UCL - Seminar on Writing for Communication

[COMU1223]

[10h + 20h] 5 credits

This course is taught in the 2d semester.

Teacher(s): Frédéric Antoine, Philippe Marion, Laurence Mundschau(supplée Philippe Marion)

Language: French

Level: First

Aims
Main themes
Content and teaching methods
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

By the end of this course, students should have acquired the bases of "public writing", i.e. of writing intended for a wide audience. They will have to demonstrate an ability to position themselves vis-à-vis the wide variety of forms of communicative writing, to take on board its processes and to develop a critical appreciation of its requirements

Main themes

In the first instance, the seminar will equip students with a grounding in writing for communication and at the same time put them in a related experimental situation. Next, the first basic principles will be challenged as students are introduced to a wide range of forms which fall within this umbrella heading. Students will come across a whole range of configurations, from the simplest, most common ones to the most creative and original. They will be taught to look critically at the process of public writing and how it is used. The two parts of the course will be taught by two different lecturers working in collaboration.

Content and teaching methods

The seminar is organised as a workshop, with presentations, practical work and evaluations. The introductory sessions will take the form of lectures with illustrations. The practical sessions will comprise both exercises done in class and longer-term projects, done by students between sessions. Students will be introduced to the basic elements of writing for communication (legibility, selectivity, hierarchisation, structuring) in parallel with experimenting in writing in different written styles(slogans, administrative texts, re-transcriptions, reports, agency writings, journalistic writing, rewriting)After this, students will get the opportunity to experiment with more creative styles (strip cartoons, photo novels, scripts, and fictional accounts).

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Evaluation: The evaluation will be based on the exercises and work completed during the seminar.
Course materials: Students should refer to the new version (to appear) of the book Ecrire au quotidien (Writing day by day).
Supervision: The exercises and practical work involved in both parts of the course are supervised by assistants who run the sessions and correct the work.