Coursera

Advanced Writing (Coursera)

Offered by University of California, Irvine,

Advanced Writing. This is the third course in the Academic English: Writing specialization. By raising your level of academic writing, this course helps prepare you for college-level work. After completing this course, you will be able to: plan and write a more sophisticated argument essay; identify plagiarism and explain how to prevent it; read and analyze several articles to form your own opinion on a topic; make connections between several articles; form thesis statements from your readings; use sources effectively when writing an essay.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Course 3 of 5 in the Academic English: Writing Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
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.
Advanced Argument Essays
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.

WEEK 2
Avoiding Plagiarism
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.

WEEK 3
Synthesis Essay
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.

WEEK 4
Documented Essay
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.

Go to Class

MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Coursera

Coursera Instructor Network

Fundamentals of Speechwriting (Coursera)

Personal and Professional Development

Fundamentals of Speechwriting is a course that enhances speechwriting skills by deepening learners’ understanding of the impact of key elements on developing coherent and impactful speeches. It is aimed at learners with experience writing and speaking who wish to enhance their current skills. This course covers strategies for analyzing audience and purpose, selecting style and tone, and incorporating rhetorical appeals and storytelling.

Sep 14th 2026

1 Week

Writing Public Speaking Speech

Coursera

University of California, Irvine

Redacción de documentos empresariales de gran impacto (Coursera)

Management & Leadership

En el ambiente empresarial, el saber escribir con eficacia es una poderosa herramienta. Aprende a expresar tus pensamientos de una manera clara y concisa para que las personas que lean lo que escribes capten mejor tus ideas. Mejora tu capacidad de redactar documentos empresariales aprendiendo a escoger el formato y el medio idóneo según para quién escribas, a adaptar tu estilo a la situación, a determinar tu objetivo y a comunicarlo con claridad.

Aug 31st 2026

4 Weeks

Writing Effective Writing Business Documents

Coursera

Lund University

Writing in English at University (Coursera)

Languages & Literature

Acquiring good academic research and writing skills early on is essential for your success both at university and in your professional life. This course aims: - to give you an understanding of the conventions of academic writing in English and to teach you the components and benefits of what is called process writing. - to help you to put together your own “toolbox” of academic writing skills, as well as to give you a chance to test out these tools and to reflect on your own development as a writer. - to encourage reflection on discipline specific conventions; although the course deals with generic skills, you will be able to apply these generic skills to meet the particular needs of your own discipline.

Sep 7th 2026

4 Weeks

English Writing English Writing

Coursera

Duke University

English Composition I (Coursera)

Humanities Languages & Literature

You will gain a foundation for college-level writing valuable for nearly any field. Students will learn how to read carefully, write effective arguments, understand the writing process, engage with others' ideas, cite accurately, and craft powerful prose. Course Learning Objectives: summarize, analyze, question, and evaluate written and visual texts; argue and support a position; recognize audience and disciplinary expectations; identify and use the stages of the writing process; identify characteristics of effective prose; apply proper citation practices; discuss applying your writing knowledge to other writing occasions

Aug 31st 2026

5-12 Weeks

English Languages Composition

Coursera

Wesleyan University

Creative Writing: The Craft of Setting and Description (Coursera)

Architecture & Design

In this course aspiring writers will be introduced to the techniques that masters of fiction use to ground a story in a concrete world. From the most realist settings to the most fantastical, writers will learn how to describe the physical world in sharp, sensory detail. We will also learn how to build credibility through research, and to use creative meditation exercises to deepen our own understanding of our story worlds, so that our readers can see all that we imagine.

Aug 31st 2026

4 Weeks

Story Creative Writing Writing Skills

Coursera

University of California, Davis

The Strategy of Content Marketing (Coursera)

Management & Leadership Marketing & Communication

This course is a partnership between the leading content marketing authority, Copyblogger, and UC Davis Extension. In this course, you will learn the core strategies content marketers use to acquire and retain customers profitably. Specifically, you will learn how to develop, organize and implement a content marketing strategy, analyze and measure the effectiveness of content marketing, write compelling copy, use a strategic framework when writing, and build your professional brand and authority through content marketing. You will also learn how to put the ideas presented to you into action and build your own personal brand through content marketing.

Sep 14th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Marketing Strategy Writing

Coursera

University of Michigan

Preparing for Graduate Study in the U.S.: A course for international students (Coursera)

Education

This course prepares you to embark upon your future graduate studies in the U.S. with confidence. In this MOOC, you'll have the opportunity to meet other prospective graduate students, hear from experienced international graduate students in the United States, and to practice sharing your own thoughts, stories, and expertise in English. You’ll select a “target” graduate program at a U.S. college or university to use as a case study throughout the course.

Aug 31st 2026

5-12 Weeks

English International Students English Language

Coursera

O.P. Jindal Global University

Introduction to Academic Writing (Coursera)

Education

Welcome to the Introduction to Academic Writing course! By the end of this course, you will gain an in-depth understanding of reading and writing as essential skills to conduct robust and critical research. This course introduces you to critical reading and writing skills within the conventions of academic writing.

Sep 14th 2026

4 Weeks

Education Literature Reading

Coursera

Rice University

Writing Skills for Engineering Leaders (Coursera)

Management & Leadership

Engineering leaders must write extensively for their jobs, and their writing needs to be professional, reader-focused, and error-free. What leaders write in particular can affect productivity and the bottom line, so the written communication that leaders create must be clear and concise. In this course, you’ll learn essential writing skills that you can apply in your daily activities on the job as an engineering leader.

Sep 14th 2026

4 Weeks

Management Engineering Writing

Coursera

Michigan State University

Write A Feature Length Screenplay For Film Or Television (Coursera)

Art and Culture

In this course, you will write a complete, feature-length screenplay for film or television, be it a serious drama or romantic comedy or anything in between. You’ll learn to break down the creative process into components, and you’ll discover a structured process that allows you to produce a polished and pitch-ready script by the end of the course. Completing this project will increase your confidence in your ideas and abilities, and you’ll feel prepared to pitch your first script and get started on your next. This is a course designed to tap into your creativity and is based in "Active Learning". Most of the actual learning takes place within your own activities - that is, writing! You will learn by doing.

Sep 7th 2026

13-24 Weeks

Writing Creative Writing Filmmaking

Coursera

University of Pennsylvania

English for Career Development (Coursera)

Languages & Literature

Welcome to English for Career Development, a course created by the University of Pennsylvania, and funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of English Language Programs. This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are interested in advancing their careers in the global marketplace. In this course, you will learn about the job search, application, and interview process in the United States, while comparing and contrasting the same process in your home country. This course will also give you the opportunity to explore your global career path, while building your vocabulary and improving your language skills to achieve your professional goals.

Aug 31st 2026

5-12 Weeks

English Writing Communication

Coursera

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Cómo hacer una tesis (Coursera)

Education Social Sciences

Con este curso, ofrecido por la UNAM, el participante en proceso de titulación o que están finalizando estudios universitarios, será capaz de elaborar una tesis en seis meses; por medio de las herramientas adquiridas en cada módulo, a fin de que las conjuguen con los conocimientos, habilidades y aptitudes con que cuentan e impulsando sus capacidades de investigación.

Sep 14th 2026

4 Weeks

Academic Research Academic Writing Coursera Plus