-Foundation Courses

This succinct account the life of Nobel laureate Derek Walcott focuses on his development as poet, playwright and man of the theatre: director, producer, teacher. Friends and colleagues who figured in his career are recalled. The importance of his native St Lucia and family influences in the shaping of his creativity and his view of the world are highlighted, as these evolved in synergy with his receptivity to the poetry and theatre of the wider world. In this evolution, the tensions and complex nuances of the concept "home" are seen as an informing factor. The story points to Walcott's seminal contribution to the emergence of Caribbean literature, with his response to the region's colonial history as a central factor.

This practical guide is packed with targeted guidance on navigating each aspect of the interview process, from planning for an interview to creating a strong first impression, so that students can approach interviews with confidence. It shows students how to identify their skills and how best to communicate these to employers through hands-on activities which encourage students to practise crafting answers to common questions and create strategies for dealing with difficult ones. It also features a chapter dedicated to telephone, video and Skype interviews, complete with sample questions and preparation checklists. Insights from recruiters and real-life experiences of other candidates demonstrate the dos and don'ts at different stages of the process.

This book is ideal for use on personal development and career planning modules, and also for use by students or graduates as a standalone career planning resource.

A low cost alternative to books that blend Technical Communication and Business Communication, this new edition emphasizes the latest developments in these fields, including the importance of emerging technologies, global communications, and usability testing.

Relied on by generations of writers, the MLA Handbook is published by the Modern Language Association and is the only official, authorized book on MLA style. The new, ninth edition builds on the MLA's unique approach to documenting sources using a template of core elements--facts, common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date--that allows writers to cite any type of work, from books, e-books, and journal articles in databases to song lyrics, online images, social media posts, dissertations, and more. With this focus on source evaluation as the cornerstone of citation, MLA style promotes the skills of information and digital literacy so crucial today.

The many new and updated chapters make this edition the comprehensive, go-to resource for writers of research papers, and anyone citing sources, from business writers, technical writers, and freelance writers and editors to student writers and the teachers and librarians working with them. Intended for a variety of classroom contexts--middle school, high school, and college courses in composition, communication, literature, language arts, film, media studies, digital humanities, and related fields--the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook offers
-New chapters on grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, numbers, italics, abbreviations, and principles of inclusive language
-Guidelines on setting up research papers in MLA format with updated advice on headings, lists, and title pages for group project
-Revised, comprehensive, step-by-step instructions for creating a list of works cited in MLA format that are easier to learn and use than ever before
-A new appendix with hundreds of example works-cited-list entries by publication format, including websites, YouTube videos, interviews, and more
-Detailed examples of how to find publication information for a variety of sources
-Newly revised explanations of in-text citations, including comprehensive advice on how to cite multiple authors of a single work
-Detailed guidance on footnotes and endnotes
-Instructions on quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and avoiding plagiarism
-A sample essay in MLA format
-Annotated bibliography examples
-Numbered sections throughout for quick navigation
-Advanced tips for professional writers and scholars

A must-have reference book for business and technical writers of any level, Strategies for Business and Technical Writing will help you plan, create, and polish your writing. You know the ability to communicate effectively both in person and on paper will help you advance in your career--the selections in this book will help you write effective letters, reports, memos, resumes, and other professional documents. The new edition features helpful models, tips, and advice from top experts, including David V. Lewis, Making Your Correspondence Get Results, The Royal Bank of Canada, Letters That Sell, Vincent Vinci, Ten Report Writing Pitfalls: How to Avoid Them, and Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts, Ten Ways to Make Your Technical Documents Shout Read Me! Whether you are a student or seasoned professional, this book will help you plan, create, and improve your business and technical writing.

No matter where students' lives lead after graduation, one of the most essential tools we can teach them is how to comprehend, analyze, and respond to arguments. Students need to know how writers' and speakers' choices are shaped by elements of the rhetorical situation, including audience, occasion, and purpose. In Teaching Arguments: Rhetorical Comprehension, Critique, and Response, Jennifer Fletcher provides teachers with engaging classroom activities, writing prompts, graphic organizers, and student samples to help students at all levels read, write, listen, speak, and think rhetorically.

Fletcher believes that, with appropriate scaffolding and encouragement, all students can learn a rhetorical approach to argument and gain access to rigorous academic content. Teaching Arguments opens the door and helps them pay closer attention to the acts of meaning around them, to notice persuasive strategies that might not be apparent at first glance. When we analyze and develop arguments, we have to consider more than just the printed words on the page. We have to evaluate multiple perspectives; the tension between belief and doubt; the interplay of reason, character, and emotion; the dynamics of occasion, audience, and purpose; and how our own identities shape what we read and write. Rhetoric teaches us how to do these things.

Teaching Arguments will help students learn to move beyond a superficial response to texts so they can analyze and craft sophisticated, persuasive arguments--a major cornerstone for being not just college-and career-ready but ready for the challenges of the world.

Reflecting a unique collaboration between a distinguished teacher and a practicing technical writer, Technical Communication: Strategies for College and the Workplace prepares students to communicate effectively in college and on the job. Technical Communication is written for college students, regardless of their majors, who want to sharpen their communication skills and their knowledge of a wide range of technical documents. Acknowledging that students are soon to join the workforce, Jones and Lane place special emphasis on job-related topics: the job search itself, electronic communication, collaboration and teamwork, peer review, online publication, professional development, and ethics and professionalism. Coverage of the job search includes detailed discussions of job correspondence, resumes, portfolios, interviewing, professional organizations and meetings, online forums, conferences, and opportunities for continuing education. Throughout the text, the authors' discussions are accompanied by "sidebars" presenting the personal observations and profiles of actual technical professionals working in a variety of industries and job positions: real people talking about real jobs and the skills necessary to do those jobs successfully.

Technical Writing: A Practical Guide for Engineers, Scientists, and Nontechnical Professionals, Second Edition enables readers to write, edit, and publish materials of a technical nature, including books, articles, reports, and electronic media. Written by a renowned engineer and widely published technical author, this guide complements traditional writer's reference manuals on technical writing through presentation of first-hand examples that help readers understand practical considerations in writing and producing technical content. These examples illustrate how a publication originates as well as various challenges and solutions.

The second edition contains new material in every chapter including new topics, additional examples, insights, tips and tricks, new vignettes and more exercises. Appendices have been added for writing checklists and writing samples. The references and glossary have been updated and expanded. In addition, a focus on writing for the nontechnical persons working in the technology world and the nonnative English speaker has been incorporated. Written in an informal, conversational style, unlike traditional college writing texts, the book also contains many interesting vignettes and personal stories to add interest to otherwise stodgy lessons.