Analysis and Critique: How to Engage and Write about Anything

Overview

Discover the secrets to clear and strong writing in 24 accessible and practical lectures that provide engaging literary and everyday examples, inspirational prompts, and unforgettable insights. Tap into the power of effective writing by developing the fundamental critical and analytical skills that transform your writing from “good” to “great.” Regardless of your subject, goal, or occasion, these skills will help you organize your thoughts into a coherent piece, make a persuasive argument rooted in facts, and responsibly use research materials.

You’ll find the secrets of these and other methods in 24 accessible lectures that immerse you in the elements of successful writing. With engaging literary and everyday examples, inspirational prompts, and unforgettable insights, this course is the perfect reference guide for both professional and casual writers. Survey the ways five major literary genres—fiction, essay, poetry, drama, and autobiography—can show you the path to stronger persuasive and critical writing. Writing prompts and practice examples will help you better understand how to apply the insights you’ll uncover by studying each genre.

See how the art of rhetoric can help you adapt your writing to different situations. The increased awareness of classical rhetoric you gain will go a long way toward making you a stronger writer by calling your attention to the basics of compelling analytical writing. Take a step-by-step look at the four major stages of the writing process—researching, writing a first draft, editing, and rewriting. Chock full of useful strategies and real-world examples, this course is an invaluable tool for developing your effective writing skills so you can better express yourself to others.

Course Content

01: How to Write about Anything

What makes a particular piece of writing “good”? As you explore Professor Armstrong’s roadmap for the course, examine how a range of writing samples—including an essay by Virginia Woolf, poetry by Homer, and even a short note from a teenage girl to her mother—demonstrate essential aspects of effective writing. (33 min)

02: How to Be an Effective Reader

Active, insightful reading skills are essential to any writer’s success. View the craft of writing from the reader’s perspective and train yourself to recognize nuanced moments and ideas in literary texts, including Moby-Dick and Le Morte Darthur, as well as the subtleties hidden within a practical set of driving directions. (30 min)

03: How Literature Can Help

Investigate the dominant characteristics and conventions of five major genres of literature: prose, poetry, drama, essay, and autobiography. Discover how, when used properly and with restraint, the distinct approaches of these genres can offer you a strong foundation and helpful inspiration for all sorts of writing projects. (27 min)

04: Shaping Your Voice

Focus now on prose—the most common form of writing people engage with. Why is a writer’s voice such an important part of his or her work? How can you create a distinctive voice? What can authors like Hemingway, James, and Salinger teach you about the varieties of narrative styles? (30 min)

05: Knowing Your Reader

A common danger for a writer is not respecting your audience. Learn how to avoid this pitfall by deducing the intended audience for Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” and by closely reading student essays that miss, misjudge, or offend their intended readers. (29 min)

06: The Art of the Essay-How to Start

Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” and Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” are two of the most famous argumentative essays in the Western literary tradition. Using their opening passages, examine why it’s so important that your opening argument be specific, substantive, and pass what Professor Armstrong calls the “What?/So What?” test. (29 min)

07: How to Organize an Argument

Continue unpacking “A Modest Proposal” and “Civil Disobedience” (along with Paine’s “Common Sense”) to learn how to write an organized and effective argument. Once you’ve mastered this skill, you’ll be able to guide your readers more effectively and avoid structural flaws that may distort your goals. (31 min)

08: Supporting Your Argument

To write persuasively, you have to effectively explain your supporting evidence. Focus on three skills: explaining how a piece of evidence works in your favor, providing a direct connection between your evidence and your conclusion, and acknowledging the arguments of others to strengthen your own. (30 min)

09: Finishing Strong

Enhance the way you finish essays with three key strategies: a “negative consequences” conclusion, a “no viable alternatives” strategy, and the “positive consequences” strategy. (30 min)

10: The Uses of Poetry

How can poetry help you write better, even when you’re not writing poems? Professor Armstrong uses poems to show that how you arrange your words can have as much of an impact as what they say. (30 min)

11: Poetic Diction and Syntax

Continue your exploration of poetry and the ways it can enliven and strengthen writing. Learn how specific words can make your writing more engaging, especially when used in unconventional order. (29 min)

12: Drama-Writing Out Loud

With Shakespeare’s help, discover how to tap into drama’s potential to transform you into a stronger, more confident “out loud” writer. (29 min)

13: What You Can Learn from Autobiography

Analyze excerpts from Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography for strategies to use when you are called to write about yourself. (19 min)

14: Writing and Leadership

Explore the crucial link between autobiographical writing and leadership with the aid of both Franklin and Frederick Douglass. (31 min)

15: The Rules of Rhetoric

Investigate four widely used rhetorical concepts that will help you fashion your identity as a writer. (30 min)

16: Invention and Arrangement

Learn about the processes of invention and arrangement in classical rhetoric, focusing on generating arguments and organizing them effectively. (30 min)

17: Ethos and Pathos

Finish building your rhetorical toolkit by looking at ethos and pathos, and how they balance in persuasive writing. (33 min)

18: Finding What You Need

Learn how to begin your research effectively, build a research schedule, and identify reliable online sources. (30 min)

19: Using What You Find

Explore tips and techniques for using research effectively, including taking notes and addressing counterarguments. (30 min)

20: Getting Started-Writing First Drafts

Discover methods for writing your first draft, including time limits and brainstorming techniques. (30 min)

21: Editing-Finding What’s Wrong

Consider two major approaches to editing: the line-by-line approach and the holistic approach. (29 min)

22: Rewriting-Fixing What’s Wrong

Learn how rewriting can reshape and strengthen your work with vital tips to keep in mind. (29 min)

23: Avoiding Common Errors in Grammar and Usage

Learn how to avoid frequently made errors in grammar and usage that can undermine your writing. (33 min)

24: The Power of Words

In this inspirational final lecture, sample three engaging examples of writing that bring home invaluable lessons and strategies. (30 min)