Supplemental Course Description Tips

Quick Tips for Submitting Supplemental Course Descriptions

Use statements instead of questions

Example; Submitted with questions:

How did Shakespeare transform from a working actor and playwright to the “be-all and the end-all” of the English literary tradition? What can Shakespeare-mania teach us about how we construct a literary canon? We will study Shakespeare’s changing reputation over the centuries.

Example; Edited from questions to statements:

Studies Shakespeare's changing reputation over the centuries. Considers how he transformed from a working actor and playwright to the "be-all and the end-all" of the English literary tradition; and what Shakespeare-mania can teach us about how we construct a literary canon.

Use ‘and’ instead of ‘&’

Example; Submitted using ‘&’:

Art theory & artistic practice, style & expression, tradition & invention, in the age of Rembrandt & Vermeer.

Example; Edited from ‘&’ to ‘and’:

Art theory an artistic practice, style and expression, tradition and invention, in the age of Rembrandt and Vermeer

Include only concise information directly related to this course

Example; Includes subject related information:

From the assassination of Abraham Lincoln to the murder of John Lennon, the United States periodically has been roiled by the assassinations of leading political and social figures. In this course we shall examine these traumatic events and the people and circumstances surrounding them.

Example; Edited to only includes course information:

Examines assassinations of leading political and social figures in the United States, and the events, people and circumstances surrounding them.

Omit leading and unnecessary words. Begin most sentences with a verb.

Example; Includes too many unnecessary words:

In this course, we will explore the notions of personhood and the self, cross-culturally. Furthermore, the course also investigates the concept of ‘agency’ as a related subject. Case studies to be covered in this course include those from Africa, Melanesia, and Asia including several cases from Japan.

Example; Edited to omit unnecessary words, and to begin sentences with a verb:

Explores the notions of personhood and the self, cross-culturally. Investigates the concept of ‘agency’ as a related subject. Includes case studies from Africa, Melanesia, Asia and Japan.