Specialization:** Academic English: Writing **Platform:** Coursera **Instructor(s):** (Details typically provided on the course page) #### Overview "Advanced Writing" is the third course in the highly regarded Academic English: Writing specialization offered on Coursera. This course builds on the skills and concepts covered in the previous two courses, aiming to enhance your academic writing proficiency further. Ideal for those preparing for college-level work, this course places a strong emphasis on planning and crafting sophisticated argument essays, understanding and avoiding plagiarism, and developing critical analytical skills through writing synthesis and documented essays. Whether you’re a non-native speaker of English aiming to improve your writing skills for academic purposes or someone looking to refine your existing writing capabilities, this course is designed to elevate your writing to a collegiate standard. #### What You Will Learn Upon completion of the Advanced Writing course, you will be equipped to: 1. **Craft Sophisticated Argument Essays:** Learn to structure a more complex argument, utilizing evidence from reputable sources to bolster your claims. 2. **Recognize and Avoid Plagiarism:** Gain a comprehensive understanding of plagiarism and how to maintain academic integrity through proper citations in MLA format. 3. **Analyze and Synthesize Sources:** Engage deeply with multiple articles on a given topic, allowing you to develop and support your own informed opinion. 4. **Formulate Thesis Statements:** Develop the ability to create strong, clear thesis statements that guide your essays and arguments. #### Course Structure The course is structured into several detailed modules: 1. **Course Introduction:** Provides an overview of the expectations and goals for graduates of the course. 2. **Advanced Argument Essays:** Building on prior knowledge, this segment delves into creating longer, more persuasive argument essays with additional body paragraphs and well-integrated sources. 3. **Avoiding Plagiarism:** Knowledge of plagiarism and its consequences is crucial for academic success. This module covers what constitutes plagiarism and methods to avoid it through proper citation practices. 4. **Synthesis Essay:** This module challenges students to read and analyze multiple articles, followed by the creation of a synthesis essay that articulates a cohesive idea drawn from various sources. 5. **Documented Essay:** Finally, students will learn to independently research external sources to support their arguments in a documented essay, gaining experience in citation practices and the Works Cited format. #### Review The Advanced Writing course stands out for its comprehensive approach to academic writing. One of its strongest features is the gradual progression from foundational writing skills to more complex tasks, ensuring that students don’t feel overwhelmed. The focus on plagiarism is timely and crucial, as academic dishonesty can severely impact a student’s educational journey. Practical exercises, such as the synthesis essay and documented essay assignments, encourage students to engage critically with texts and practice integrating sources – skills that are essential in university environments. The content presented is not only relevant but also structured in a way that builds upon previous learning. Access to various readings enhances your analytical skills, allowing you to form well-rounded views on issues at hand. Furthermore, utilizing MLA citation styles is incredibly beneficial as it is the standard in many academic disciplines. #### Recommendation I highly recommend the Advanced Writing course on Coursera for anyone looking to sharpen their academic writing skills. Whether you are preparing to transition to college or seeking to improve your writing for professional purposes, this course provides invaluable tools and knowledge. The combination of theory and practical application helps equip students to tackle the writing demands of higher education successfully. In summary, if you are serious about enhancing your writing and ensuring a strong academic performance, don’t hesitate to enroll in the Advanced Writing course – it just might be the boost your writing needs!

Syllabus

Course Introduction

This is the third course in the Academic English: Writing specialization, and it is a more advanced writing course. It will help you raise the level of your writing and make you more aware of the type of writing you can expect in college. You’ll learn what plagiarism is and how to avoid it using correct MLA citations. Also, you'll learn to write a synthesis essay, which will help develop your critical thinking skills. Finally, you’ll write a documented essay, which will help further enhance your skill of using outside sources in your writing.

In the previous class, you learned about writing argument essays. Here you're going to learn how to make your essays more academic by writing more body paragraphs and adding support from outside sources. You will write a new argument essay, and since you already know how to write an argument, this will be a good way to practice using sources. You will also start learning about MLA format.

The topic of this module is very important for you to know about before you start taking college classes. Plagiarism is a kind of academic dishonesty that gets students into big trouble or even gets them dismissed from school. In this module, you will learn what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.

In college classes, you will often be asked to read several articles and write an essay about an idea you form from reading the articles. This kind of essay is called a synthesis essay. In this module, you will be given two lists of articles to choose from. You will need to read the articles on your list and then write a synthesis essay. You will use sources from the articles to support your own ideas.

In this module, you will start using the Internet to find your own outside sources to support your ideas. You will also try to write a longer essay than you have before. This module will give your more practice using quotes and paraphrase in your essay, and you will learn to use a Works Cited page to list your sources.