The design of the course reflects the design of a good essay. It therefore begins with the absolute basics of a sentence, from spelling, punctuation and syntax to structure, style and vocabulary. It then considers how sentences should fit together, with particular emphasis on transitional words and phrases, and how to combine several sentences together to form cogent paragraphs.
Continuing with the building-block approach, the course then shows how paragraphs constitute the structural framework of an essay which, whatever its size, can be divided into three sections: a beginning, a middle and an end.
The course takes a deconstructive approach, forcing students to retrace some of the steps they may take for granted when writing in the belief that a certain amount of defamiliarization will lead to greater care in the construction of sentences.