How to Write a Course Description

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Part of the video series: Creative Writing Tips for Students & Teachers

Summary: Writing a great course description for a college or high school syllabus involves communicating expectations, listing class readings and discussing what students will take from the course. Make a course description that's interesting to students with this free video from a teacher.

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By Laura Turner
eHow Presenter

Laura Turner received her B.A. in English from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., graduating magna cum laude with honors. She then attended the University of Nevada, Las...read more

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"Hi this is Laura Turner and today we are going to talk about how to write a course description. Now whether you are writing it for your own syllabus or for a publication that's going to go out to students so they can enroll in your class. You want to make your class seem as interesting as possible so include all the interesting things about your course that you are interested in. And I will assure you'll get people who are also interested in it. Tell the students what's going to be expected of them in the course description. What they are going to be studying, what kinds of authors you are going to be looking at and how many plays or stories or novels they are going to be reading. Make the course seem challenging so that you can get the best students if you are putting it up for publication in a catalog. You only want people who want to work as much as you need them to work. So make sure if it's a difficult course that you let them know that right off the back. Include in your description a sexy log line about what students will learn about life and reality based on your class. Like for example in this class you will learn what makes a play work and what doesn't work applying knowledge to your study as a theater artist or as an audience member making you more capable as both. So I not only tell the students what they are going to learn in their class but I also tell them that what they are going to take with them outside of the classroom. That they are going to be more capable as a person after they are done with the class. It's something that why I have hoped to happen with them. Finally remember you need students in order to have a class. So if you are doing these descriptions make sure that you make them as interesting as possible in order to get people enrolled in your course. If they are already enrolled in your course make your description as interesting an honest as possible about the course that you are teaching so they can get very excited about it as they come into class."

eHow Article: How to Write a Course Description