Writing for Social Media and the Web

WRIT 240/3.0

Overview

Writing for Social Media and the Web introduces students to professional writing in the context of online media.  Students apply social media-specific strategies to write a variety of assignments including weekly blog entries, a critical review, a web page, a process analysis incorporating SEO (Search Engline Optimization), and revisions of their own work.  The fundamentals of writing, including elements of grammar and style, are a significant aspect of the course.  Assignments focus on developing effective writing skills through short, writing-intensive tasks while reinforcing how to write for purpose and assessing the differing voices and styles used in writing for social media.

Students are expected to build on the fundamental writing skills learned in WRIT 120 and/or WRIT 125.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

  1. Recognize, adopt and adapt conventions of social media writing to meet the requirements of the genre and the needs of a variety of audiences.
  2. Evaluate forms of web-based writing to assess how effectively they meet the needs of a variety of online audiences.
  3. Apply rhetorical modes of persuasion, definition and analysis to create communications that develop, maintain and increase readership.
  4. Assess, revise and create online website content relevant and appropriate to a variety of audiences and purpose, matching medium to purpose for greatest effect.