Courses

Stylistic Editing and Copy Editing

Professor: Rebecca Vogan
Course code: WRR310H1
Format: Lecture/discussion

About this course

Do your friends ask you to edit their papers? Do you notice mistakes when you are reading? Do you volunteer for a campus newspaper? The kinds of sentence-level editing we do in this class may appeal to you. In copy editing and stylistic editing, editors help writers to express their sentences as clearly, concisely, and effectively as possible. Using a book publishing context, this course introduces professional strategies for these later stages of the editorial process.

Course objectives

  • Practice analyzing sentences the way editors do.
  • Review basic sentence grammar then learn how to spot — and fix — common errors, inconsistencies, and stylistic weaknesses.
  • Discover how to explain these changes so that the writer trusts your expertise.

Course highlights

This course best suits students with confident writing skills, some knowledge of sentence grammar, and a delight in details. In addition to two quizzes, two editing assignments, and an essay, WRR310 includes a group project. In groups of four, students interview a professional editor and present their findings to the class.

A personal note from your instructor

Rebecca Vogan

Being able to effectively express ideas in writing is key to success in university and beyond. In WRR103 I will help you build your skills and confidence so you can get your point across and add your own unique voice to debates that matter to you. Through small group work and peer feedback I will give you the tools you need to become the writer you want to be.

Good to know

Recommended preparation:

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Have a question?

Need more info? Want to discuss if the Writing & Rhetoric Program is right for you? Looking for help in choosing courses? Rima Oassey, the Innis College academic program coordinator, can help!

programs.innis@utoronto.ca
416-946-7107