Course Outcomes - WR 123 English Composition: Research Writing

Prerequisite: A passing grade (C- or better) in WR 122.

While continuing the goals of WR 122, this course emphasizes skills needed to write the research essay that supports an analytical and/or assertive thesis. WR 123 also emphasizes the critical reading and writing skills involved in defining and researching a genuine problem of inquiry, as distinct from encyclopedic reporting.

Some sections may be discipline-specific.

1. Engage in and value a respectful and free exchange of ideas.
2. Demonstrate critical thinking and reading skills:
   • Actively read challenging, college-level texts;
   • Evaluate sources for authority, currency, reliability, bias, sound reasoning, validity, and adequacy;
   • Develop a thesis or a claim based on the evaluation and synthesis of primary and secondary sources.
3. Make appropriate and effective rhetorical choices during all stages of the writing process: invention, drafting, revising, and editing:
   • Use appropriate rhetorical strategies to support an argumentative or position-based thesis/claim within a research-based essay.
   • Address issues of audience and purpose, anticipating reactions by audiences outside the classroom.
4. Exercise appropriate methods of development and support:
   • Utilize an organization that will reflect the scope and nature of the thesis;
   • Demonstrate an ability to summarize, paraphrase, and quote sources in a manner that distinguishes the writer's voice from that of his/her sources.
5. Demonstrate successful use of the research process:
   • Use library resources (e.g., subject indexes, online databases, etc.) to locate information, recognizing that there are different resources available for different purposes/subjects;
   • Use some advanced research techniques (e.g., subject indexes, Boolean search terms, etc.).
6. Effectively and correctly use accepted conventions and formatting:
   • Demonstrate the ability to use Edited Standard Written English (ESWE) to address an academic audience;
   • Use a writer's handbook and/or other resources for style, grammar, citation, and documentation;
   • Include index, pagination, and appropriately integrated visuals into projects, as necessary.