Writing and Reasoning (1 CU)
THE LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR ALL COURSES UNDER WRITING AND REASONING ARE:
INTELLECTUAL AND CREATIVE SKILLS
At the end of the courses, students should be able to select, analyze and evaluate credible secondary sources, and synthesize similar and opposing views to interpret and organize relevant evidence.
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
At the end of the courses, students should be able to:
- Formulate a clear position on an issue and craft logical arguments to support that stance.
- Write persuasively by drawing on logical, emotional and ethical appeals to the issue.
- Adapt to business writing conventions in the use of language, format and visual.
- Use an appropriate referencing style.
COURSE OVERVIEW
Writing & Reasoning is a compulsory course in the Capabilities pillar of SMU’s Core Curriculum. At its heart is a belief that communicating genuinely and clearly is a vital human capability, not only in professional contexts but also in our everyday lives.
The course engages students in authentic communication problems so that students learn to read critically, formulate a position convincingly using appropriate evidence, and convey their ideas persuasively on a range of topics. Students clarify goals and contexts for their writing while identifying relevant audiences and appropriate genre for their communication.
In short, students will learn to write clearly, coherently and concisely about issues that matter. The strategies learned transfer well to other academic, business and professional settings.
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Formulate a clear position on an issue and craft logical arguments to support a stance.
- Write persuasively by drawing on logical, emotional and ethical appeals to the issue.
- Select, analyze and evaluate credible secondary sources.
- Synthesize similar and opposing views to interpret and organize relevant evidence.
- Adapt to business writing conventions in the use of language, format and visuals.
- Use an appropriate referencing style.
COURSE OVERVIEW
Professional Writing will expand and deepen students’ ability to write effectively in civic and corporate contexts. Such writing skills emerge in leaders who not only know how to analyze and articulate complex problems but also know how to envision and express written solutions that reveal solid decision-making on public policy, and business and societal trends.
While the Writing & Reasoning course, taken by most SMU students in their first year, focuses on breadth, here the students will be deepening their skills by exploring and writing about more complex issues in society and business. Students will engage with the need for deeper research, better audience analysis, and more structured writing, with a more nuanced adaptation to the context appropriate to their intended publications.
Students will consider and respond to meaningful real-world issues and situations in each of the written projects. They will explore not only what other people have said about the issues that they confront, but also develop and communicate their own responses. The finished pieces will form the basis of a portfolio of written work to showcase their ability to think critically, conduct appropriate literature research, analyze their findings, argue their case, and produce professional communication outcomes. This portfolio will be a valuable addition to their resumes when they graduate.
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Write and communicate persuasively in professional contexts.
- Write to effectively communicate to different, sometimes competing stakeholders.
- Think and inquire critically.
- Apply theoretical and analytical frameworks to solve complex real world problems.
- Apply cross-disciplinary knowledge to their writing.
- Work in multi-disciplinary teams.
- Apply ethical decision making principles to writing.