English Text Editing MA

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2025-2026/L_ETMAALG004

Course Objective

By the end of this course, students should be able to:Employ the mechanics of editing (i.e. spotting, explaining and correcting the most frequent errors related to spelling, punctuation, lexical choice, grammar and clause construction).Consider issues related to message management (i.e. how to make written texts more effective for a specific target audience).Discuss and reflect on issues that professional editors face, such as the ethical implications of editing, questions of authorship, the role of the editor as mediator, political sensitivities surrounding language use, and the editor’s role as a gatekeeper and advisor in a world where the status of English is rapidly changing.

Course Content

The aim of this course is to provide students with a deeper insight into the factors that need to be considered when editing texts written in English, particularly by authors for whom English is not a first language. It is also an opportunity for students to critically assess and develop their own writing skills and gain new insights into complex issues of grammar, syntax, punctuation, textual cohesion, etc. On a theoretical level, the course will discuss ethical issues that editors face (e.g. questions of authorship in the age of AI, sensitivity reading, “How far is too far?”, and the political side of editing work) and examine the relationship between author, editor and reader. On a practical level, the course aims to improve and build specific editing skills and train students to efficiently spot errors and re-formulate sentences in a logical and linguistically accurate manner. Students will gain experience editing different types of texts, including academic articles, commercial texts and creative texts.

Teaching Methods

Weekly class sessions, weekly homework assignments.

Method of Assessment

Mid-term test (20%, administered in class in Week 4)
- fulfilling learning goal 1 Final editing exam (80%)
- fulfilling learning goals 1, 2, and 3.

Literature

Will be announced at the beginning of the course

Target Audience

MA 'Schrijven en Vertalen', MA 'Forensic Linguistics', other MA students in language and communication programmes with an excellent command of the English language.

Additional Information

80% attendance is mandatory in order to be eligible for the final assessment.

Recommended background knowledge

This course is open to MA students who have a strong BA background in the English language. Strong knowledge of English grammar and excellent writing skills in English are required. Please contact the course coordinator with further questions.