Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking vs Writing in English at University

The course is a direct adaptation of Harvard Professor James Engell's on-campus "Elements of Rhetoric" (GENED 1082), and reviewers consistently single out the quality and relevance of its material. Across eight modules it moves from rhetorical fundamentals — modes of appeal, tropes, schemes, inductive and deductive reasoning — to close analysis of landmark twentieth-century American speeches by Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Chase Smith, Joseph McCarthy, Sarah Brady, and Charlton Heston. A learner on Class Central called it "an excellent short course to develop both your Writing and Speaking Skills, taught the Harvard-way," noting each module is "full of valuable insights." The newest edition adds discussion of persuasive speech on social media and the impact of Generative AI on rhetoric, keeping it current. The honest ceiling: this is explicitly an introductory survey, rated "fairly simple" by Careers360, so advanced writers will find the theoretical depth limited.

Instruction is delivered through video excerpts of James Engell — Gurney Professor of English and Professor of Comparative Literature at Harvard — drawn from his actual lecture course. Reviewers describe him as an authoritative, clear guide, and the Oratory Club review credits the "esteemed Professor James Engell" and his structured pairing of theory with worked speech analysis. Because the content is repackaged from on-campus lectures rather than purpose-built for online delivery, a minority of learners find the format more lecture-driven than interactive, but the instructor's command of the material is not in dispute.

The course can be audited entirely free, which most reviewers treat as exceptional value for Harvard-grade content; the My Mooc and Coursesity listings emphasize the free audit track. The friction is the $209 Verified Certificate. The Oratory Club review names cost — "having a certificate costs $209" — as the single clearest downside, and several learners question paying that much when the lessons, videos, and assignments are available free in audit mode. Value is therefore strongly positive for auditors and merely fair for those who want the credential, which gates graded assignments and the certificate.

Graded work centers on a 300-600 word op-ed and a five-minute recorded speech, both assessed through peer evaluation rather than instructor grading. Reviewers appreciate that the course forces real output — writing and delivering persuasive pieces — but peer-only feedback is the course's weakest dimension: the depth and reliability of critique depend entirely on which classmates review your work, and there is no expert correction of your rhetoric. This is the most consistent structural limitation noted across MOOC-style reviews of the course.

This is where the course earns its strongest praise. Learners repeatedly report concrete professional payoff. A Harvard Online testimonial states the study of rhetoric "helped me move beyond technical communication to leadership communication." Another learner wrote it "boosted my confidence in public speaking and sharpened my writing skills which has directly supported my growth in the marketing and communication field." A third said it "strengthened my ability to communicate ideas clearly, persuasively, and with strategic intent." The skills — building arguments, spotting logical fallacies, writing op-eds, delivering speeches — transfer directly to workplace and civic communication.

The course content is organised into four logically sequenced modules that cover the full cycle of academic writing: an introduction to academic conventions and process writing; structuring arguments and text organisation; using sources, paraphrasing, quoting, and academic integrity; and a final "writer's toolbox" module focused on editing and proofreading. Each module combines short video lectures, reading assignments, quizzes, and reflective self-assessment questions, giving learners multiple modes of engagement with the material. A standout feature is the free electronic textbook "Writing in English at University: A Guide for Second Language Writers," written by the same Lund University instructors specifically to complement the MOOC. This means learners get a professionally authored reference they can return to beyond the course itself — a rarity for free MOOCs. The course materials were substantially revised and updated in 2023, adding new exercises and modernised content. This keeps the curriculum current, which is particularly important for topics like citation standards and academic integrity, where guidelines change over time. Learners consistently highlight the clarity and relevance of the materials. One reviewer noted that "videos, quizzes, and written material used to teach the topic were clear, pertinent, short, and very well structured." The course earned a 4.7-star rating across 839 reviews, with 78.54% of learners awarding five stars — a strong signal that the content quality resonates across a very large and diverse learner base spanning multiple continents and language backgrounds. The one limitation noted in an academic peer review (Nigar, 2020, published in Teaching English with Technology) is that the course does not fully employ the Presentation-Practice-Production (PPP) framework, which means some practice activities feel limited — for example, a paragraph structuring lesson backed by only a two-question quiz. Despite this, the breadth and coherence of the four modules represent very strong content quality for a free resource.

The course features five instructors from Lund University's Faculty of Humanities: Satu Manninen, Ellen Turner, Cecilia Wadsö Lecaros, Nicolette Karst, and Fredrik Vanek. Lund University is one of Scandinavia's oldest and most prestigious research universities, founded in 1666, and its English department has deep expertise in applied linguistics and second-language academic writing. The multi-instructor format is a meaningful strength: learners encounter different teaching voices across modules, which prevents monotony and reflects the collaborative nature of academic writing instruction at the university level. Each instructor brings a distinct perspective — some focusing on grammar and style, others on argument construction or source ethics — giving the course a well-rounded pedagogical character. The video lectures are widely praised for being concise and accessible. Multiple learners noted that the instructors explain complex academic writing conventions in plain language, without assuming prior writing experience. One learner highlighted that the course "focuses on the fundamental aspect of constructing an argument and incorporating sources in academic writing" — suggesting instructors successfully convey the core intellectual moves of academic discourse rather than just surface-level grammar rules. A minor limitation is the absence of live office hours or direct instructor Q&A, which is common in large MOOCs. Feedback comes primarily through peer review and automated quizzes rather than from the instructors themselves. Still, the quality and warmth of the video lectures — combined with Lund University's academic credentials — make the instructor dimension one of the course's genuine assets.

"Writing in English at University" is free to audit in full, meaning any learner worldwide can access all four modules, all video lectures, all readings, all quizzes, and the full peer review exercises without paying a single cent. This is genuinely exceptional: comparable academic writing courses on Udemy cost between $15 and $100, while specialisations on Coursera with similar content typically require a Coursera Plus subscription at approximately $59 per month. The optional certificate of completion — which requires completing graded assignments at the end of each module — carries a modest administrative fee, but the core learning experience is not gated behind that fee. Learners who choose to pursue the certificate get a Lund University credential that they can share on LinkedIn or attach to job applications, which adds further value for those who do pay. Coursera Plus subscribers can access the certificate at no additional cost beyond their subscription, making this an even stronger value proposition for anyone already subscribing. The bundled free textbook ("Writing in English at University: A Guide for Second Language Writers") would cost money if purchased as a standalone publication, yet it is included as part of the free course experience. This raises the effective value significantly. For international students, ESL learners, and anyone entering university or preparing graduate school applications on a budget, the combination of world-class university authorship, zero cost to learn, and a highly practical curriculum represents extraordinary value. Few competing courses at any price point offer this combination.

The course includes peer review exercises across its modules, allowing learners to submit short written pieces and evaluate each other's work using structured rubrics. This is the primary mechanism through which learners receive feedback on their own writing — the instructors do not personally grade or respond to individual submissions given the large global enrollment. The peer review design has genuine strengths: learners must both give and receive structured feedback, which research in writing pedagogy suggests is itself a valuable learning activity. Evaluating another person's argument structure or source integration forces the reviewer to articulate what makes academic writing effective, reinforcing their own understanding. However, academic analysis of the course (Nigar, 2020) notes that the course "lacks sufficient production phases where peer review could occur," meaning learners have fewer opportunities to produce and receive feedback on extended writing than would be ideal. Some modules rely primarily on quizzes rather than open-ended writing tasks, limiting the quantity of authentic feedback learners receive. The quality of peer feedback is also variable by nature: in a MOOC with a diverse global learner base, some peers are highly experienced writers while others are true beginners. There is no mechanism for instructors to moderate or quality-check peer reviews, so learners occasionally receive vague or unhelpful feedback. The automated quizzes provide immediate right/wrong feedback but cannot evaluate nuanced writing choices. For learners who are preparing for high-stakes academic work and want substantive editorial feedback on full essays, the course's feedback mechanisms are sufficient for orientation but may feel incomplete. This is an inherent constraint of the free MOOC format rather than a specific failure of course design.

The skills taught in this course map directly onto the demands of undergraduate and postgraduate academic work: constructing a thesis-driven argument, integrating secondary sources ethically and effectively, structuring long-form texts with clear signposting, and polishing prose through editing and proofreading. These are precisely the competencies that university instructors and writing tutors identify as most commonly underdeveloped in student writers, particularly those writing in English as a second language. Learners report applying course skills immediately to ongoing coursework. One reviewer wrote that "this four course modules were really essential for our academics in universities and higher studies," suggesting direct carry-over to real assignments. Another noted that the course "gave me a very good basis" for continued academic writing development, implying it serves as a strong foundation rather than a terminal endpoint. The course's emphasis on academic integrity and citation practices — covering paraphrasing, quotation, attribution, and how to avoid plagiarism — is directly applicable to any discipline, making the skills transferable across STEM, social sciences, and humanities writing contexts. Beyond university, the argumentation and structuring skills taught in the course translate to professional writing contexts: research reports, policy briefs, grant proposals, and business analyses all benefit from the same logical organisation the course teaches. The course's own materials acknowledge this, describing academic writing skills as "essential for effective communication in university studies, professional life and lifelong learning." The course is particularly impactful for non-native English speakers entering Anglophone or international academic environments, where writing conventions differ substantially from those in many national educational systems. Graduates of the course are better positioned to meet the writing expectations of English-medium institutions worldwide.