Course objectives vary according to academic subject. A literary writing course may include assignments focusing on criticism and analysis or dissecting interpretations and perspectives of various authors. Journalism writing courses teach students how to structure and compose hard news. A children's writing course requires students to use thought and language that appeals and connects to kids and pre-teens.
University-level courses require students to find and explore the writer's voice. Voice is determined by identifying the audience for whom you are writing. Targeting the central audience means tailoring your piece in a comprehensible language. A technical paper for advanced physicists, for example, requires more advanced language than a general science paper geared toward high school students. Finding a voice involves assessing the subject matter, level of detail and point of view your writing will require.
Writing courses help prepare students for the professional world. According to Quint Careers, 66 percent of full-time employees work in positions that demand an aptitude for writing. Employers spend over $3 billion dollars every year to train employees how to write at an advanced level and with professional skill. Additionally, workers spend nearly one out of every three hours writing on any given work day.
Writing courses may also encourage abstract and creative thinking. Novelists, short story fiction authors and screenplay writers require the ability to create interesting ideas and translate them into a story form. Stage and screenplay writing, for example, also demands a student learn how to divide the content into acts. Stage plays are written in one to five acts and screenplays are written in three acts. Learning how to structure original and abstract content into a readable story is a must for succeeding in creative writing.