Good with Words: Writing and Editing Specialization
Course Features






Good with Words: Writing and Editing Specialization
About this Specialization
Perhaps the most important thing students and professionals of all kinds can do to improve their effectiveness is embrace the following advice: become good with words.
This series of courses targets the writing side of that recommendation. The skills it focuses on include everything from how to arrange a complex set of information in a reader-friendly way, to how to give and receive high-quality feedback, to how to consistently hit deadlines.
Part of Professor Barry’s proceeds from this course will be donated to the COVID-19 relief efforts of Ozone House, a shelter for homeless youth in Southeastern Michigan where he regularly conducts job-training workshops. These proceeds come from purchases of the version of the course that earns you a certificate. The course remains free for anyone who is simply auditing.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
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Creative ways to use syntax
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Techniques for adding nuance to your sentences and slogans
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Tips to help you punctuate and paragraph like a professional
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Habits needed to complete both short-term and long-term projects
Instructors
About the instructor

Patrick Barry is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan Law School and a visiting lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School and the UCLA School of Law. He is the author of several books on advocacy, including Good with Words: Writing and Editing, Notes on Nuance, and The Syntax of Sports. An All-American soccer player in college, Professor Barry earned his law degree from the University of Chicago, where he was a member of the Law Review and won both the Thomas R. Mulroy Prize in Appellate Advocacy and the Ann Barber Watson Prize for Outstanding Service. After law school, he completed a PhD in English from the University of Michigan, with a special focus on the theatrical aspects of Supreme Court confirmation hearings. During that time, he worked with other Michigan faculty to create Clinnect, a global network of legal clinics devoted to combatting human trafficking. He then did a dual clerkship in Las Vegas for The Hon. Jennifer A. Dorsey and The Hon. Andrew P. Gordon. Among his teaching awards are the Wayne Booth Prize for Excellence in Teaching, the Provost’s Innovation in Teaching Prize, and the Outstanding Research Mentor Award. In addition, he was recently selected as a faculty fellow by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s Center for Educational Outreach and a Public Engagement Fellow by the Center for Academic Innovation. He also regularly works with law firms, state governments, and nonprofit organizations to improve their written and spoken advocacy.